Statistics on Rwanda

Statistics of the Genocide

The Rwandan Genocide of 1994 was a truly traumatic and horrifying event. It was one of the most brutal acts of murder ever committed.

  • Over the course of only 100 days, a stupefying 1,000,000 people were slaughtered.
  • During this terrible slaughter of the innocent, more than 6 men, women and children were murdered every 60 seconds of every hour of every day. This brutally efficient pace was kept up for more than 3 months.
  • An estimated 11% of all females, or approximately 535,000 women, living in Rwanda at the time of the genocide were victims of a concerted rape campaign.
  • During the course of the rape campaign, an average of 4 women were violently sexually assaulted, most of them by HIV+ men, every minute of every hour of every day for 100 consecutive days.
  • More than 67% of women who were raped in 1994 during the genocide are now facing death from AIDS.
  • As a direct result of the 100 days of death and violence in 1994 there are more than 60,000 widows living in Rwanda, caring for more than 200,000 orphans.
  • Otherwise stated, 3.25% of the total Rwandan population are orphans whose parents died from AIDS.
  • By the end of 2001, there were 500,000 people in Rwanda living with HIV – approximately 13% of the population.
  • That equates to more than 1 out of every 10 people suffering from HIV or AIDS.

General Demographics

The statistics and figures below are all provided by the World Fact Book and were updated in February 2006.

Geographic size:

26,338 km2

Language:

Kinyarwanda (French, English and Kiswahili are also spoken)

Religion:

Roman Catholic 56.5%, Protestant 26%, Adventist 11.1%, Muslim 4.6%, indigenous beliefs 0.1%, none 1.7% (2001)

Borders with:

Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania and Uganda.

Arable land:

40.54%

Crops:

12.16%

Other:

47.3% (2001)

Population:

8,440,820 people

Average life expectancy:

46.96 years (male 45.92, female 48.03 years)

Sex ratio:

0.99 Males/female

HIV/AIDS prevalence:

5.1% (est. 2003)

Literacy:

70.4%

Percentage of people below poverty line:

60% (est. 2001)

GDP per capita:

purchasing power parity - $1,300 (2005 est.)

Rate of inflation:

8%

Currency:

Rwandan franc

Main exports:

Coffee and Tea

Labour force:

4.6 million (90% in agriculture)

Ethnic groups:

Hutu 84%, Tutsi 15%, Other 1%

Independence:

1st July 1962

Government:

republic; presidential, multiparty system

Voting age:

18

President:

Paul Kagame

Prime Minister:

Bernard Makuza

Flag:

The flag has a golden sun with 24 rays on a field of green, yellow and blue.