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Rwanda

Rwanda is a low income economy in Sub-Saharan Africa, with its capital at Kigali. 72.0% of its people had electricity in 2024.

  • Sub-Saharan Africa
  • Low income
  • Capital: Kigali
  • Currency: RWF
World map of Electricity access, latest available year by country
Electricity access
72.0%
2024, world 91.9%
Renewable electricity
59.9%
2021, world 27.8%
CO₂ per person
0.16 t
2024, world 4.69 t
Consumption per person
79 kWh
2024, world 3,708 kWh
Clean cooking
9.0%
2024, world 75.4%
GDP per person
1,124
2025, world 14,406

Electricity generation mix

  • Oil
  • Coal
  • Gas
  • Hydro
  • Nuclear
  • Solar, wind & other

Rwanda2024

Sub-Saharan Africa2024

World2025

View data table
EconomyOilCoalGasHydroNuclearSolar, wind & otherYear
Rwanda19.1%16.1%5.5%55.9%0.0%5.2%2024
Sub-Saharan Africa5.0%42.9%14.0%29.9%1.6%4.3%2024
World1.2%15.1%28.7%15.2%15.2%12.4%2025

Share of electricity production by source, latest year available. Shares may not sum to exactly 100% because of rounding and minor sources.

Access to electricity

% of population, compared with Sub-Saharan Africa and the world.

Access to electricity, Rwanda
  • Rwanda
  • World
  • Sub-Saharan Africa
View data table
Access to electricity, Rwanda
YearRwandaWorldSub-Saharan Africa
2024 72.0%91.9%55.1%
2023 63.9%91.6%53.3%
2022 50.6%91.3%51.5%
2021 48.7%91.3%50.7%
2020 45.2%90.4%48.5%
2019 46.6%90.1%47.2%
2018 38.0%89.8%46.4%
2017 34.1%88.9%43.8%
2016 29.4%88.1%43.8%
2015 22.8%86.9%39.2%
2014 19.8%86.2%38.4%
2013 15.2%85.7%38.0%
2012 17.5%84.9%36.8%
2011 10.8%84.5%35.9%
2010 9.7%83.5%33.3%
2009 15.6%82.9%32.6%
2008 6.0%82.7%32.4%
2007 12.8%82.0%32.5%
2006 11.4%81.4%31.2%
2005 4.8%80.7%29.4%
2004 8.7%80.0%29.4%
2003 7.4%80.0%29.6%
2002 6.0%79.1%27.3%
2001 4.7%78.7%26.2%
2000 6.2%78.2%25.7%
1999 3.3%74.5%30.1%
1998 2.2%73.2%28.6%
1997 1.0%–28.4%
1996 ––28.5%

Emissions

CO₂ per person, tonnes, excluding land use.

CO₂ emissions per capita, Rwanda
  • Rwanda
  • World
  • Sub-Saharan Africa
View data table
CO₂ emissions per capita, Rwanda
YearRwandaWorldSub-Saharan Africa
2024 0.16 t4.69 t0.70 t
2023 0.16 t4.68 t0.70 t
2022 0.16 t4.67 t0.72 t
2021 0.13 t4.68 t0.75 t
2020 0.11 t4.47 t0.73 t
2019 0.12 t4.70 t0.79 t
2018 0.12 t4.73 t0.80 t
2017 0.11 t4.67 t0.80 t
2016 0.10 t4.65 t0.81 t
2015 0.10 t4.70 t0.82 t
2014 0.08 t4.78 t0.86 t
2013 0.09 t4.81 t0.85 t
2012 0.08 t4.77 t0.82 t
2011 0.07 t4.76 t0.82 t
2010 0.07 t4.67 t0.84 t
2009 0.07 t4.45 t0.82 t
2008 0.07 t4.56 t0.89 t
2007 0.07 t4.59 t0.86 t
2006 0.08 t4.48 t0.86 t
2005 0.08 t4.39 t0.89 t
2004 0.08 t4.28 t0.89 t
2003 0.08 t4.15 t0.86 t
2002 0.10 t4.02 t0.84 t
2001 0.08 t4.01 t0.85 t
2000 0.08 t4.01 t0.85 t
1999 0.06 t3.95 t0.85 t
1998 0.06 t3.98 t0.89 t
1997 0.06 t4.02 t0.91 t
1996 0.07 t4.01 t0.90 t
1995 0.08 t3.99 t0.87 t

Currency

1,477.75 RWF

per US dollar, mid-market reference. 1 RWF = ₦0.901

Sunshine in Kigali

7.0 kWh/m² today

  1. Tu7.0 kWh per square metre
  2. We7.3 kWh per square metre
  3. Th6.7 kWh per square metre
  4. Fr6.2 kWh per square metre
  5. Sa5.0 kWh per square metre
  6. Su5.4 kWh per square metre
  7. Mo5.5 kWh per square metre

Open-Meteo forecast, modelled irradiation.

Power plants

Installed capacity by fuel

11 plants, 194 MW recorded in WRI’s Global Power Plant Database.

  • Hydro128 MW
  • Oil28 MW
  • Gas26 MW
  • Solar9 MW
  • Waste4 MW

Snapshot as of the database’s 2021 release; newer plants are not included. Nameplate capacity, not available generation.

Largest plants

PlantFuelMWSince
Rusizi IIHydro441989
Rusizi IHydro301958
Nyabarongo IHydro282014
KivuWattGas262016
Jabana 2Oil202009
MukungwaHydro121982
NtarukaHydro121959
Rwamagana solarSolar92015
Jabana 1Oil82005
GisenyiWaste42010
Mukungwa IIHydro32010

All indicators

Rwanda in numbers

Data catalogue

Energy access

IndicatorRwandaYearSub-Saharan AfricaWorld
Access to electricity % of population 72.0% 2024 55.1% 91.9%
Access to electricity, rural % of rural population 65.2% 2024 35.7% 84.9%
Access to electricity, urban % of urban population 88.0% 2024 82.9% 97.8%
Access to clean fuels and technologies for cooking % of population 9.0% 2024 22.9% 75.4%

Power supply and mix

IndicatorRwandaYearSub-Saharan AfricaWorld
Electricity production from coal % of total 16.1% 2024 42.9% 15.1%
Electricity production from natural gas % of total 5.5% 2024 14.0% 28.7%
Electricity production from oil % of total 19.1% 2024 5.0% 1.2%
Electricity production from nuclear % of total 0.0% 2021 1.6% 15.2%
Electricity production from hydroelectric sources % of total 55.9% 2024 29.9% 15.2%
Electric power transmission and distribution losses % of output 14.9% 2024 13.4% 6.9%
Electric power consumption per capita kWh per capita 79 kWh 2024 380 kWh 3,708 kWh

Energy transition

IndicatorRwandaYearSub-Saharan AfricaWorld
Electricity production from renewables, excluding hydro % of total 5.2% 2021 4.3% 12.4%
Renewable electricity output % of total electricity output 59.9% 2021 32.6% 27.8%
Renewable energy consumption % of total final energy consumption 79.9% 2022 70.3% 19.7%
CO₂ emissions per capita (excluding LULUCF) t CO₂e per capita 0.16 t 2024 0.70 t 4.69 t
CO₂ emissions, total (excluding LULUCF) Mt CO₂e 2.3 Mt 2024 896.3 Mt 39,632.7 Mt
Energy intensity of primary energy MJ per $2017 PPP GDP 3.51 MJ/$ 2022 6.14 MJ/$ 4.54 MJ/$

Energy economy

IndicatorRwandaYearSub-Saharan AfricaWorld
Fuel exports % of merchandise exports 0.1% 2022 40.9% 9.5%
Oil rents % of GDP 0.00% 2021 3.80% 1.36%
Natural gas rents % of GDP 0.05% 2021 0.49% 0.52%
GDP per capita current US$ 1,124 2025 1,673 14,406
Population, total people 14.6M 2025 1.3B 8.2B

Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0). Latest year available per series.

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