Life Expectancy at Birth in Rwanda
Rwanda: Life Expectancy at Birth was 68.02 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Life Expectancy at Birth in Rwanda, 1960–2024
Source: International Monetary Fund.
Analysis
The most recent figure for life expectancy at birth in Rwanda is 68.02, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 65 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 4.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth in Rwanda peaked at 68.02 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 12.16, in 1994.
That places Rwanda 166th out of 216 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Life Expectancy at Birth in Rwanda, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 47.02 | — |
| 1961 | 47.46 | +0.9% |
| 1962 | 47.8 | +0.7% |
| 1963 | 44 | -8.0% |
| 1964 | 48.13 | +9.4% |
| 1965 | 48.2 | +0.1% |
| 1966 | 48.08 | -0.2% |
| 1967 | 47.99 | -0.2% |
| 1968 | 47.73 | -0.5% |
| 1969 | 47.44 | -0.6% |
| 1970 | 47.12 | -0.7% |
| 1971 | 46.76 | -0.8% |
| 1972 | 46.34 | -0.9% |
| 1973 | 45.94 | -0.9% |
| 1974 | 45.57 | -0.8% |
| 1975 | 45.32 | -0.5% |
| 1976 | 45.31 | -0.0% |
| 1977 | 45.58 | +0.6% |
| 1978 | 46.16 | +1.3% |
| 1979 | 47.09 | +2.0% |
| 1980 | 48.12 | +2.2% |
| 1981 | 49.22 | +2.3% |
| 1982 | 50.19 | +2.0% |
| 1983 | 50.94 | +1.5% |
| 1984 | 51.45 | +1.0% |
| 1985 | 51.7 | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 51.71 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 51.47 | -0.5% |
| 1988 | 50.91 | -1.1% |
| 1989 | 49.48 | -2.8% |
| 1990 | 47.76 | -3.5% |
| 1991 | 46.24 | -3.2% |
| 1992 | 44.4 | -4.0% |
| 1993 | 42.94 | -3.3% |
| 1994 | 12.16 | -71.7% |
| 1995 | 41.52 | +241.5% |
| 1996 | 42.49 | +2.3% |
| 1997 | 41.98 | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 43.1 | +2.7% |
| 1999 | 45.75 | +6.1% |
| 2000 | 47.8 | +4.5% |
| 2001 | 49.49 | +3.5% |
| 2002 | 51.26 | +3.6% |
| 2003 | 53.53 | +4.4% |
| 2004 | 55.52 | +3.7% |
| 2005 | 56.97 | +2.6% |
| 2006 | 58.34 | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 59.5 | +2.0% |
| 2008 | 60.64 | +1.9% |
| 2009 | 61.81 | +1.9% |
| 2010 | 62.8 | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 63.48 | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 64.19 | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 64.65 | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 65.09 | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 65.42 | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 65.73 | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 66.14 | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 66.35 | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 66.69 | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 66.95 | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 66.85 | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 67.53 | +1.0% |
| 2023 | 67.78 | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 68.02 | +0.3% |
Rwanda compared with similar countries
- Rwanda's 68.02 is above the median for low income countries, which is 63.84, 1.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Rwanda's 68.02 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 64.26, 1.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Life Expectancy at Birth in Rwanda changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | +241.5% | 12.16 | 41.52 |
| 1994 | -71.7% | 42.94 | 12.16 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 47.39 | 44 | 48.2 | 10 |
| 1970s | 46.12 | 45.31 | 47.12 | 10 |
| 1980s | 50.52 | 48.12 | 51.71 | 10 |
| 1990s | 40.83 | 12.16 | 47.76 | 10 |
| 2000s | 55.49 | 47.8 | 61.81 | 10 |
| 2010s | 65.05 | 62.8 | 66.69 | 10 |
| 2020s | 67.43 | 66.85 | 68.02 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Rwanda
More gender data for Rwanda
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 5,716 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 0.9861 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 10,439 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 10,439 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 2.5 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 194,446 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 198,438 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 191,100 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 194,971 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 188,797 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth in Rwanda?
- Life expectancy at birth in Rwanda was 68.02 in 2024, according to International Monetary Fund.
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth recorded in Rwanda?
- The highest recorded value was 68.02 in 2024.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth recorded in Rwanda?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.16 in 1994.
- How does Rwanda rank for life expectancy at birth?
- Rwanda ranks 166th out of 216 countries with data for 2024.
- Is life expectancy at birth rising or falling in Rwanda?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Rwanda data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund, published as part of Life Expectancy at Birth. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Gender-disaggregated data on health outcomes.