rie, Kigali
mailing address: B. P. 28, Kigali
telephone: [250] 596-400
FAX: [250] 596-591

Flag description:

three horizontal bands of sky blue (top, double width), yellow, and
green, with a golden sun with 24 rays near the fly end of the blue
band

Economy
Rwanda

Economy - overview:

Rwanda is a poor rural country with about 90% of the population
engaged in (mainly subsistence) agriculture. It is the most densely
populated country in Africa and is landlocked with few natural
resources and minimal industry. Primary foreign exchange earners are
coffee and tea. The 1994 genocide decimated Rwanda's fragile
economic base, severely impoverished the population, particularly
women, and eroded the country's ability to attract private and
external investment. However, Rwanda has made substantial progress
in stabilizing and rehabilitating its economy to pre-1994 levels,
although poverty levels are higher now. GDP has rebounded and
inflation has been curbed. Despite Rwanda's fertile ecosystem, food
production often does not keep pace with population growth,
requiring food imports. Rwanda continues to receive substantial aid
money and obtained IMF-World Bank Heavily Indebted Poor Country
(HIPC) initiative debt relief in 2005-06. Rwanda also received
Millennium Challenge Account Threshold status in 2006. The
government has embraced an expansionary fiscal policy to reduce
poverty by improving education, infrastructure, and foreign and
domestic investment and pursuing market-oriented reforms, although
energy shortages, instability in neighboring states, and lack of
adequate transportation linkages to other countries continue to
handicap growth.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$8.057 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$3.32 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

6% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$800 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 36.9%
industry: 21.7%
services: 41.4% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

4.6 million (2000)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 90%
industry and services: 10% (2000)

Unemployment rate:

NA%

Population below poverty line:

60% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 2.1%
highest 10%: 38.2% (2000)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

46.8 (2000)

Investment (gross fixed):

22% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: