Employment by status in Rwanda
Rwanda: Employment by status was 59.1% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Employment by status in Rwanda, 1991–2024
Source: International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, employment by status in Rwanda stood at 59.1%.
That represents a change of up 0.6% on the previous year and up 5.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment by status in Rwanda peaked at 62.1% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 50.9%, in 1995.
That places Rwanda 112th out of 186 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Employment by status in Rwanda, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 51.1% | — |
| 1992 | 51.1% | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 51.0% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 51.1% | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 50.9% | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 51.0% | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 51.0% | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 51.2% | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 51.3% | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 51.6% | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 51.9% | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 52.4% | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 52.8% | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 53.1% | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 53.4% | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 53.7% | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 54.0% | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 54.3% | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 54.6% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 54.9% | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 55.2% | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 55.4% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 55.7% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 55.9% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 56.1% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 56.3% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 56.8% | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 56.8% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 57.1% | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 56.6% | -0.9% |
| 2021 | 62.1% | +9.8% |
| 2022 | 61.0% | -1.8% |
| 2023 | 58.7% | -3.7% |
| 2024 | 59.1% | +0.6% |
Rwanda compared with similar countries
- Rwanda's 59.1% is above the median for low income countries, which is 18.4%, 3.2× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Rwanda's 59.1% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 26.5%, 2.2× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 51.1% | 50.9% | 51.3% | 9 |
| 2000s | 53.2% | 51.6% | 54.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 56.0% | 54.9% | 57.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 59.5% | 56.6% | 62.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Rwanda
More work & labour data for Rwanda
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.267 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.2752 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.2591 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.3518 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 3.32 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 6,483 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 15,403 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 16,639 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 16,140 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 32,779 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment by status in Rwanda?
- Employment by status in Rwanda was 59.1% in 2024, according to International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest employment by status recorded in Rwanda?
- The highest recorded value was 62.1% in 2021.
- What is the lowest employment by status recorded in Rwanda?
- The lowest recorded value was 50.9% in 1995.
- How does Rwanda rank for employment by status?
- Rwanda ranks 112th out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
- Is employment by status rising or falling in Rwanda?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Rwanda data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Employment by status. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of people in employment working as employees, as a percentage of total employment.