Democracy Index in Rwanda
Rwanda: Democracy Index was -3 in 2018. ▲ Rising
Democracy Index in Rwanda, 1961–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Rwanda recorded -3 for democracy index in 2018. That is the highest value across all 58 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, democracy index in Rwanda peaked at -3 in 2003 and was at its lowest, -7, in 1973.
Rwanda ranks 132nd of 168 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 58 years of available data.
Democracy Index in Rwanda, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | -5 | — |
| 1962 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1963 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1964 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1965 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1966 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1967 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1968 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1969 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1970 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1971 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1972 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1973 | -7 | +40.0% |
| 1974 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1975 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1976 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1977 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1978 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1979 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1980 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1981 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1982 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1983 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1984 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1985 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1986 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1987 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1988 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1989 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1990 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1991 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1992 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1993 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1994 | -6 | -14.3% |
| 1995 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1996 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1997 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1998 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 1999 | -6 | -0.0% |
| 2000 | -4 | -33.3% |
| 2001 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 2002 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 2003 | -3 | -25.0% |
| 2004 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 2005 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 2006 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 2007 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 2008 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 2009 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 2010 | -4 | +33.3% |
| 2011 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 2012 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 2013 | -3 | -25.0% |
| 2014 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 2015 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 2016 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 2017 | -3 | -0.0% |
| 2018 | -3 | -0.0% |
Rwanda compared with similar countries
- Rwanda's -3 is below the median for low income countries, which is 1. (25 countries reporting)
- Rwanda's -3 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.5. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | -5 | -5 | -5 | 9 |
| 1970s | -6.4 | -7 | -5 | 10 |
| 1980s | -7 | -7 | -7 | 10 |
| 1990s | -6.4 | -7 | -6 | 10 |
| 2000s | -3.3 | -4 | -3 | 10 |
| 2010s | -3.33 | -4 | -3 | 9 |
Countries ranked near Rwanda
More social development data for Rwanda
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 115,794 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 244,415 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 6 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 6 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0168 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 244,415 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0079 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is democracy index in Rwanda?
- Democracy index in Rwanda was -3 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest democracy index recorded in Rwanda?
- The highest recorded value was -3 in 2003.
- What is the lowest democracy index recorded in Rwanda?
- The lowest recorded value was -7 in 1973.
- How does Rwanda rank for democracy index?
- Rwanda ranks 132nd out of 168 countries with data for 2018.
- Is democracy index rising or falling in Rwanda?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Rwanda data come from?
- The figures come from Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Democracy Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 58 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
It combines information on the extent to which open, multi-party, and competitive elections choose a chief executive who faces comprehensive institutional constraints, and political participation is competitive. It ranges from -10 to 10 (fully democratic).