Forcibly displaced people in Rwanda
Rwanda: Forcibly displaced people was 131,045 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Forcibly displaced people in Rwanda, 2010–2025
Source: Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Analysis
In 2025, forcibly displaced people in Rwanda stood at 131,045.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.9% on the previous year and down 9.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forcibly displaced people in Rwanda peaked at 171,429 in 2017 and was at its lowest, 55,616, in 2011.
Rwanda ranks 72nd of 180 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 16 years of available data.
Forcibly displaced people in Rwanda, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 55,682 | — |
| 2011 | 55,616 | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 59,690 | +7.3% |
| 2013 | 73,562 | +23.2% |
| 2014 | 74,040 | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 145,145 | +96.0% |
| 2016 | 156,521 | +7.8% |
| 2017 | 171,429 | +9.5% |
| 2018 | 145,782 | -15.0% |
| 2019 | 145,547 | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 139,956 | -3.8% |
| 2021 | 122,289 | -12.6% |
| 2022 | 121,231 | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 128,303 | +5.8% |
| 2024 | 128,561 | +0.2% |
| 2025 | 131,045 | +1.9% |
Rwanda compared with similar countries
- Rwanda's 131,045 is below the median for low income countries, which is 762,014, 17% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Rwanda's 131,045 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 70,609, 1.9× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Forcibly displaced people 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | +96.0% | 74,040 | 145,145 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 108,301 | 55,616 | 171,429 | 10 |
| 2020s | 128,564 | 121,231 | 139,956 | 6 |
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 forcibly displaced people in Rwanda?
- Forcibly displaced people in Rwanda was 131,045 in 2025, according to Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
- What is the highest forcibly displaced people recorded in Rwanda?
- The highest recorded value was 171,429 in 2017.
- What is the lowest forcibly displaced people recorded in Rwanda?
- The lowest recorded value was 55,616 in 2011.
- How does Rwanda rank for forcibly displaced people?
- Rwanda ranks 72nd out of 180 countries with data for 2025.
- Is forcibly displaced people rising or falling in Rwanda?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Rwanda data come from?
- The figures come from Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), published as part of Forcibly displaced people. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Forcibly displaced people are represented by the sum of (1) refugees (and people in a refugee-like situation) under the mandate of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), (2) refugees under the mandate of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), (3) asylum-seekers, (4) other people in need of international protection, and (5) internally displaced people (IDPs). Situations in which people are reported in more than one of these categories are accounted for, to the extent possible.