Human Rights Index in Rwanda
Rwanda: Human Rights Index was 0.194 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
0.194
Change on year
up 10.2%
World rank
163rd
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.404
in 2014
All-time low
0.108
in 1930
Years of data
110
1916–2025
Human Rights Index in Rwanda, 1916–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, human rights index in Rwanda stood at 0.194.
The figure is up 10.2% on the previous year and down 51.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, human rights index in Rwanda peaked at 0.404 in 2014 and was at its lowest, 0.108, in 1930.
Rwanda ranks 163rd of 176 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 110 years of available data.
Human Rights Index in Rwanda, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1916 | 0.111 | — |
| 1917 | 0.111 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.111 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.111 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 0.111 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 0.111 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 0.111 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.111 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.111 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.111 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.111 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.111 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.111 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.111 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.108 | -2.7% |
| 1931 | 0.108 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 0.115 | +6.5% |
| 1933 | 0.115 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.115 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.115 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.115 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.115 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.115 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0.115 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 0.115 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 0.115 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 0.115 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.115 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.125 | +8.7% |
| 1945 | 0.125 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 0.125 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 0.125 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 0.125 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.125 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.125 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 0.125 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 0.123 | -1.6% |
| 1953 | 0.123 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 0.123 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 0.124 | +0.8% |
| 1956 | 0.13 | +4.8% |
| 1957 | 0.155 | +19.2% |
| 1958 | 0.17 | +9.7% |
| 1959 | 0.157 | -7.6% |
| 1960 | 0.195 | +24.2% |
| 1961 | 0.244 | +25.1% |
| 1962 | 0.275 | +12.7% |
| 1963 | 0.33 | +20.0% |
| 1964 | 0.323 | -2.1% |
| 1965 | 0.318 | -1.5% |
| 1966 | 0.317 | -0.3% |
| 1967 | 0.327 | +3.2% |
| 1968 | 0.327 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.321 | -1.8% |
| 1970 | 0.325 | +1.2% |
| 1971 | 0.325 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.325 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.326 | +0.3% |
| 1974 | 0.248 | -23.9% |
| 1975 | 0.248 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.249 | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 0.249 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.275 | +10.4% |
| 1979 | 0.29 | +5.5% |
| 1980 | 0.287 | -1.0% |
| 1981 | 0.287 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.287 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.287 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.287 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.287 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.287 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.287 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.286 | -0.3% |
| 1989 | 0.286 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.27 | -5.6% |
| 1991 | 0.318 | +17.8% |
| 1992 | 0.352 | +10.7% |
| 1993 | 0.342 | -2.8% |
| 1994 | 0.245 | -28.4% |
| 1995 | 0.263 | +7.3% |
| 1996 | 0.284 | +8.0% |
| 1997 | 0.295 | +3.9% |
| 1998 | 0.295 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.31 | +5.1% |
| 2000 | 0.382 | +23.2% |
| 2001 | 0.375 | -1.8% |
| 2002 | 0.375 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.375 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.371 | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 0.368 | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 0.369 | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 0.372 | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 0.372 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.371 | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 0.362 | -2.4% |
| 2011 | 0.37 | +2.2% |
| 2012 | 0.383 | +3.5% |
| 2013 | 0.388 | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 0.404 | +4.1% |
| 2015 | 0.4 | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 0.311 | -22.3% |
| 2017 | 0.264 | -15.1% |
| 2018 | 0.3 | +13.6% |
| 2019 | 0.319 | +6.3% |
| 2020 | 0.268 | -16.0% |
| 2021 | 0.231 | -13.8% |
| 2022 | 0.23 | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 0.19 | -17.4% |
| 2024 | 0.176 | -7.4% |
| 2025 | 0.194 | +10.2% |
Rwanda compared with similar countries
- Rwanda's 0.194 is below the median for low income countries, which is 0.42, 46% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Rwanda's 0.194 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.6165, 31% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Human Rights Index 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | -28.4% | 0.342 | 0.245 |
| 1961 | +25.1% | 0.195 | 0.244 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 0.111 | 0.111 | 0.111 | 4 |
| 1920s | 0.111 | 0.111 | 0.111 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.1136 | 0.108 | 0.115 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.121 | 0.115 | 0.125 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.1355 | 0.123 | 0.17 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.2977 | 0.195 | 0.33 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.286 | 0.248 | 0.326 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.2868 | 0.286 | 0.287 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.2974 | 0.245 | 0.352 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.373 | 0.368 | 0.382 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.3501 | 0.264 | 0.404 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2148 | 0.176 | 0.268 | 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 human rights index in Rwanda?
- Human rights index in Rwanda was 0.194 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest human rights index recorded in Rwanda?
- The highest recorded value was 0.404 in 2014.
- What is the lowest human rights index recorded in Rwanda?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.108 in 1930.
- How does Rwanda rank for human rights index?
- Rwanda ranks 163rd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is human rights index rising or falling in Rwanda?
- Over the last ten years it is down 51.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Rwanda data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Human Rights Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 110 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Central estimate of the extent to which people are free from government torture, political killings, and forced labor, they have property rights, and enjoy the freedoms of movement, religion, expression, and association.