Imports of goods and services in Rwanda
Rwanda: Imports of goods and services was 35.1% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Imports of goods and services in Rwanda, 1960–2025
Source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Offices (NSOs). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, imports of goods and services in Rwanda stood at 35.1%.
That represents a change of down 18.8% on the previous year and up 8.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, imports of goods and services in Rwanda peaked at 76.5% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 11.6%, in 1961.
That places Rwanda 122nd out of 193 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Imports of goods and services in Rwanda, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 11.9% | — |
| 1961 | 11.6% | -2.5% |
| 1962 | 15.1% | +30.1% |
| 1963 | 15.0% | -1.1% |
| 1964 | 14.9% | -0.3% |
| 1965 | 20.0% | +34.2% |
| 1966 | 23.6% | +18.1% |
| 1967 | 18.2% | -22.9% |
| 1968 | 17.9% | -1.8% |
| 1969 | 17.0% | -5.2% |
| 1970 | 18.0% | +6.1% |
| 1971 | 19.9% | +10.7% |
| 1972 | 19.2% | -3.6% |
| 1973 | 15.9% | -17.3% |
| 1974 | 25.2% | +58.7% |
| 1975 | 20.9% | -17.1% |
| 1976 | 22.9% | +9.6% |
| 1977 | 20.9% | -8.9% |
| 1978 | 28.1% | +34.8% |
| 1979 | 26.9% | -4.4% |
| 1980 | 31.2% | +16.0% |
| 1981 | 25.7% | -17.5% |
| 1982 | 28.5% | +11.0% |
| 1983 | 24.5% | -14.0% |
| 1984 | 23.2% | -5.3% |
| 1985 | 23.5% | +1.1% |
| 1986 | 23.8% | +1.3% |
| 1987 | 22.6% | -5.0% |
| 1988 | 20.8% | -8.0% |
| 1989 | 20.4% | -1.8% |
| 1990 | 16.6% | -18.6% |
| 1991 | 21.3% | +28.3% |
| 1992 | 21.6% | +1.2% |
| 1993 | 24.2% | +12.3% |
| 1994 | 76.5% | +216.0% |
| 1995 | 30.5% | -60.1% |
| 1996 | 30.9% | +1.5% |
| 1997 | 30.3% | -2.0% |
| 1998 | 27.4% | -9.6% |
| 1999 | 25.9% | -5.6% |
| 2000 | 26.1% | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 25.9% | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 25.3% | -2.4% |
| 2003 | 25.5% | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 27.2% | +6.8% |
| 2005 | 27.8% | +2.4% |
| 2006 | 22.5% | -19.1% |
| 2007 | 22.6% | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 26.6% | +17.9% |
| 2009 | 26.7% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 26.9% | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 27.4% | +1.8% |
| 2012 | 28.9% | +5.6% |
| 2013 | 29.6% | +2.3% |
| 2014 | 30.4% | +2.8% |
| 2015 | 32.3% | +6.3% |
| 2016 | 34.5% | +6.6% |
| 2017 | 33.5% | -2.9% |
| 2018 | 26.3% | -21.3% |
| 2019 | 26.9% | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 25.7% | -4.4% |
| 2021 | 40.5% | +57.8% |
| 2022 | 39.2% | -3.3% |
| 2023 | 43.2% | +10.3% |
| 2024 | 43.3% | +0.2% |
| 2025 | 35.1% | -18.8% |
Rwanda compared with similar countries
- Rwanda's 35.1% is above the median for low income countries, which is 29.1%, 1.2× the median. (22 countries reporting)
- Rwanda's 35.1% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 30.0%, 1.2× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Imports of goods and services 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 | +216.0% | 24.2% | 76.5% |
| 1995 | -60.1% | 76.5% | 30.5% |
| 1974 | +58.7% | 15.9% | 25.2% |
| 2021 | +57.8% | 25.7% | 40.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 16.5% | 11.6% | 23.6% | 10 |
| 1970s | 21.8% | 15.9% | 28.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 24.4% | 20.4% | 31.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 30.5% | 16.6% | 76.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 25.6% | 22.5% | 27.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 29.7% | 26.3% | 34.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 37.8% | 25.7% | 43.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Rwanda
- 119 Azerbaijan 36.8% compare
- 120 Uzbekistan 35.4% compare
- 121 Togo 35.3% compare
- 123 Iran, Islamic Republic of 34.5% compare
- 124 Ghana 33.9% compare
- 125 France 33.8% compare
More economy & growth data for Rwanda
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 5.1 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 7.3 Percent per annum (2029)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 13.15 million BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0009 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 0.9225 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 572.93 million BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 25.19 % change on previous year (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0379 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 40.19 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate -18.44 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is imports of goods and services in Rwanda?
- Imports of goods and services in Rwanda was 35.1% in 2025, according to Country official statistics, National Statistical Offices (NSOs).
- What is the highest imports of goods and services recorded in Rwanda?
- The highest recorded value was 76.5% in 1994.
- What is the lowest imports of goods and services recorded in Rwanda?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.6% in 1961.
- How does Rwanda rank for imports of goods and services?
- Rwanda ranks 122nd out of 193 countries with data for 2025.
- Is imports of goods and services rising or falling in Rwanda?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Rwanda data come from?
- The figures come from Country official statistics, National Statistical Offices (NSOs), published as part of Imports of goods and services (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Imports of goods includes change in the economic ownership of goods from non-residents to residents of the compiling economy, irrespective of physical movement of goods across national borders. Imports of services includes services provided by non-residents to residents. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.