Rwanda is a sovereign state in central Africa with a widely varied geography. Rwanda has one of the highest population densities in Africa (1,060/sq mi) with a young, mostly rural population. In 2019, the population is estimated at 12.79 million, an increase from 2013&apos;s estimate of 11.8 million. This puts Rwanda 77th in the world.
Rwandans are comprised of three primary groups: the Hutu (84%), Tutsi (15%) and Twa (1%) people. The Twa are forest-dwelling pygmy people descended from the earliest inhabitants of the region. There is a great deal of debate about the differences and origins of the Hutu and Tutsi, however.
Rwanda was first settled by hunter-gatherers, then Bantu settlers. In 1884, Germany colonized the country, then Belgium during WWI. In 1959, the Hulu people revolted, massacring a large number of Tutsi people and establishing a new state three years later. The Tutsi launched a civil war in 1990, then a genocide in 1994 in which Hutu extremists killed up to one million Tutsi and Hutu.
There are very few major towns in Rwanda, and Kigali is the largest with one million people. Other larger towns are Gitarama, Butare and Gisenyi, all with less than 100,000 people.
How Many People Live in Rwanda?
Rwanda has worked hard to control its growth as Africa's most densely populated county, but it's expected to still reach 16 million by 2020.
Total population: Estimated to be consistent with the 1978, 1990, and 2002 censuses adjusted for underenumeration, with provisional results from the 2012 census adjusted for underenumeration, and with estimates of the subsequent trends in fertility, mortality and international migration. The 2002 and 2012 censuses were conducted on a 'de jure' basis.