Factbook
Histoire de Rwanda — Chronologie
Dates clés de l'histoire de Rwanda, d'après le Factbook Magna et l'Encyclopédie universelle.
1860Social categories became more rigid during the reign of RWABUGIRI (1860-1895), who focused on aggressive expansion and solidifying Rwanda’s bureaucratic structures.
1916German colonial conquest began in the late 1890s, but the territory was ceded to Belgian forces in 1916 during World War I.
1959Simmering resentment of minority rule exploded in 1959, three years before independence from Belgium, when Hutus overthrew the Tutsi king.
1962Independence: 1 July 1962 (from Belgium-administered UN trusteeship).
1973Army Chief of Staff Juvenal HABYARIMANA seized power in a coup in 1973 and ruled Rwanda as a single-party state for two decades.
1990The children of Tutsi exiles later formed a rebel group, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) and began a civil war in 1990.
1994The civil war exacerbated ethnic tensions and culminated in the shooting down of HABYARIMANA’s private jet in 1994.
1999Rwanda held its first local elections in 1999 and its first post-genocide presidential and legislative elections in 2003, formalizing President Paul KAGAME’s de facto role as head of government.
2002Languages: Kinyarwanda (official, universal Bantu vernacular) 93.2%, French (official) <0.1%, English (official) <0.1%, Swahili/Kiswahili (official, used in commercial centers) <0.1%, more than one language, other 6.3%, unspecified 0.3% (2002 est.) Religions: Catholic 39.9%, Pentecostal 21.3%, Protestant 14.6%, Adventist 12.2%, other Christians 4.2%, no religion 3.0%, Muslim 2.0%, other religions 2.0%; less than 1%: Jehovah Witness, not specified, Animist (2022 est.) Urban population: 17.9% of total population (2023).
2010KAGAME was formally elected in 2010, and again in 2017 after changing the constitution to allow him to run for a third term.
2023Generation mix — fossil fuels: 43.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 3.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 52.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) Energy use: 1.808 million Btu/person (2023 est.).
2023Industries: cement, agricultural products, small-scale beverages, soap, furniture, shoes, plastic goods, textiles, cigarettes Agriculture: bananas, cassava, sweet potatoes, plantains, potatoes, maize, beans, pumpkins/squash, taro, sorghum (2023) Electricity access: 50.6% (2022 est.).
2023Major urban areas: 1.248 million KIGALI (capital) (2023) low-income Sub-Saharan economy; services, industry, and agriculture sectors driving growth; increased government spending on human capital, energy, and healthcare; major infrastructure projects including the Bugesera Airport intended to support long-term growth; challenges include lack of economic diversification, high inflation, and wide current account deficit Inflation: 1.8% (2024 est.).
2024Military spending: 1.3% of GDP (2024 est.).
2024Population: 13.6 million (2024 estimate).
