People

Population: 7 956 172 (July 1998 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 45% (male 1 785 650; female 1 772 609)

15-64 years: 53% (male 2 070 401; female 2 106 809)

65 years and over: 2% (male 90 941; female 129 762) (July 1998 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.5% (1998 est.)

Birth rate: 38.99 births/1 000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate: 19 deaths/1 000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate: 5.03 migrant(s)/1 000 population (1998 est.)

note: following the outbreak of genocidal strife in Rwanda in April 1994 between Tutsi and Hutu factions more than 2 million refugees fled to neighboring Burundi Tanzania Uganda and Democratic Republic of the Congo formerly Zaire; according to the UN High Commission on Refugees in 1996 and early 1997 nearly 1 300 000 Hutus returned to Rwanda; of these 720 000 returned from Democratic Republic of the Congo 480 000 from Tanzania 88 000 from Burundi and 10 000 from Uganda; probably fewer than 100 000 Rwandans remained outside of Rwanda at the end of 1997

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 113.31 deaths/1 000 live births (1998 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 41.93 years

male: 41.49 years

female: 42.4 years (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.86 children born/woman (1998 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Rwandan(s)

adjective: Rwandan

Ethnic groups: Hutu 80% Tutsi 19% Twa (Pygmoid) 1%

Religions: Roman Catholic 65% Protestant 9% Muslim 1% indigenous beliefs and other 25%

Languages: Kinyarwanda (official) universal Bantu vernacular French (official) English (official) Kiswahili (Swahili) used in commercial centers

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 60.5%

male: 69.8%

female: 51.6% (1995 est.)