Labour · Sub-Saharan Africa · Low income
Rwanda: the labour market
Labour force is 5.8m (2025), 77th of 187 in the world and 25th of 47 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Participation rate is 63.7% (2025), 78th of 187 in the world and 25th of 47 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Women's participation is 57.3% (2025), 64th of 187 in the world and 24th of 47 in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Labour force
Rwanda
Participation rate
RwandaSub-Saharan AfricaLow incomeWorld
13 indicators
Labour: Rwanda in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Sub-Saharan Africa; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour forceLabour force, total | 5.8m2025 | 77/187 | 25/47 | 2.7m | 3.6m | 5.0m | +41%since 2015 | 527m | 267m | 3.7bn | |
| Participation rateLabour force participation, % of 15+ | 63.7%2025 | 78/187 | 25/47 | 62.1% | 61.0% | 62.7% | +3.0 ppsince 2015 | 70.3% | 64.4% | 61.0% | |
| Women's participationFemale labour force participation, % of women 15+ | 57.3%2025 | 64/187 | 24/47 | 53.1% | 54.1% | 56.7% | +2.8 ppsince 2015 | 65.2% | 54.7% | 48.9% | |
| Employment rateEmployment to population ratio, 15+ (ILO) | 56.4%2025 | 106/187 | 28/47 | 54.9% | 53.9% | 55.2% | +3.0 ppsince 2015 | 66.3% | 61.2% | 58.1% | |
| UnemploymentUnemployment, % of labour force (ILO) | 11.4%2025 | 31/187 | 12/47 | 11.7% | 11.6% | 11.8% | −0.5 ppsince 2015 | 5.7% | 4.9% | 4.8% | |
| Female unemploymentFemale unemployment, % of female labour force (ILO) | 12.8%2025 | 33/187 | 13/47 | 12.5% | 12.4% | 12.9% | +0.2 ppsince 2015 | 6.3% | 4.7% | 4.9% | |
| Youth unemploymentYouth unemployment, ages 15–24 (ILO) | 16.4%2025 | 70/187 | 14/47 | 15.4% | 16.1% | 15.9% | −0.2 ppsince 2015 | 10.1% | 10.1% | 13.4% | |
| Youth NEET rateYouth not in education, employment or training, % | 15.3%2025 | 104/170 | 36/44 | · | · | 26.1% | +10.1 ppsince 2014 | — | — | — | |
| Wage workersWage and salaried workers, % of total employment | 59.6%2025 | 110/187 | 10/47 | 51.6% | 54.9% | 56.6% | +3.4 ppsince 2015 | 22.3% | 21.1% | 53.6% | |
| Vulnerable employmentVulnerable employment, % of total employment (ILO) | 39.4%2025 | 66/187 | 37/47 | 47.4% | 44.0% | 42.5% | −3.4 ppsince 2015 | 71.0% | 76.1% | 42.4% | |
| Jobs in agricultureEmployment in agriculture, % of total employment | 35.1%2025 | 47/187 | 31/47 | 79.1% | 62.0% | 50.1% | −19.7 ppsince 2015 | 49.3% | 59.4% | 25.8% | |
| Jobs in industryEmployment in industry, % of total employment | 18.4%2025 | 102/187 | 11/47 | 5.1% | 10.8% | 17.2% | +5.3 ppsince 2015 | 12.2% | 10.2% | 23.7% | |
| Jobs in servicesEmployment in services, % of total employment | 46.5%2025 | 141/187 | 17/47 | 15.9% | 27.3% | 32.6% | +14.4 ppsince 2015 | 38.5% | 30.4% | 50.6% |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Women's participation+2.8 pp57.3% in 2025
- Employment rate+3.0 pp56.4% in 2025
- Unemployment−0.5 pp11.4% in 2025
- Youth unemployment−0.2 pp16.4% in 2025
Worse than ten years ago
- Female unemployment+0.2 pp12.8% in 2025
- Youth NEET rate+10.1 pp15.3% in 2025
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
Rwanda and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Rwanda. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Rwanda | Democratic Republic of the Congo | Tanzania | Uganda | Burundi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour force | 5.8m2025 | 39.2m2025 | 34.1m2025 | 23.4m2025 | 6.3m2025 |
| Participation rate | 63.7%2025 | 64.3%2025 | 83.7%2025 | 80.0%2025 | 78.3%2025 |
| Women's participation | 57.3%2025 | 61.8%2025 | 80.3%2025 | 75.6%2025 | 79.5%2025 |
| Employment rate | 56.4%2025 | 61.5%2025 | 82.4%2025 | 77.8%2025 | 77.5%2025 |
| Unemployment | 11.4%2025 | 4.4%2025 | 1.6%2025 | 2.7%2025 | 0.9%2025 |
| Female unemployment | 12.8%2025 | 3.5%2025 | 2.2%2025 | 3.3%2025 | 0.8%2025 |
| Youth unemployment | 16.4%2025 | 7.8%2025 | 2.4%2025 | 4.2%2025 | 1.7%2025 |
| Youth NEET rate | 15.3%2025 | 31.4%2020 | 15.2%2025 | 13.8%2021 | 11.2%2020 |
| Wage workers | 59.6%2025 | 14.9%2025 | 14.7%2025 | 19.5%2025 | 15.1%2025 |