Rwanda -- Demography
Rwanda
is one of the most densely populated
countries in Africa. The average
population density is estimated
at 274.6 people per square kilometer.
But Rwanda's demographic profile
was seriously affected by the
events of 1994. Up to one million
of the country's estimated 7.6
million inhabitants were killed
and another two million forced
to flee in the violent exchanges
between the Hutu and Tutsi peoples.
Since then, there have been further
large-scale population movements.
Nearly two million refugees have
returned, including 700,000 "old
refugees" from Uganda and
Burundi. Some 220,000 orphans
have either joined, or are seeking
to join, other families. At least
110,000 people are in prison on
suspicion of contributing to the
genocide.
The
Hutu comprise more than 80% of
the population. The only other
major ethnic group is the Tutsi,
whose numbers have markedly declined
because of the massacres of 1959-61,
1964, and 1990-1994. At the 1978
census, the male/female ratio
was 48.9:51.1. The median age
of the population was 15.5 years.
The largest age group was that
of persons under 30 years of age,
constituting 74.2% of the population.
A total of 24.3% were between
30 and 64, and 0.9 were 75 or
over.
Other
demographic data
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
(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.)
Source:
CIA World Fact Book 1999
