World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Rwanda fits inside the median country 4.2 times.
Rwanda: 26,338 km² (2023) · World median: 111,370 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Rwanda: 0 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Rwanda’s highest peak towers 2,184 m above the median country’s.
Rwanda: 4,519 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Rwanda has 2 times as many people as the median country.
Rwanda: 14.6 million (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Rwanda is 6 times as densely populated as the median country.
Rwanda: 591 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the median country are 7.5 cm taller than in Rwanda.
Rwanda: 166 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the median country are 3.8 cm taller than in Rwanda.
Rwanda: 156.7 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the median country is 12 years older than in Rwanda.
Rwanda: 19.4 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Rwanda have 1.7 more children on average than in the median country.
Rwanda: 3.65 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.6% of people in the median country are 65 or older, versus 4.0% in Rwanda.
Rwanda: 4% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Rwanda and the median country are practically level.
Rwanda: 0 (2025) · World median: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Rwanda has 3 official languages, the median country 1.
Rwanda: 3 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The median country’s economy is 2.8 times the size of Rwanda’s.
Rwanda: $16.4 billion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The median country produces 5.1 times as much per person as Rwanda.
Rwanda: Int$4,164 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Rwanda than in the median country (Gini 5 points higher).
Rwanda: 39.4 (2023) · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 11% in Rwanda, versus 5.1% in the median country.
Rwanda: 11.4% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The median country and Rwanda are practically level.
Rwanda: 1.2% (2024) · World median: 1.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The median country’s price level (US = 100) is 1.7× Rwanda’s.
Rwanda: 27% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The median country spends 8.9 times as much on health per person as Rwanda.
Rwanda: $53 (2023) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the median country live 6.6 years longer than in Rwanda.
Rwanda: 68 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Rwanda is 2.3 times as likely to die before turning one as in the median country.
Rwanda: 29.4 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The median country has 19 times as many doctors per person as Rwanda.
Rwanda: 0.1 per 1,000 (2022) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in the median country are obese, versus 5.2% in Rwanda.
Rwanda: 5.2% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
19% of adults in the median country smoke, versus 10% in Rwanda.
Rwanda: 10.1% (2024) · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the median country rate their lives 2.57 points higher than in Rwanda.
Rwanda: 3.27 (2021) · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the median country drink 5% more alcohol than in Rwanda.
Rwanda: 4.1 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The median country has 8.7 times as much meat per person as Rwanda.
Rwanda: 6.4 kg (2023) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The median country has 533 kcal more food per person per day than Rwanda.
Rwanda: 2,405 kcal (2023) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the median country put in 390 more hours a year than in Rwanda.
Rwanda: 1,584 hours (2023) · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the median country went to school 5.1 years longer than in Rwanda.
Rwanda: 4.9 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The median country welcomed 2.8 times as many tourists per resident as Rwanda (2019).
Rwanda: 0.12 (2019) · World median: 0.34 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
82% of people in the median country are online, versus 32% in Rwanda.
Rwanda: 32% (2024) · World median: 82% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the median country have electricity, versus 72% in Rwanda.
Rwanda: 72% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in the median country live in cities, versus 31% in Rwanda.
Rwanda: 31% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The median country has 115 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Rwanda 93.
Rwanda: 93 (2024) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Rwanda: no data · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the median country fly 2.3 times as many passengers per resident as those from Rwanda.
Rwanda: 0.11 (2023) · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 31% of the median country, but only 11% of Rwanda.
Rwanda: 11.3% (2023) · World median: 31.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the median country emits 21 times as much CO₂ as someone in Rwanda.
Rwanda: 0.1 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
50% of Rwanda’s electricity is renewable, versus 31% in the median country.
Rwanda: 49.6% (2024) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Rwanda carries 2.5 times as much fine dust as in the median country.
Rwanda: 41.8 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 60% more likely to be murdered in Rwanda than in the median country.
Rwanda: 3.6 per 100k (2020) · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the median country are 6% deadlier than in Rwanda.
Rwanda: 11.6 per 100k (2021) · World median: 12.3 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The median country is on average 2.8 °C warmer than Rwanda.
Rwanda: 20.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Rwanda gets 53% more rain than the median country.
Rwanda: 1,553 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Rwanda bigger than the median country?
The median country is larger. Rwanda fits inside the median country 4.2 times.
Which has more people, Rwanda or the median country?
Rwanda has 2 times as many people as the median country (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Rwanda or the median country?
People in the median country live 6.6 years longer than in Rwanda. Life expectancy at birth is 68.0 years in Rwanda and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in Rwanda or the median country?
Men in the median country are 7.5 cm taller than in Rwanda (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
