Country import demand

Rwanda
import demand

A reported view of Rwanda's import scale, sector demand, supplier breadth, economy, and trade history.

RWA1995-2024 coverage270 active partner marketsMacro trend resilient
Latest imports$2.3B2024 reported
Import growth+34.5%Year on year
Population14.3MReported population
GDP per capita$999.7Current-dollar GDP
Trade openness33.3%Exports + imports / GDP

The country import read

What does Rwanda import?

In 2024, Rwanda recorded $2.3B in reported imports. Imports changed +34.5% year on year and -6.7% annualized over three years. Precious stones and metals was the largest displayed import sector.

Import history

A long view of demand

Latest twelve years from the reported country series.

Reported imports by year

2013
$1.7B
2014
$2.0B
2015
$2.1B
2016
$2.6B
2017
$2.2B
2018
$2.4B
2019
$2.3B
2020
$2.8B
2021
$2.9B
2022
$3.5B
2023
$1.7B
2024
$2.3B

Demand drivers

The economy behind import demand

Macro and structural indicators add context to reported imports.

GDP$14.3B2024 macro context
GDP growth6.6%Five-year CAGR
Population growth2.2%Five-year CAGR
Investment rate21.4%National rate
Savings rate6.9%National rate
Trade openness33.3%Exports + imports / GDP

Import portfolio

The sectors shaping demand

All returned HS2 sectors ranked by latest import value.

Import demand by HS2All returned · 2024
Leading import sectors for Rwanda
RankSectorImportsShareImport partnersActive HS6
1Precious stones and metalsHS2 71$10.9M0.5%2430
2Ores, slag and ashHS2 26$2.4M0.1%436
3Coffee, tea and spicesHS2 09$3.9M0.2%1838
4Preparations of cerealsHS2 19$19.9M0.9%2719
5Milling productsHS2 11$47.6M2.1%1722
6Mineral fuelsHS2 27$114.7M5%3232
7AircraftHS2 88$12.9M0.6%2615
8TinHS2 80$56.0K0%55
9Salt, sulphur, earths and stoneHS2 25$49.1M2.1%2242
10Non-knitted clothingHS2 62$17.8M0.8%40109

Import values are reported observations. Full rows remain in the downloads.

Supply diversification

Where import exposure is spread

Partner breadth, concentration, access, and distance add supplier context.

Supplier markets270Reported partner count
Partner concentration2,914.8Partner HHI
Top 3 partner share66.2%Reported concentration
FTA partner markets0Reported count
Average distance7,395 kmCalculated average
Macro resilienceMacro trend resilientCountry context
Complete country valuesOpen the full import evidenceFull profile, history, and HS2 sector fields remain available here and in the downloads.

Profile fields

Year2,024
Country Iso3RWA
Exports Usd$2.2B
Imports Usd$2.3B
Trade Balance Usd-$107.7M
Yoy Exports Growth Pct38.7%
Yoy Imports Growth Pct34.5%
Exports Cagr 3y Pct28.4%
Imports Cagr 3y Pct-6.7%
Export Partner Hhi2,914.8
Export Product Hhi2,728.4
Momentum Score35.6
Risk Score28.2
Gdp Million Usd14,251.6 million USD
Gdp Per Capita Usd$999.7
Population14,256,567
Labor Force7,370.2
Investment Rate Pct21.4%
Savings Rate Pct6.9%
Secondary Education Pct21.2%
Tertiary Education Pct3.1%
Total Factor Productivity167.1
Trade Openness Pct33.3%
Exports Gdp Pct16.3%
Num Active Partners270
Num Fta Partners0
Num Wto Partners169
Num Eu Partners28
Num Shared Border Partners4%
Num Shared Language Partners112%
Avg Partner Distance Km7,395 km
Avg Partner Gdp Million Usd533,678,518.3 million USD
Avg Partner Gdp Per Capita Usd$15.8
Avg Buyer Biz Entry DaysNot reported
Avg Buyer Biz Entry Cost PctNot reported
Pct Partners With Fta0
Pct Partners Shared Language41.5%
Pct Partners Shared Border1.5%
Avg Applied Tariff Pct0.1%
Avg Mfn Tariff Pct0.1%
Avg Preferential Tariff Pct0%
Tariff Advantage Pp0.1
Avg Distance All Partners Km7,472 km
Num Border Partners80
Num Colonial Partners70
Avg Substitution Elasticity-8.7
Pct Products High Elasticity65.5
Pct Products Low Elasticity4.1
Real Market Potential35,758.7
Foreign Market Potential17,396.3

Supplier context

Country Iso3RWA
All History Lane Count789
Current Lane Count373
Critical Lane Count1
High Attention Lane Count52
High Volatility Lane Count160
Unrecovered Drawdown Lane Count113
Declining Demand Lane Count1
Concentrated Market Lane Count204
Access Friction Lane Count64
Buyer Macro Weakness Lane Count22
Monitored Exports Current Usd$2.0B
Attention Exports Usd$498.4M
Critical Exports Usd$14.7M
High Volatility Exports Usd$1.4B
Unrecovered Drawdown Exports Usd$77.2M
Non Fta Exports Usd$1.9B
Monitored Attention Share Pct25%
Monitored Critical Share Pct0.7%
Fta Covered Exports Share Pct0%
Export Weighted Volatility Cv1.1
Export Weighted Below Peak Pct6.2%
Export Weighted Distance Km5,084 km
Export Weighted Tariff Pct0.1%
Latest Data Year2,024
First Data Year1,995
Country Years Count30
Total Exports Latest Usd$2.2B
Total Imports Latest Usd$2.3B
Trade Balance Latest Usd-$107.7M
Exports Yoy Latest Pct38.7%
Exports Cagr 3y Latest Pct28.4%
Gdp Latest Million Usd14,251.6 million USD
Gdp Per Capita Latest Usd$999.7
Population Latest14,256,567
Investment Rate Latest Pct21.4%
Savings Rate Latest Pct6.9%
Trade Openness Latest Pct33.3%
Exports Gdp Latest Pct16.3%
Active Partners Latest270
Fta Partners Latest0
Foreign Market Potential Latest17,396.3
Gdp 5y Cagr Pct6.6%
Gdp Per Capita 5y Cagr Pct4.3%
Population 5y Cagr Pct2.2%
Partner Hhi Latest2,914.8
Partner Top1 Share Latest Pct52.7%
Partner Top3 Share Latest Pct66.2%
Partner Hhi All Avg1,772.2
Partner Hhi All Max4,534
Product Hhi Latest2,728.4
Product Top1 Share Latest Pct50.7%
Product Top3 Share Latest Pct62.1%
Product Hhi All Avg2,608.6
Product Hhi All Max6,881.8
Total Exports Attention Share Pct22.6%
Total Exports Critical Share Pct0.7%
Attention LevelWatch
Primary Risk DriverMarket access exposure
Macro Resilience LabelMacro trend resilient

Annual import history

YearImportsExportsBalanceImports YoY
1995$137.5M$42.9M-$94.5M+0%
1996$255.1M$58.6M-$196.5M+85.6%
1997$285.1M$61.7M-$223.4M+11.8%
1998$233.0M$61.6M-$171.4M-18.3%
1999$230.5M$75.2M-$155.2M-1.1%
2000$202.1M$73.8M-$128.3M-12.3%
2001$254.6M$202.0M-$52.5M+26%
2002$277.6M$110.6M-$167.0M+9%
2003$313.6M$121.0M-$192.5M+13%
2004$380.1M$379.8M-$324.9K+21.2%
2005$434.0M$126.2M-$307.8M+14.2%
2006$590.8M$124.4M-$466.4M+36.1%
2007$642.9M$166.5M-$476.4M+8.8%
2008$1.0B$290.1M-$735.9M+59.6%
2009$1.0B$188.8M-$832.6M-0.5%
2010$1.2B$231.3M-$969.7M+17.6%
2011$1.5B$391.1M-$1.1B+24.4%
2012$1.4B$376.8M-$1.0B-6.7%
2013$1.7B$492.5M-$1.2B+22.9%
2014$2.0B$519.3M-$1.4B+14.1%
2015$2.1B$444.0M-$1.7B+7.7%
2016$2.6B$506.0M-$2.1B+22.2%
2017$2.2B$710.9M-$1.5B-14.7%
2018$2.4B$1.0B-$1.4B+10.4%
2019$2.3B$825.3M-$1.5B-4.6%
2020$2.8B$1.0B-$1.7B+19%
2021$2.9B$1.0B-$1.8B+3.8%
2022$3.5B$1.5B-$2.0B+22%
2023$1.7B$1.6B-$129.2M-50.6%
2024$2.3B$2.2B-$107.7M+34.5%

Import sectors

RankHS2SectorImportsShareImport partnersActive HS6
171Precious stones and metals$10.9M0.5%2430
226Ores, slag and ash$2.4M0.1%436
309Coffee, tea and spices$3.9M0.2%1838
419Preparations of cereals$19.9M0.9%2719
511Milling products$47.6M2.1%1722
627Mineral fuels$114.7M5%3232
788Aircraft$12.9M0.6%2615
880Tin$56.0K0%55
925Salt, sulphur, earths and stone$49.1M2.1%2242
1062Non-knitted clothing$17.8M0.8%40109

Questions about this profile

Rwanda import demand, in context

Short answers for import and supplier research.

What does the Rwanda import profile measure?

It combines reported imports, annual history, HS2 sectors, supplier breadth, economy context, and calculated indicators for Rwanda.

What is the latest reported import value for Rwanda?

Rwanda recorded $2.3B in reported imports in 2024.

Which sectors lead Rwanda's imports?

Precious stones and metals leads by reported import value at $10.9M.

How many years of Rwanda import history are available?

This profile contains 30 annual rows covering 1995 through 2024.

What drives import demand?

GDP, population, investment, savings, and trade openness provide demand context.

Are the growth and concentration values forecasts?

No. They are calculated or classified from reported observations, not forecasts or guarantees.

Continue your research

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Compare countries, products, sectors, and suppliers using reported trade data.

Data source

OECD trade statistics with CEPII context

OECD (2025), Balanced international merchandise trade statistics (BIMTS) - HS2017-6D, OECD Data Explorer (accessed on 2026-08-29). OECD BIMTS is the primary trade series for this view. Supporting bilateral trade context uses CEPII BACI bilateral trade flows (202601) under Etalab 2.0 Open Licence. Yugalinks presents derived views of reported observations and calculated indicators. Data terms: OECD Terms & Conditions.