Government projections show that Rwanda's economy is expected to grow by 7.1% in 2025, 7.5% in 2026, 7.4% in 2027, and 7% in 2028.
Presenting a report on the Government's achievements in improving citizens' welfare before both chambers of Parliament on June 19, 2025, Dr. Ngirente emphasised that this sustained economic growth has been inclusive.
'Some wondered whether the economic growth we've seen was truly inclusive. We have found that it is. The growth has been sharedâ€"many people have benefited from it. The positive effects of economic development have reached Rwandans across all regionsâ€"urban and ruralâ€"and across all age groups, both young and old," he said.
According to the Seventh Integrated Household Living Conditions Survey (EICV7) conducted over 12 months in 2024, Rwanda's poverty rate dropped from 39.8% in 2017 to 27.4% in 2024. Extreme poverty fell from 11.3% in 2017 to 5.4% in 2024.
In 2000, the average annual income per Rwandan was $268, which rose to $1,029 by 2024.
EICV7 also shows that 1.5 million Rwandans moved out of poverty in the past seven years, a 12.4% decline in poverty levels.
The National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR) estimates that a Rwandan needs at least 560,127 Rwandan francs per year to meet essential needs, including food and other basic necessities.
The Government attributes this poverty reduction to a range of social protection programs, such as Girinka (One Cow per Poor Family), Vision 2020 Umurenge Programme (VUP), direct support to vulnerable households, and health insurance coverage for the poor.
Currently, Rwanda has over 1.6 million cows, with more than 452,000 distributed through the Girinka program.
IGIHE
