A step mountainside is seen from a ridge, with multiple terraces cascading down the side from top to bottom.

Rwanda

At a Glance

Rwanda has experienced strong economic growth in recent years, accompanied by significant progress on development goals. Drier dry seasons followed by more frequent and intense rainfall harm key industries such as hydropower production and agricultural exports. A wetter climate may also increase the incidence of vector and waterborne diseases such as malaria, which is already a leading cause of death in the country. Rwanda has one of the highest reforestation rates globally, which has mitigated greenhouse gas emissions from the land use and forestry sector--while in gross terms, it is the highest gross emitting sector in the country, the added tree cover makes it the fourth highest net emitter.

 

 

 

Climate Projections and Impacts

Refer to the Climate Risk Profile (2019) for more information.

Climate Projections

Drought icon
Increased Incidence of Dry Spells/Droughts & Increased Heat Wave Duration
Increased/More Frequent Precipitation
Increased Temperature

Key Climate Impacts

Agriculture
Ecosystems
Energy
Human Health
Water Resources

Funding & Country Climate Context


USAID Climate Change Funding (2023)

Total

$1.5 Million

Adaptation

$1.5 Million

GAIN Vulnerability

Medium

Population (2023)

13.4 Million

GHG Emissions Growth

12.46%

% Forested Area

19.7%

Refer to metadata and sources for more details.

Climate Change Information

Climate Risk Profile

Climate Risk Profile: Rwanda

Rwanda Photo Gallery

Document

Cold Storage Business Models from Developing Countries

Document

Climate Risk Profile: East Africa Regional

Stories from the Area

This blog is a recap of the April ‘Mitigation and Low-Emissions Agriculture’ theme.
The image of rice fields is starting to be planted with wet rice in the spring crop. The farmers worked hard and had a buffalo as a companion. The terraced fields in Sapa - Vietnam are very beautiful. This season of the year is very suitable for planting wet rice. People have grasped the favorable climate to grow wet rice.
Reducing livestock emissions while increasing production efficiency is key in Africa and can be achieved through better livestock feeding practices and more efficient management techniques. 
Several cows standing in barn stalls
The five-year Feed the Future Hinga Weze project closed in 2022 after supporting the sustainable intensification of Rwandan smallholder farming systems for 733,000 farmers. The project worked to increase the resilience of Rwanda’s agricultural and food systems to a changing climate.
Harvesting French beans at one the solar-powered irrigation sites set by Feed the Future Rwanda Hinga Weze Activity in one of Rwanda's drought-prone districts of Bugesera.