Kenya vs Rwanda
Kenya vs Rwanda: Adult literacy
Adult literacy: 82.2% in Kenya in 2000 and 78.8% in Rwanda in 2022, by UNESCO estimates. In 2000 the value was higher in Kenya, by 17.3 percentage points, or 1.27 times that in Rwanda.
% of adults · UNESCO
What the numbers say
- Kenya has been higher in every year both have figures for since 2000.
- The world as a whole: 81.1% in 2000.
Every year
% of adults · UNESCO
| Year | Kenya | Rwanda | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | – | – | 87.7 |
| 2023 | – | – | 87.6 |
| 2022 | – | 78.8 | 87.4 |
| 2021 | – | – | 87.2 |
| 2020 | – | 80.1 | 87 |
| 2019 | – | – | 86.8 |
| 2018 | – | 73.2 | 86.8 |
| 2017 | – | – | 86.5 |
| 2016 | – | – | 86.3 |
| 2015 | – | – | 86 |
| 2014 | – | 70.8 | 85.6 |
| 2013 | – | – | 85.2 |
| 2012 | – | 68.3 | 84.9 |
| 2011 | – | – | 84.7 |
| 2010 | – | – | 84.4 |
| 2009 | – | – | 83.8 |
| 2008 | – | – | 83.5 |
| 2007 | – | – | 83.1 |
| 2006 | – | – | 82.5 |
| 2005 | – | – | 82.6 |
| 2004 | – | – | 82.6 |
| 2003 | – | – | 82.2 |
| 2002 | – | – | 81.7 |
| 2001 | – | – | 81.4 |
| 2000 | 82.2 | 64.9 | 81.1 |
| 1999 | – | – | 80.9 |
| 1998 | – | – | 80.5 |
| 1997 | – | – | 79.3 |
| 1996 | – | – | 77.3 |
| 1995 | – | – | 76.9 |
| 1994 | – | – | 76.4 |
| 1993 | – | – | 76 |
| 1992 | – | – | 75.5 |
| 1991 | – | 57.9 | 75.1 |
| 1990 | – | – | 74.6 |
| 1989 | – | – | 74.1 |
| 1988 | – | – | 73.6 |
| 1987 | – | – | 71.9 |
| 1986 | – | – | 71.3 |
| 1985 | – | – | 70.7 |
| 1984 | – | – | 70.2 |
| 1983 | – | – | 69.5 |
| 1982 | – | – | 68.9 |
| 1981 | – | – | 68.4 |
| 1980 | – | – | 67.8 |
| 1979 | – | – | 67.2 |
| 1978 | – | 38.2 | 66.5 |
| 1977 | – | – | 65.9 |
| 1976 | – | – | 65.6 |
| 1975 | – | – | 65.4 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- The share of people aged 15 and over who can read and write a short, simple statement about their everyday life.
- Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, via the World Bank.
- The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Kenya vs Rwanda
Health
- Life expectancyKenya: 63.7 years in 2023Rwanda: 67.8 years in 2023
- Child mortalityKenya: 3.9 per 100 live births in 2024Rwanda: 3.8 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityKenya: 29.7 per 1,000 live births in 2023Rwanda: 27.5 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionKenya: 3.51% in 2017Rwanda: 3.87% in 2017
- Suicide rateKenya: 11.1 per 100,000 people in 2017Rwanda: 11 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationKenya: 55.3 million people in 2023Rwanda: 14 million people in 2023
- Population growthKenya: 1.97% a year in 2023Rwanda: 2.18% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateKenya: 3.21 births per woman in 2023Rwanda: 3.7 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationKenya: 32.2% in 2025Rwanda: 30.9% in 2025
- Median ageKenya: 19.5 years in 2023Rwanda: 19.4 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overKenya: 2.9% in 2023Rwanda: 3.8% in 2023
- Net migration rateKenya: -0.2 per 1,000 people in 2023Rwanda: -0.6 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingKenya: 1.07% of GDP in 2025Rwanda: 1.29% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsKenya: $1.36B in 2025Rwanda: $194M in 2025
- Military spending per personKenya: $26 in 2025Rwanda: $13 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingKenya: 4.6% of government spending in 2025Rwanda: 4.7% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelKenya: 24,000 people in 2020Rwanda: 35,000 people in 2020
- National powerKenya: 0.23% of world capability in 2022Rwanda: 0.07% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersKenya: 0.11% of the labour force in 2020Rwanda: 0.7% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsKenya: 117 million TIV in 2025Rwanda: 37 million TIV in 2023