Rwanda vs Somalia
Rwanda vs Somalia: Adult literacy
Adult literacy in 2022: 78.8% in Rwanda and 54.1% in Somalia, by UNESCO estimates. In 2022 the value was higher in Rwanda, by 24.6 percentage points, or 1.46 times that in Somalia.
% of adults · UNESCO
What the numbers say
- Rwanda has been higher in every year both have figures for since 2022.
- The world as a whole: 87.4% in 2022.
Every year
% of adults · UNESCO
| Year | Rwanda | Somalia | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | – | – | 87.7 |
| 2023 | – | – | 87.6 |
| 2022 | 78.8 | 54.1 | 87.4 |
| 2021 | – | – | 87.2 |
| 2020 | 80.1 | – | 87 |
| 2019 | – | 63.7 | 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 | 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
Rwanda vs Somalia
Health
- Life expectancyRwanda: 67.8 years in 2023Somalia: 58.8 years in 2023
- Child mortalityRwanda: 3.8 per 100 live births in 2024Somalia: 10.1 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityRwanda: 27.5 per 1,000 live births in 2023Somalia: 66.3 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionRwanda: 3.87% in 2017Somalia: 3.79% in 2017
- Suicide rateRwanda: 11 per 100,000 people in 2017Somalia: 9.9 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationRwanda: 14 million people in 2023Somalia: 18.4 million people in 2023
- Population growthRwanda: 2.18% a year in 2023Somalia: 3.57% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateRwanda: 3.7 births per woman in 2023Somalia: 6.13 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationRwanda: 30.9% in 2025Somalia: 55.1% in 2025
- Median ageRwanda: 19.4 years in 2023Somalia: 15.5 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overRwanda: 3.8% in 2023Somalia: 2.6% in 2023
- Net migration rateRwanda: -0.6 per 1,000 people in 2023Somalia: 2.5 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingRwanda: 1.29% of GDP in 2025Somalia: 1.54% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsRwanda: $194M in 2025Somalia: $193M in 2025
- Military spending per personRwanda: $13 in 2025Somalia: $10 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingRwanda: 4.7% of government spending in 2025Somalia: 20.8% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelRwanda: 35,000 people in 2020Somalia: 14,000 people in 2020
- National powerRwanda: 0.07% of world capability in 2022Somalia: 0.13% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersRwanda: 0.7% of the labour force in 2020Somalia: 0.47% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsRwanda: 37 million TIV in 2023Somalia: 2 million TIV in 2025