Rwanda vs Zambia
Rwanda vs Zambia: GDP growth
GDP growth in 2025: 9.4% a year in Rwanda and 3.8% a year in Zambia, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Rwanda, by 5.6 percentage points, or 2.49 times that in Zambia.
% a year · IMF
What the numbers say
- Rwanda has been higher since 2014, when it overtook Zambia.
- In 2025, Rwanda ranked 4 and Zambia ranked 58 of 143 countries, counting from the highest.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Rwanda at 7.1% a year and Zambia at 5.3% a year in 2031.
Every year
% a year · IMF
| Year | Rwanda | Zambia |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 9.4 | 3.8 |
| 2024 | 7.2 | 3.8 |
| 2023 | 8.6 | 5.4 |
| 2022 | 9.8 | 5.2 |
| 2021 | 8.4 | 6.2 |
| 2020 | -2.8 | -2.8 |
| 2019 | 9.3 | 1.4 |
| 2018 | 8.1 | 4 |
| 2017 | 4.7 | 3.5 |
| 2016 | 5.7 | 3.8 |
| 2015 | 8.9 | 2.9 |
| 2014 | 5.7 | 4.7 |
| 2013 | 4.7 | 5.1 |
| 2012 | 8.6 | 7.6 |
| 2011 | 8 | 5.6 |
| 2010 | 7.3 | 10.3 |
| 2009 | 6.2 | 9.2 |
| 2008 | 11.2 | 7.8 |
| 2007 | 7.7 | 8.4 |
| 2006 | 9.3 | 7.9 |
| 2005 | 9.4 | 7.2 |
| 2004 | 7.5 | 7 |
| 2003 | 2.2 | 6.9 |
| 2002 | 13.2 | 4.5 |
| 2001 | 8.5 | 5.3 |
| 2000 | 8.4 | 3.9 |
| 1999 | 3.3 | 4.7 |
| 1998 | 8.3 | -0.4 |
| 1997 | 14.9 | 3.8 |
| 1996 | 11.6 | 6.2 |
| 1995 | 24.5 | 2.9 |
| 1994 | -41.9 | -13.3 |
| 1993 | -10.4 | -0.1 |
| 1992 | 6.6 | 2.1 |
| 1991 | -4.3 | -0.7 |
| 1990 | 0.4 | -0.6 |
| 1989 | -5.7 | -3.7 |
| 1988 | 0.3 | 9.3 |
| 1987 | -0.3 | 1.5 |
| 1986 | 5.5 | 1.7 |
| 1985 | 4.4 | 1.2 |
| 1984 | 13 | -1.7 |
| 1983 | 6 | -1.1 |
| 1982 | -2.5 | -2.9 |
| 1981 | 2.5 | 6.6 |
| 1980 | -3.6 | 3.9 |
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Rwanda | Zambia |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 7.4 | 5.6 |
| 2027 | 7.2 | 4.9 |
| 2028 | 7 | 5 |
| 2029 | 7 | 5.3 |
| 2030 | 7 | 5.3 |
| 2031 | 7.1 | 5.3 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- How much the economy grew or shrank in a year, after inflation.
- Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook, October 2026.
- The dashed line is the IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026), a scenario rather than a forecast.
- Ranks count the 143 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Rwanda vs Zambia
Health
- Life expectancyRwanda: 67.8 years in 2023Zambia: 66.4 years in 2023
- Child mortalityRwanda: 3.8 per 100 live births in 2024Zambia: 4.8 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityRwanda: 27.5 per 1,000 live births in 2023Zambia: 38.2 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionRwanda: 3.87% in 2017Zambia: 3.64% in 2017
- Suicide rateRwanda: 11 per 100,000 people in 2017Zambia: 13.1 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationRwanda: 14 million people in 2023Zambia: 20.7 million people in 2023
- Population growthRwanda: 2.18% a year in 2023Zambia: 2.83% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateRwanda: 3.7 births per woman in 2023Zambia: 4.1 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationRwanda: 30.9% in 2025Zambia: 45.9% in 2025
- Median ageRwanda: 19.4 years in 2023Zambia: 17.5 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overRwanda: 3.8% in 2023Zambia: 1.9% in 2023
- Net migration rateRwanda: -0.6 per 1,000 people in 2023Zambia: 0.5 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingRwanda: 1.29% of GDP in 2025Zambia: 1.26% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsRwanda: $194M in 2025Zambia: $343M in 2025
- Military spending per personRwanda: $13 in 2025Zambia: $19 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingRwanda: 4.7% of government spending in 2025Zambia: 4.5% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelRwanda: 35,000 people in 2020Zambia: 16,000 people in 2020
- National powerRwanda: 0.07% of world capability in 2022Zambia: 0.1% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersRwanda: 0.7% of the labour force in 2020Zambia: 0.24% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsRwanda: 37 million TIV in 2023Zambia: 1 million TIV in 2024