Rwanda has a population of around 14 million — extraordinary for a country this size, making it one of the most densely populated in Africa. Despite a devastating loss of life in 1994, the population has more than doubled since the genocide.
The country's three main groups — Hutu (historically the majority, around 80%), Tutsi (around 19%), and Twa (about 1%, a forest-dwelling people) — share a common language, Kinyarwanda, and a long pre-colonial history of intermixed settlement. The sharp division between Hutu and Tutsi was hardened during Belgian colonial rule, which introduced identity cards specifying ethnicity and systematically favoured Tutsi in administration. The legacy of that policy contributed directly to the 1994 genocide.
Today, the Rwandan government officially discourages ethnic identification. Public references to Hutu or Tutsi are restricted, and the national identity card no longer lists ethnicity. The stated goal is a single Rwandan identity. In practice, memories remain, trauma is inherited, and the wounds of 1994 have not fully healed — but Rwanda has made genuine strides in reconciliation, including truth-and-reconciliation processes (gacaca courts), reconciliation villages, and broad investment in shared civic life.
Rwanda has a very young population — the median age is around 20. Life expectancy, which fell catastrophically after the genocide, has rebounded to around 70 years, reflecting major improvements in healthcare. Women are unusually prominent in public life: Rwanda's parliament is over 60% female, the highest proportion in the world.
The country is predominantly Christian (Roman Catholic and Protestant), with a small Muslim minority. Church attendance is high.