KIGALI — Rwanda’s economy demonstrated robust performance in the third quarter of 2025, with Gross Domestic Product (GDP) expanding by 11.8% compared to the same period in 2024, according to the latest National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR) report.
This marks a significant acceleration from the 7.8% growth recorded in the second quarter and 6.5% in the first quarter of the year.
Strong Sectoral Contributions:
A bus using a dedicated lane is benefiting for traffic green light which releases the bus before other vehicles on the KN 3 Road in Kigali City on December 2nd, 2025. The Government of Rwanda has recently made changes in the traffic rules whereby buses operating in the public transport are priotized and given a dedicated lane at road junctions. With the BUS ONLY lane, a bus waiting for a green light is now able to move ahead before every other private cards and is not allowed to spend more that 3 mins at the bus stage.Photo:Cyril NDEGEYA
The total GDP at current market prices for Q3 2025 was estimated at Rwf5,525 billion, up from Rwf 4,659 billion in Q3 2024.
Services continued to be the dominant contributor, accounting for 57% of total GDP, followed by industry at 22%, agriculture at 15%, and net direct taxes at 6%.
Agriculture expanded by 10%, with notable gains across key sub-sectors such as export crop production (up 35%), livestock (up 6%), and fishing (up 34%).
Food crop production also increased by 4%.
Industry delivered the fastest growth among major sectors at 17%, driven by strong performances in mining and quarrying (+14%), construction (+20%), and manufacturing (+14%).
Within manufacturing, output of non-metallic minerals (mainly cement) jumped 44%, while metal products and chemicals increased by 28% and 25%, respectively.
Services also grew by a10%, with wholesale and retail trade up 20%, transport services up 9%, and information and communication services up 17%.
Financial services expanded by 10%, while hotels and restaurants faced a downturn with a 3% contraction.
Economic Momentum and Outlook:
This accelerated growth underscores Rwanda’s expanding economic base and resilience amid a dynamic global environment.
The strong industrial expansion and rebounding agriculture sector suggest diversified drivers of growth, while the services sector remains the backbone of economic activity.
Analysts note that Rwanda’s year-on-year GDP figure of 11.8% in Q3 2025 compares favorably with broader global trends, where many advanced economies have shown more modest quarterly gains.
This performance places Rwanda among the faster-growing economies on the African continent, continuing a multi-quarter upward trend throughout 2025.
Broader Performance Context:
Earlier in 2025, Rwanda’s economy grew by 7.8% in both the first and second quarters, reflecting stable expansion across sectors. Agriculture and services consistently played vital roles, complemented by industrial gains.
While global GDP growth remains mixed—with many countries posting modest or uneven performance in the third quarter of 2025—Rwanda’s double-digit expansion highlights its relatively strong economic momentum in Sub-Saharan Africa.
