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Headline data

Proportion of population living below the national poverty line
Year Value GeoCode UNIT_MEASURE SERIES
2000 58.9 Percent Proportion of population living below the national poverty line
2005 56.7 Percent Proportion of population living below the national poverty line
2011 44.9 Percent Proportion of population living below the national poverty line
2014 39.1 Percent Proportion of population living below the national poverty line
2017 38.2 Percent Proportion of population living below the national poverty line
2024 27.4 Percent Proportion of population living below the national poverty line

Source: National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR)

Geographical Area: Rwanda

Unit of Measurement: Percentage (%)

This table provides metadata for the actual indicator available from Rwanda statistics closest to the corresponding global SDG indicator. Please note that even when the global SDG indicator is fully available from Rwandan statistics, this table should be consulted for information on national methodology and other Rwandan-specific metadata information.

Indicator available

Proportion of population living below the national poverty line, by sex, age, geographical area, and degree of urbanisation
Indicator description

The poverty line is a threshold of the value of total annual per capita consumption in a household below which an individual is considered poor. For the latest data, the poverty line is set at RWF 560,127 per adult equivalent per year in the prices of January 2024. Note that previous years used different benchmarks.
Geographical coverage

Rwanda
Unit of measurement

Percentage (%)
Definitions

Aggregate household consumption is computed as the sum of expenditure on food as well as value of auto consumption, expenditure on non-food, health items, education, housing utilities, value of in-kind wages, other benefits received by the household and a measure of the use value of durable goods owned by the household. Consumption per capita is then computed as the total consumption per adult equivalent, where adult equivalence is an aggregate indicator for household size which takes into account its age and sex composition. The poverty line is then set with reference to a minimum food consumption basket, judged to offer the required number of calories (2400 kilocalories per day for the latest data; previous years used different benchmarks) for a Rwandan likely to be involved in physically demanding agricultural activity, along with an allowance for non-food consumption. The non-food consumption expenditure is determined as a function of food consumption.
Calculations

Population (adult equivalent) living below the poverty line / total population * 100
Other information

This indicator includes disaggregation by sex, age, geographical area (National, Province, District), and degree of urbanisation (Urban/Rural). Sex and age disaggregations are conjoint; in order to view these, please select the desired sex categories first, then also select the desired age categories. Without selecting an age category, no sex disaggregations will be shown.
Comments and limitations

EICV surveys do not collect information on the intrahousehold distribution of consumption. Thus, the consumption-based standard of living measure is based on the assumption that individuals are represented in the distribution by the consumption measure of the household they belong to. This fails to take account of inequality in distribution within the household. Additionally, reflecting the evolving best practice in poverty measurement, a number of important methodological changes were made for EICV7 (2023-2024). Please see the linked data source for more information on methodology.
Data last updated

12/05/2026
Metadata last updated

12/05/2026

This table provides information on metadata for SDG indicators as defined by the UN Statistical Commission. Complete global metadata is provided by the UN Statistics Division.

Indicator name

Proportion of population living below the national poverty line, by sex and age
Indicator number

1.2.1
Target name

By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions
Target number

1.2
Global indicator description

The national poverty rate is the percentage of the total population living below the national poverty line. National poverty lines are used to make more accurate estimates of poverty consistent with the country’s specific economic and social circumstances and are not intended for international comparisons of poverty rates.
UN designated tier

Tier I
UN custodian agency

World Bank (WB)
Link to UN metadata United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Metadata (pdf 894kB) opens in a new window

Source 1

Organisation

National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR)
Periodicity

Every 3 years
Earliest available data

2000
Geographical coverage

Rwanda
Link to data source Integrated Household Living Conditions Survey (EICV) - Main Indicators Report opens in a new window
Release date 2024
Next release

2027
Statistical classification

Official statistics
Contact details

info@statistics.gov.rw
Other information

The protocols for collecting data, and the nature and scope of the questions, were relatively similar from EICV1 (1999/2001) through EICV6. Reflecting the evolving best practice in poverty measurement, a number of important methodological changes were made for EICV7 (2023-2024). Please see the linked data source for more information on methodology.
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