Overview In 2021 Rwanda was the number 151 economy in the world in terms of total exports and the number 151 in total imports.

Exports The top exports of Rwanda are Gold ($368M), Refined Petroleum ($107M), Tin Ores ($99.2M), Tea ($90.1M), and Niobium, Tantalum, Vanadium and Zirconium Ore ($88.4M), exporting mostly to Democratic Republic of the Congo ($587M), United Arab Emirates ($438M), Thailand ($78.8M), Ethiopia ($42.6M), and Pakistan ($33.2M).

In 2021, Rwanda was the world's biggest exporter of Tungsten Ore ($51.6M)

Imports The top imports of Rwanda are Refined Petroleum ($302M), Gold ($287M), Palm Oil ($128M), Vaccines, blood, antisera, toxins and cultures ($120M), and Electric Generating Sets ($119M), importing mostly from China ($614M), Tanzania ($433M), United Arab Emirates ($304M), Kenya ($303M), and India ($217M).

Location Rwanda borders Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and Uganda by land.

Flow
View
Y-AXIS SCALE

The following section uses the most recent trade data from partners of Rwanda.

Disclaimer: data is presented based on availability and only countries that use the harmonized system are being shown.

*All data is converted to USD using January 2020 exchange rates when data is reported in local currency.

Flow
Color
Depth

The data obtained is mirror data. The trade of countries that do not report current data can be reconstructed based on data reported by partner countries with current data available.

*All data is converted to USD using January 2020 exchange rates when data is reported in local currency.

Historical Data

#permalink to section
Flow
Color
Depth

Top Export (2021): Gold, $368M

Top Destination (2021): Democratic Republic of the Congo, $587M

In 2021, Rwanda exported a total of $1.59B, making it the number 151 exporter in the world. During the last five reported years the exports of Rwanda have changed by $881M from $706M in 2016 to $1.59B in 2021.

The most recent exports are led by Gold ($368M), Refined Petroleum ($107M), Tin Ores ($99.2M), Tea ($90.1M), and Niobium, Tantalum, Vanadium and Zirconium Ore ($88.4M). The most common destination for the exports of Rwanda are Democratic Republic of the Congo ($587M), United Arab Emirates ($438M), Thailand ($78.8M), Ethiopia ($42.6M), and Pakistan ($33.2M).

Explore Visualizations

Flow
View

Fastest Growing Export Markets (2020 - 2021)

Fastest Growing Import Markets (2020 - 2021)

Rwanda Exports Services (2015): $493M

Rwanda Imports Services (2015): $855M

In 2015, Rwanda exported $493M worth of services. The top services exported by Rwanda in 2015 were Government services, n.i.e. ($251M), Business travel ($98.4M), Air transport ($87.6M), Communications services ($21.8M), and Construction abroad ($10.5M).

The top services imported by Rwanda in 2015 were Other transport ($199M), Miscellaneous business, professional, and technical services ($160M), Government services, n.i.e. ($145M), Air transport ($143M), and Sea transport ($133M).

Economic Complexity

#permalink to section

Most Specialized Products by RCA Index

#permalink to section

Rwanda has a high level of specialization in Tin Ores (1.09k), Niobium, Tantalum, Vanadium and Zirconium Ore (640), Legume Flours (527), Tea (147), and Cereal Flours (119). Specialization is measured using RCA, an index that takes the ratio between Rwanda observed and expected exports in each product.

Most Complex Products by PCI

#permalink to section

The highest complexity exports of Rwanda according to the product complexity index (PCI) are Blown Glass (1.81), Cast or Rolled Glass (1.11), Tin Bars (1.05), Batteries (0.69), and Vacuum Flask (0.56). PCI measures the knowledge intensity of a product by considering the knowledge intensity of its exporters.

Export Opportunities by Relatedness

#permalink to section

The top export opportunities for Rwanda according to the relatedness index, were Insect Resins (0.18), Manganese Ore (0.18), Other Oily Seeds (0.17), Cocoa Beans (0.17), and Raw Cotton (0.16). Relatedness measures the distance between a country's current exports and each product. The barchart show only products that Rwanda is not specialized in.

The product space is a network connecting products that are likely to be co-exported. The product space can be used to predict future exports, since countries are more likely to start exporting products that are related to current exports. Relatedness measures the distance between a product, and all of the products a country currently specializes in.

Relatedness Space

#permalink to section

This network shows the products most related to the production structure of Rwanda. These are products that tend to be co-exported with the products that Rwanda exports. Higher relatedness values ​​indicate greater knowledge, which predicts a greater probability of exporting that product in the future.

Diversification Frontier

#permalink to section
Filter
Depth

The Complexity-Relatedness diagram compares the risk vs strategic value of a country's potential export oppotunities. Relatedness is predictive of the probability that a country increases its exports in a product. Complexity, is associated with higher levels of income, economic growth, less income inequality, and lower greenhouse emissions.