Rwanda: International tourism, receipts for travel items (current US$)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2020, Rwanda's international tourism, receipts for travel items (current US$) fell 73.8% on 2019 (from US$458 million to US$120 million).

Across the 24 yearly changes before that (1996 to 2019), the average change was +35.5% and a typical year strayed about 72.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.5 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 325% in 1997 and the biggest yearly fall was 73.8% in 2020. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2011 to 2020 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 2% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2020, Rwanda had the 124th highest value of the 158 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Rwanda in the 2020 ranking

• Kyrgyz Republic — 121st of 158: US$151 million
• Madagascar — 122nd of 158: US$145 million
• Trinidad and Tobago — 123rd of 158: US$143 million
• Namibia — 125th of 158: US$118 million
• St. Kitts and Nevis — 126th of 158: US$117 million
• Ghana — 127th of 158: US$110 million

What this measures

International tourism receipts for travel items are expenditures by international inbound visitors in the reporting economy. The goods and services are purchased by, or on behalf of, the traveler or provided, without a quid pro quo, for the traveler to use or give away. These receipts should include any other prepayment made for goods or services received in the destination country. They also may include receipts from same-day visitors, except in cases where these are so important as to justify a separate classification. Excluded is the international carriage of travelers, which is covered in passenger travel items. Data are in current U.S. dollars.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a gap-filled total.

All 26 values

International tourism, receipts for travel items (current US$) in nearby economies

• Angola — US$16 million (2020)
• Benin — US$240 million (2019)
• Botswana — US$211 million (2020)
• Burkina Faso — US$116 million (2019)
• Burundi — US$3.9 million (2018)
• Cabo Verde — US$159 million (2020)
• Cameroon — US$437 million (2020)
• Comoros — US$18 million (2020)
• Congo, Dem. Rep.

More private sector & trade data for Rwanda

• Merchandise trade (% of GDP) — 45.93% (2025)
• Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$5.07 billion (2025)
• Merchandise exports (current US$) — US$2.45 billion (2025)
• Merchandise imports from high-income economies (% of total merchandise imports) — 38.93% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in Sub-Saharan Africa (% of total merchandise imports) — 24.21% (2023)
• Merchandise imports by the reporting economy, residual (% of total merchandise imports) — 0.00312% (2023)
• Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) — US$3.82 billion (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within region (% of total merchandise imports)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Rwanda's international tourism, receipts for travel items (current US$)?

US$120 million in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1995?

It is up 5,900% from US$2 million in 1995 (17.79% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$458 million in 2019 and the lowest US$2 million in 1995.

How does Rwanda rank?

124th highest of 158 economies with data for 2020.

Is the latest change in international tourism, receipts for travel items (current US$) unusual for Rwanda?

In 2020, Rwanda's international tourism, receipts for travel items (current US$) fell 73.8% on 2019 (from US$458 million to US$120 million). Across the 24 yearly changes before that (1996 to 2019), the average change was +35.5% and a typical year strayed about 72.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.5 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator ST.INT.TVLR.CD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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