Rwanda’s economy expanded 9.4 percent in the second quarter, accelerating from a year earlier as a surge in industrial activity and information and communication services helped sustain growth in the East African nation.
Gross domestic product at constant 2024 prices increased 9.4 percent from a year earlier, according to data released by the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda on Tuesday. The economy grew 7.8 percent in the second quarter of 2025.
Industry was the biggest driver of the expansion, growing 18 percent and contributing 3.9 percentage points to overall GDP growth, the statistics agency said. Services expanded 7 percent, contributing 3.7 percentage points, while agriculture grew 4 percent and added 1 percentage point.
At current market prices, GDP reached Rwf7.174 trillion in the quarter, up from Rwf5.799 trillion a year earlier, according to the statistics agency. Services accounted for 51 percent of economic output, followed by industry at 23 percent and agriculture at 21 percent.
The industrial expansion was broad-based. Mining and quarrying rose 26 percent, construction increased 24 percent and manufacturing advanced 10 percent, NISR said. Within manufacturing, metal products, machinery and equipment surged 51 percent, while non-metallic mineral products rose 22 percent and textiles and leather products increased 13 percent.
Information and communication services were among the fastest-growing parts of the economy, expanding 29 percent, according to the statistics agency. Wholesale and retail trade rose 18 percent, transport services increased 7 percent and financial services grew 4 percent. Hotels and restaurants expanded 5 percent.
The figures point to a continued shift toward industry and higher-value services in an economy that has historically relied heavily on agriculture.
Agriculture grew 4 percent, supported by a 5 percent increase in food-crop production and 6% growth in livestock and forestry. Export-crop production, however, declined 20 percent, according to NISR. Fishing recorded a 66 percent increase from a low base.
On the expenditure side, household consumption remained the largest component of GDP at 74 percent, while gross capital formation was equivalent to 25 percent. Household consumption increased 13 percent, while government consumption fell 6 percent, NISR said.
Gross capital formation increased 32 percent, pointing to continued investment activity. Exports of goods and services rose 19 percent, although imports grew considerably faster, increasing 36 percent during the quarter.
The latest figures follow a 10 percent expansion in the first quarter of 2026, according to NISR, keeping Rwanda on a strong growth trajectory during the first half of the year.
The acceleration in industrial output comes as Rwanda seeks to expand manufacturing, construction, mining and other productive sectors to reduce its reliance on traditional agriculture and build a more diversified economy.
The services sector remains the largest contributor to output, but its composition is increasingly shaped by technology-intensive activities. The 29 percent expansion in information and communication services compares with overall services growth of 7 percent, highlighting the growing contribution of digital activity to the economy.
NISR’s latest data also show areas of weakness. Public administration services contracted 3 percent, while health services plunged 39 percent in the quarter. Export-crop production also fell sharply, underscoring the uneven nature of growth across sectors.
The second-quarter performance comes after Rwanda’s economy grew 10.6 percent in the 2025/26 fiscal year, according to NISR, adding to evidence of strong economic momentum entering the second half of 2026.
