Rwanda has emerged as Africa’s most confident nation among young people, with 91 percent of respondents saying the country is moving in the right direction and 99 percent reporting they feel safe, according to the African Youth Survey 2026 commissioned by the Ichikowitz Family Foundation and conducted by global research consultancy PSB Insights.
The survey, based on 4,901 face-to-face interviews with young people aged 18 to 24 across 16 African countries, including about 300 interviews in Rwanda, also found that 96 percent of Rwandan youth believe they will be able to influence political decision-making over the next five years, the highest levels of confidence recorded in the continent-wide study.
The findings position Rwanda as the strongest performer across key measures of national optimism, public safety, trust in institutions and political participation, underscoring how the country’s post-genocide transformation is being viewed by a generation born largely after the 1994 genocide.
“Rwanda is one of the countries the world talks about most, but rarely listens to. These results demand that people listen,” Ivor Ichikowitz, Founder and Commissioner of the African Youth Survey, said in a statement.
“Its young people feel safe, believe the country is moving forward and overwhelmingly think they can shape its future. That is not cautious approval. It is a remarkable expression of national confidence.”
Nearly four out of five respondents, or 79 percent, said Rwanda’s economy is moving in the right direction, while 91 perecnt said they are optimistic or excited about the country’s future, tying with Burkina Faso for the highest level of optimism in this year’s survey.
The research also found Rwandan youth expressing stronger confidence in public institutions than their peers elsewhere on the continent. Ninety-eight percent said they were satisfied with police and security services, 93 percent said they were treated fairly and respectfully by those services, and 89 percent believed everyone is equal before the law, the highest scores recorded across all participating countries.
Political engagement also stood out. Eighty-eight percent of respondents said their voice matters to national leaders, compared with a continental average of 70 percent, while only 45 percent believed political leaders are out of touch with young people, well below the survey average of 76 percent.
Ichikowitz said the survey suggests Rwanda’s greatest achievement lies not only in building confidence in state institutions but also in fostering a sense of national belonging among its younger generation.
“The real achievement is not simply that young Rwandans believe in the state. It is that they believe they have a place within the national project. That sense of belonging is among the most powerful assets any country can possess,” he said.
“Rwanda’s challenge is to protect it as expectations rise. A generation this confident will expect an ever greater stake in the prosperity Rwanda is building and in the decisions that shape what comes next.”
The survey also found that 95 percent of Rwandan respondents believe the country is safer today than it was three years ago, compared with 57 percent across the 16 countries surveyed, while 68 percent said Africa as a whole is moving in the right direction, the most positive continental outlook recorded.
Across Africa, the survey showed improving sentiment among young people. Among the eight countries tracked since the survey began in 2020, the proportion of respondents saying their country is moving in the right direction rose to 47 percent from 30 percent in 2024, while confidence in national economies climbed to 45 percent from 26 percent.
Despite the improving outlook, unemployment and poverty remain the continent’s biggest concerns, with 54 percent of respondents identifying them as the greatest threats to community safety and 56 percent saying job creation for young people should be governments’ top priority.
Launched in 2020, the African Youth Survey has become one of the continent’s largest recurring studies of public opinion among young Africans. Conducted by PSB Insights on behalf of the Ichikowitz Family Foundation, the research has covered 28 African countries and nearly 19,000 face-to-face interviews, providing policymakers, businesses and civil society with insight into the aspirations of Africa’s rising generation.
