01Key Takeaways
- Rwanda exported $2.02 billion worth of goods in 2022, up 29.2% from $1.56 billion in 2021, the most recent year with verified trade data available in this dataset.
- Natural and precious stones, metals and jewellery led export categories at 27.6% ($557.89 million), followed by ores, slag and ash at 12.5% ($252.58 million).
- The Democratic Republic of the Congo took 38.0% of exports ($768.27 million), the largest single destination.
- The United Arab Emirates ranked a close second at 29.2% ($590.30 million), and the top three destinations together made up 72.1% of total export value.
024-Year Trend
| Year | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $1.1B | $1.4B | $1.6B | $2.0B |
03Top Export Markets (2022)
| Rank | Partner | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Congo - Kinshasa | $768.3M | 38.0% |
| 2 | United Arab Emirates | $590.3M | 29.2% |
| 3 | China | $96.8M | 4.8% |
| 4 | India | $71.2M | 3.5% |
| 5 | United Kingdom | $46.5M | 2.3% |
| 6 | Hong Kong SAR China | $39.4M | 2.0% |
| 7 | Pakistan | $38.9M | 1.9% |
| 8 | Ethiopia | $36.5M | 1.8% |
| 9 | Singapore | $32.7M | 1.6% |
| 10 | United States | $23.7M | 1.2% |
04Top Export Categories (2022)
| Rank | Category | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Natural or Cultured Pearls, Precious or Semi-Precious Stones, Precious Metals, Metals Clad with Precious Metal, and Articles thereof; Imitation Jewellery; Coin | $557.9M | 27.6% |
| 2 | Ores, Slag and Ash | $252.6M | 12.5% |
| 3 | Coffee, Tea, Mate and Spices | $202.6M | 10.0% |
| 4 | Mineral Fuels, Mineral Oils and Products of their Distillation; Bituminous Substances; Mineral Waxes | $198.5M | 9.8% |
| 5 | Preparations of Cereals, Flour, Starch or Milk; Pastrycooks' Products | $71.6M | 3.5% |
| 6 | Animal or Vegetable Fats and Oils and their Cleavage Products; Prepared Edible Fats; Animal or Vegetable Waxes | $67.1M | 3.3% |
| 7 | Products of the Milling Industry; Malt; Starches; Inulin; Wheat Gluten | $65.3M | 3.2% |
| 8 | Cereals | $63.8M | 3.2% |
| 9 | Salt; Sulphur; Earths and Stone; Plastering Materials, Lime and Cement | $46.2M | 2.3% |
| 10 | Sugars and Sugar Confectionery | $46.1M | 2.3% |
05Trade Partner Map
06Analysis
Export Value Has Climbed Every Year Since 2019
Rwanda exported $2.02 billion worth of goods in 2022, up 29.2% from $1.56 billion in 2021. This dataset's coverage for Rwanda runs from 2019 through 2022 only. That is four confirmed years rather than the five-year window available for most other countries here, and 2022 is the most recent year with verified data.
Export value rose in every year covered: $1.13 billion in 2019, $1.43 billion in 2020, $1.56 billion in 2021, and $2.02 billion in 2022. That steady climb held even through 2020, a year when many exporters worldwide saw declines, though this dataset does not include information explaining why Rwanda's export value kept rising through that period.
Precious Metals and Stones Make Up More Than a Quarter of Exports
Natural and precious stones, metals and jewellery, a category that includes gold, formed the largest export group in 2022. According to a U.S. International Trade Administration guide to Rwanda's mining sector, gold, tin, tungsten and tantalum rank among the country's leading mineral export commodities. This category made up 27.6% of total value, worth $557.89 million. Ores, slag and ash followed at 12.5% ($252.58 million), and coffee, tea, mate and spices, historically among Rwanda's best-known export products, added 10.0% ($202.57 million). Mineral fuels and related products contributed 9.8% ($198.52 million).
The remaining top categories were smaller and more varied. Cereal preparations added 3.5% ($71.61 million), and animal or vegetable fats and oils contributed 3.3% ($67.11 million). Milling industry products added 3.2% ($65.33 million), and cereals themselves contributed 3.2% ($63.83 million). Salt, sulphur and earthy materials closed near the bottom of the top ten at 2.3% ($46.18 million), just ahead of sugars and sugar confectionery at 2.3% ($46.08 million).
Precious stones and metals leading this list by a wide margin, well ahead of the agricultural products more traditionally associated with Rwanda's economy, describes an export mix where a single high-value category can shift year-to-year totals more than incremental changes in agricultural output.
DR Congo and the UAE Together Take Seven in Ten Export Dollars
Congo - Kinshasa was Rwanda's largest export destination in 2022, absorbing 38.0% of the total, worth $768.27 million. United Arab Emirates followed closely at 29.2% ($590.30 million), an unusually high concentration in just two markets. China ranked third at 4.8% ($96.76 million), and together those three destinations made up 72.1% of total export value.
India added 3.5% ($71.18 million), and the United Kingdom contributed 2.3% ($46.46 million). Hong Kong SAR China added 2.0% ($39.45 million), and Pakistan contributed 1.9% ($38.86 million). Ethiopia added 1.8% ($36.53 million), and Singapore contributed 1.6% ($32.72 million). The United States closed out the top ten at 1.2% ($23.70 million).
A destination list topped so heavily by two partners, rather than spread more evenly across a dozen or more markets, is one of the more distinctive features of Rwanda's 2022 export data. It means shifts in either the DR Congo or UAE relationship would have an outsized effect on Rwanda's total export figures going forward.