Primary energy use in Rwanda
Rwanda: Primary energy use was 7.86 terawatt-hours in 2024. ▲ Rising
Primary energy use in Rwanda, 1980–2024
Source: Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
Rwanda recorded 7.86 terawatt-hours for primary energy use in 2024. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
The figure is up 86.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary energy use in Rwanda peaked at 7.86 terawatt-hours in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.8342 terawatt-hours, in 1980.
Rwanda ranks 160th of 219 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Primary energy use in Rwanda, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 0.8342 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1981 | 1.69 terawatt-hours | +102.3% |
| 1982 | 1.63 terawatt-hours | -3.5% |
| 1983 | 1.81 terawatt-hours | +11.3% |
| 1984 | 2.87 terawatt-hours | +58.4% |
| 1985 | 2.93 terawatt-hours | +2.2% |
| 1986 | 2.96 terawatt-hours | +0.8% |
| 1987 | 2.94 terawatt-hours | -0.5% |
| 1988 | 2.93 terawatt-hours | -0.5% |
| 1989 | 3.01 terawatt-hours | +3.0% |
| 1990 | 3.18 terawatt-hours | +5.6% |
| 1991 | 3.25 terawatt-hours | +2.1% |
| 1992 | 3.26 terawatt-hours | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 2.99 terawatt-hours | -8.3% |
| 1994 | 3.06 terawatt-hours | +2.2% |
| 1995 | 3.11 terawatt-hours | +1.8% |
| 1996 | 3.11 terawatt-hours | -0.1% |
| 1997 | 3.12 terawatt-hours | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 3.17 terawatt-hours | +1.7% |
| 1999 | 3.13 terawatt-hours | -1.4% |
| 2000 | 2.68 terawatt-hours | -14.5% |
| 2001 | 2.68 terawatt-hours | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 2.73 terawatt-hours | +1.9% |
| 2003 | 2.68 terawatt-hours | -1.8% |
| 2004 | 2.64 terawatt-hours | -1.5% |
| 2005 | 2.62 terawatt-hours | -0.6% |
| 2006 | 2.65 terawatt-hours | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 2.69 terawatt-hours | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 2.79 terawatt-hours | +3.8% |
| 2009 | 2.86 terawatt-hours | +2.5% |
| 2010 | 3.15 terawatt-hours | +9.9% |
| 2011 | 3.5 terawatt-hours | +11.2% |
| 2012 | 3.89 terawatt-hours | +11.1% |
| 2013 | 4.07 terawatt-hours | +4.7% |
| 2014 | 4.21 terawatt-hours | +3.4% |
| 2015 | 4.55 terawatt-hours | +8.0% |
| 2016 | 4.62 terawatt-hours | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 4.93 terawatt-hours | +6.6% |
| 2018 | 4.89 terawatt-hours | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 5.5 terawatt-hours | +12.4% |
| 2020 | 5.75 terawatt-hours | +4.6% |
| 2021 | 6.52 terawatt-hours | +13.4% |
| 2022 | 6.8 terawatt-hours | +4.3% |
| 2023 | 7.86 terawatt-hours | +15.6% |
| 2024 | 7.86 terawatt-hours | +0.0% |
Rwanda compared with similar countries
- Rwanda's 7.86 terawatt-hours is below the median for low income countries, which is 13.82 terawatt-hours, 57% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Rwanda's 7.86 terawatt-hours is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 20.78 terawatt-hours, 38% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Primary energy use in Rwanda changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | +102.3% | 0.8342 terawatt-hours | 1.69 terawatt-hours |
| 1984 | +58.4% | 1.81 terawatt-hours | 2.87 terawatt-hours |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2.36 terawatt-hours | 0.8342 terawatt-hours | 3.01 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.14 terawatt-hours | 2.99 terawatt-hours | 3.26 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.7 terawatt-hours | 2.62 terawatt-hours | 2.86 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.33 terawatt-hours | 3.15 terawatt-hours | 5.5 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.96 terawatt-hours | 5.75 terawatt-hours | 7.86 terawatt-hours | 5 |
Countries ranked near Rwanda
More energy & mining data for Rwanda
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 0.0006 % change on previous year (2024)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Fuel imports 15.3% (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary energy use in Rwanda?
- Primary energy use in Rwanda was 7.86 terawatt-hours in 2024, according to Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest primary energy use recorded in Rwanda?
- The highest recorded value was 7.86 terawatt-hours in 2024.
- What is the lowest primary energy use recorded in Rwanda?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.8342 terawatt-hours in 1980.
- How does Rwanda rank for primary energy use?
- Rwanda ranks 160th out of 219 countries with data for 2024.
- Is primary energy use rising or falling in Rwanda?
- Over the last ten years it is up 86.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Rwanda data come from?
- The figures come from Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Primary energy use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours of total energy supply.