For many people, getting a job often comes with immediate plans for how to spend their first salary—whether it is buying a new smartphone, going out to unwind, or simply making up for the hardships of unemployment.
According to the 2025 data, Rwanda had about 8.5 million people aged 16 and above eligible to work. Of these, 4.8 million were employed, while around 676,000 were unemployed. More than 3.1 million were outside the labour force, including students, the elderly, people with severe disabilities, and those who have stopped seeking work.
Unemployment in Rwanda declined by 2.5 percentage points, dropping to 12.4% in 2025 from 14.9% in 2024.
Income remains a sensitive topic that many people are reluctant to discuss openly. However, the survey reveals that 36% of workers earned less than Rwf 30,000 per month, a decrease of 4.5 percentage points compared to 2024. Meanwhile, those earning Rwf 100,000 or more rose to 20.8%, up from 19% the previous year.
On average, workers in Rwanda earned Rwf 723 per hour in 2025, an increase of Rwf 114 compared to 2024. Agricultural workers, however, earned much less, at about Rwf 408 per hour.
In many parts of the country, a typical farm labourer starts work around 6:00 a.m. or 7:00a.m and finishes between 11:00 a.m ad p.m. noon, working roughly five hours a day. Based on average earnings, this translates to about Rwf 2,000 per day.
Workers in the industrial sector earned an average of Rwf 849 per hour. This category includes a wide range of jobs, from manual labourers handling heavy loads to workers involved in different stages of production.
While casual labourers are often paid daily, permanent employees typically receive monthly salaries.
The services sector remains the largest employer and the highest-paying in terms of hourly wages. By 2025, it accounted for 44.4% of total employment, followed by agriculture at 39.1%, and industry at 16.5%.
Rwanda’s growing services sector is closely linked to the country’s expanding tourism and events industry. In 2025, Rwanda welcomed 1.49 million tourists, generating more than $685 million in revenue. Meetings, conferences, concerts, and exhibitions contributed an additional $93.7 million.
Overall, Rwanda hosted 165 major regional, continental, and global events during the year. These included the UCI Road World Championships held in Kigali in September, the Move Afrika concert featuring John Legend, the Basketball Africa League (BAL), and the Mobile World Congress.
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