Rwanda’s economy expanded by 9.4% in the second quarter of 2026 compared with the same period last year, according to figures released by the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR).
Gross Domestic Product at current market prices reached 7,174 billion Rwandan francs, up from 5,799 billion francs in the second quarter of 2025. The growth rate is well above the 7.8% recorded in the same quarter last year
The industry sector was the strongest performer, growing by 18% and contributing 3.9 percentage points to overall growth. Construction and mining led the expansion, with construction activities up 24% and mining and quarrying up 26%. Manufacturing grew by 10%, helped by a 51% jump in the production of metal products, machinery and equipment.
Services, the largest sector of the economy at 51% of GDP, grew by 7%, adding 3.9 percentage points to growth. Information and communication services rose by 29% and wholesale and retail trade by 18%, while public administration services fell by 3% and health services dropped by 39%.
Agriculture, which makes up 21% of GDP, grew by only 4%, adding one percentage point to overall growth. Minister of Finance and Economic Planning Yusuf Murangwa said the agriculture sector’s pace was insufficient, calling for growth closer to 10%. Food crop production rose by 5% and livestock production by 6%, but export crops fell by 20%, largely because of a sharp drop in coffee production. Fishing output rose by 66%.
Industry accounted for 23% of GDP in the quarter, while net indirect taxes made up the remaining 5%.
The growth comes as households face rising living costs. Annual inflation reached 15.7% in August, driven by sharp increases in transport, housing and food prices, according to NISR — prompting the central bank to raise its benchmark interest rate to 8.75% this month. That gap between output growth and price growth means the expanding economy is not yet translating into relief for many households.
On the expenditure side, household spending rose by 13% and made up the bulk of a 9% increase in total final consumption. Government consumption fell by 6%. Exports of goods and services grew by 19%, while imports rose faster, by 36%. Gross capital formation, which measures investment, increased by 32% and accounted for a quarter of GDP.
The second-quarter growth follows a 10% expansion in the first quarter of 2026, extending a run of strong quarterly results for Rwanda’s economy this year.
