Satisfaction with public services in Rwanda declined in the past year, while security remained the country’s highest-rated governance area, according to the 13th Rwanda Governance Scorecard released Thursday by the Rwanda Governance Board (RGB).
The annual assessment, published Oct. 22, 2026, gave service delivery a score of 68.48%, down from 71.73% in the previous edition. Security and public order scored 90.15%, edging up from 90.02%, according to the report.
The findings place service delivery at the bottom of the eight governance categories assessed, highlighting a gap between public perceptions of security and satisfaction with services provided by government institutions and other service providers.
The scorecard assesses governance through 35 indicators and 153 sub-indicators, drawing on citizen surveys, administrative data and other sources. It is intended to identify areas for improvement and inform government policymaking.
Security institutions continued to record high levels of public confidence. The report said 99% of respondents trusted the Rwanda Defence Force, while 97.4% expressed confidence in the Rwanda National Police. Overall satisfaction with national security stood at 97.7%.
However, the score for personal and property safety declined by 3.32 points compared with the previous assessment, despite the increase in the overall security category.
The assessment also recorded improvements in anti-corruption, transparency and accountability, which rose to 85.80% from 84.67%. Rule of law scored 85.47%, while citizen participation and inclusiveness received 84.72%.
Political rights and civil liberties declined to 81.56% from 82.71%. Economic and corporate governance fell to 73.28% from 74.84%.
Investment in human and social development rose to 68.55% from 64.69%, the largest increase among the eight categories. The category covers areas including education, health, social protection and environmental sustainability.
Within service delivery, satisfaction with digital public services remained a concern. The report gave digitally delivered services a score of 60.98%, compared with 77.83% for services provided by public institutions, private businesses and nongovernmental organizations.
Satisfaction with Irembo, the government services platform, stood at 81.80%, while electronic court filing services scored 65.40%. The respective indicators declined by 5.60 and 13.60 points from the previous assessment.
The report also cited 2024 data from the Ministry of ICT and Innovation showing that only 11% of government services had been fully digitized, allowing users to complete the process online without relying on other channels.
Satisfaction with agricultural services stood at 53.70%, while land, environment and settlement services scored 50.90%. Health services received a score of 63.90%.
RGB Chief Executive Dr. Doris Uwicyeza Picard said the findings should inform policy and public spending rather than remain reports that are published and set aside.
She said governance assessments, including the Rwanda Governance Scorecard, the Citizen Report Card and the Chandler Good Government Index, provide evidence that can help guide government priorities, improve monitoring and strengthen accountability.
