Annual precipitation in Rwanda
Rwanda: Annual precipitation was 1,416 millimeters in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
1,416 millimeters
Change on year
down 13.5%
World rank
55th
of 192 countries
All-time high
2,506 millimeters
in 1953
All-time low
1,011 millimeters
in 1943
Years of data
86
1940–2025
Annual precipitation in Rwanda, 1940–2025
Source: Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in millimeters.
Analysis
In 2025, annual precipitation in Rwanda stood at 1,416 millimeters.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 13.5% on the previous year and down 7.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual precipitation in Rwanda peaked at 2,506 millimeters in 1953 and was at its lowest, 1,011 millimeters, in 1943.
Rwanda ranks 55th of 192 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 86 years of available data.
Annual precipitation in Rwanda, year by year
| Year | millimeters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1940 | 1,820 millimeters | — |
| 1941 | 1,502 millimeters | -17.5% |
| 1942 | 1,077 millimeters | -28.3% |
| 1943 | 1,011 millimeters | -6.2% |
| 1944 | 1,123 millimeters | +11.1% |
| 1945 | 1,178 millimeters | +4.9% |
| 1946 | 1,452 millimeters | +23.2% |
| 1947 | 1,563 millimeters | +7.7% |
| 1948 | 1,513 millimeters | -3.2% |
| 1949 | 1,448 millimeters | -4.3% |
| 1950 | 1,695 millimeters | +17.1% |
| 1951 | 2,123 millimeters | +25.2% |
| 1952 | 1,842 millimeters | -13.2% |
| 1953 | 2,506 millimeters | +36.0% |
| 1954 | 1,629 millimeters | -35.0% |
| 1955 | 1,773 millimeters | +8.8% |
| 1956 | 1,774 millimeters | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 2,105 millimeters | +18.7% |
| 1958 | 1,706 millimeters | -19.0% |
| 1959 | 1,982 millimeters | +16.2% |
| 1960 | 1,731 millimeters | -12.7% |
| 1961 | 2,032 millimeters | +17.4% |
| 1962 | 2,274 millimeters | +11.9% |
| 1963 | 2,093 millimeters | -8.0% |
| 1964 | 1,813 millimeters | -13.4% |
| 1965 | 1,753 millimeters | -3.4% |
| 1966 | 1,788 millimeters | +2.0% |
| 1967 | 1,898 millimeters | +6.1% |
| 1968 | 2,081 millimeters | +9.6% |
| 1969 | 1,639 millimeters | -21.2% |
| 1970 | 1,893 millimeters | +15.4% |
| 1971 | 1,919 millimeters | +1.4% |
| 1972 | 2,236 millimeters | +16.5% |
| 1973 | 1,675 millimeters | -25.1% |
| 1974 | 1,817 millimeters | +8.5% |
| 1975 | 2,047 millimeters | +12.7% |
| 1976 | 1,862 millimeters | -9.1% |
| 1977 | 1,981 millimeters | +6.4% |
| 1978 | 1,935 millimeters | -2.3% |
| 1979 | 1,706 millimeters | -11.8% |
| 1980 | 1,656 millimeters | -2.9% |
| 1981 | 1,864 millimeters | +12.6% |
| 1982 | 1,749 millimeters | -6.2% |
| 1983 | 1,588 millimeters | -9.2% |
| 1984 | 1,609 millimeters | +1.3% |
| 1985 | 1,950 millimeters | +21.2% |
| 1986 | 1,948 millimeters | -0.1% |
| 1987 | 2,000 millimeters | +2.7% |
| 1988 | 1,859 millimeters | -7.1% |
| 1989 | 1,782 millimeters | -4.1% |
| 1990 | 1,789 millimeters | +0.4% |
| 1991 | 1,790 millimeters | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 1,602 millimeters | -10.5% |
| 1993 | 1,369 millimeters | -14.5% |
| 1994 | 1,640 millimeters | +19.7% |
| 1995 | 1,530 millimeters | -6.7% |
| 1996 | 1,509 millimeters | -1.4% |
| 1997 | 1,720 millimeters | +14.0% |
| 1998 | 1,510 millimeters | -12.2% |
| 1999 | 1,300 millimeters | -13.9% |
| 2000 | 1,206 millimeters | -7.2% |
| 2001 | 1,593 millimeters | +32.1% |
| 2002 | 1,493 millimeters | -6.3% |
| 2003 | 1,209 millimeters | -19.0% |
| 2004 | 1,347 millimeters | +11.4% |
| 2005 | 1,364 millimeters | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 1,723 millimeters | +26.3% |
| 2007 | 1,413 millimeters | -18.0% |
| 2008 | 1,320 millimeters | -6.5% |
| 2009 | 1,516 millimeters | +14.9% |
| 2010 | 1,507 millimeters | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 1,709 millimeters | +13.4% |
| 2012 | 1,662 millimeters | -2.8% |
| 2013 | 1,562 millimeters | -6.0% |
| 2014 | 1,360 millimeters | -12.9% |
| 2015 | 1,535 millimeters | +12.9% |
| 2016 | 1,279 millimeters | -16.7% |
| 2017 | 1,303 millimeters | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 1,752 millimeters | +34.5% |
| 2019 | 1,584 millimeters | -9.6% |
| 2020 | 1,792 millimeters | +13.1% |
| 2021 | 1,422 millimeters | -20.7% |
| 2022 | 1,627 millimeters | +14.5% |
| 2023 | 1,720 millimeters | +5.7% |
| 2024 | 1,636 millimeters | -4.9% |
| 2025 | 1,416 millimeters | -13.5% |
Rwanda compared with similar countries
- Rwanda's 1,416 millimeters is above the median for low income countries, which is 845.66 millimeters, 1.7× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Rwanda's 1,416 millimeters is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 970.56 millimeters, 1.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 1,369 millimeters | 1,011 millimeters | 1,820 millimeters | 10 |
| 1950s | 1,914 millimeters | 1,629 millimeters | 2,506 millimeters | 10 |
| 1960s | 1,910 millimeters | 1,639 millimeters | 2,274 millimeters | 10 |
| 1970s | 1,907 millimeters | 1,675 millimeters | 2,236 millimeters | 10 |
| 1980s | 1,801 millimeters | 1,588 millimeters | 2,000 millimeters | 10 |
| 1990s | 1,576 millimeters | 1,300 millimeters | 1,790 millimeters | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,419 millimeters | 1,206 millimeters | 1,723 millimeters | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,525 millimeters | 1,279 millimeters | 1,752 millimeters | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,602 millimeters | 1,416 millimeters | 1,792 millimeters | 6 |
Countries ranked near Rwanda
More climate change data for Rwanda
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 14.59 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 4,059 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1,586 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2,473 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 5.98 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 88.33 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 388.82 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 261.95 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 126.86 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.9885 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual precipitation in Rwanda?
- Annual precipitation in Rwanda was 1,416 millimeters in 2025, according to Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual precipitation recorded in Rwanda?
- The highest recorded value was 2,506 millimeters in 1953.
- What is the lowest annual precipitation recorded in Rwanda?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,011 millimeters in 1943.
- How does Rwanda rank for annual precipitation?
- Rwanda ranks 55th out of 192 countries with data for 2025.
- Is annual precipitation rising or falling in Rwanda?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Rwanda data come from?
- The figures come from Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual precipitation. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 86 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total annual precipitation—rain and snow—calculated as the sum of daily averages, reported as the depth of water falling to Earth's surface, excluding fog and dew.