Chronic illnesses like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes have quietly become Rwanda’s biggest killers, now driving nearly six out of every 10 deaths outside health facilities.
New data released by the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR) in its Rwanda Vital Statistics Report 2025 paints a sobering picture of a shifting health landscape. Non-communicable diseases accounted for 58.8% of deaths in local communities and nearly half of all hospital fatalities last year, pulling ahead of traditional infectious illnesses.
The data also showed a notable gender gap in mortality, recording roughly 127 male deaths for every 100 female deaths.
Beyond mortality, the country is seeing steady demographic shifts. The average number of children per woman dropped to 3.5, while official birth registrations climbed to almost 93%. Meanwhile, marriage rates dipped slightly to just over 50 000 legal unions, and courts granted more than 2 600 divorces, with Kigali City accounting for the vast majority of split households.
–ChannelAfrica/NISR–
