Rural and Urban Settlement in Rwanda
Senior 4 · Geography
Rural and Urban Settlement in Rwanda
Lesson 3 of 5
25 min
In 2022, 3,701,245 Rwandans (27.9%) lived in urban areas (NISR, 2023). Figure 4 shows how unevenly they are spread, and marks the capital and the six secondary cities that the government develops as growth poles: Nyagatare, Musanze, Rubavu, Rusizi, Huye and Muhanga (MININFRA, 2021).
Figure 4. Urban share of each district's population, 2022, with Kigali and the secondary cities. Drawn by Ganzaa from NISR, RPHC5 Table 2; town positions approximate.
Definition
Urban centre: a settlement where most people work outside farming, with high density, many services and a built-up area; in Rwanda, areas officially classified as urban. Urbanisation: the growth in the share of a country's population living in urban areas.
Function: the main activity or service a town provides (administrative, commercial, industrial, educational, tourist, border or transport function). Primate city: a city many times larger and more important than the next one in the country.
| Characteristic | In Rwanda's towns |
|---|---|
| High population density | Kicukiro 2,944 per km², against 503 nationally (2022) |
| Mainly non-farm jobs | Trade, government, banking, transport, construction, tourism, manufacturing |
| Concentration of services | Ministries, banks, hospitals, universities, markets, hotels |
| A central business district (CBD) | Multi-storey offices and shops in central Kigali (Nyarugenge) |
| Infrastructure | Paved roads, piped water, electricity, public transport |
| Mixed housing | Planned estates beside unplanned, informal neighbourhoods (lesson 5) |
| Young, working-age population | The urban pyramid is "dominated by adult people in the working age group" (NISR, 2023) |
Kigali was founded in 1907 as a German administrative post and became the capital at independence in 1962 (Wikipedia). Today the City of Kigali covers 730 km² in three districts (Gasabo, Kicukiro, Nyarugenge), with 35 sectors, 161 cells and 1,155 villages, and had 1,745,555 residents in 2022. The City reports that it contributes over 41% of national GDP and that its urban population grows by about 4% a year (City of Kigali).
Functions: administrative (Parliament, ministries, embassies); commercial and financial (banks, the main markets, offices); industrial (special economic zone, factories); transport (Kigali International Airport, the Nyabugogo bus park, the hub of national roads); educational and health (universities, referral hospitals); conference and tourist (hotels, conference centres).
Worked example 1: is Kigali a primate city?
Data (NISR, 2023, Table 2). Urban population: City of Kigali 1,517,168; Rubavu District 294,448 (the next largest); all urban areas 3,701,245.
Interpretation. Kigali's urban population is about five times that of the next district, and it holds 41% of all urban dwellers: a clear primate city. (District figures include all urban areas in a district, not only its main town, so the ratio is approximate.) This primacy is one reason the government invests in secondary cities: to spread growth and ease the pressure on Kigali.
| City (district) | Urban population of district, 2022 | Main functions |
|---|---|---|
| Rubavu (Gisenyi) | 294,448 (53.9%) | Cross-border trade with Goma (DR Congo); Lake Kivu port and beaches; tourism; Wikipedia ranks Gisenyi as Rwanda's second city |
| Musanze (Ruhengeri) | 234,258 (49.2%) | Gateway to the Volcanoes National Park (gorilla tourism); market for the potatoes and vegetables of the volcanic farmlands; higher education |
| Rusizi (Kamembe) | 162,165 (33.4%) | Border trade with Bukavu; Kamembe airport; transport and industry at the south end of Lake Kivu |
| Nyagatare | 157,894 (24.1%) | Market and service centre for the livestock and farming north-east; administration of the Eastern Province's largest district |
| Muhanga (Gitarama) | 87,252 (24.3%) | Crossroads of roads to the south and west; trade and services in the centre of the country |
| Huye (Butare) | 79,744 (20.9%) | Educational centre: the University of Rwanda's Huye campus; cultural and religious centre (cathedral, museum); the main administrative centre before 1962 |
Urban figures: NISR, RPHC5 Table 2. Note that Bugesera (221,227 urban) and Rwamagana (180,056), next to Kigali, now have more urban dwellers than some secondary cities.
Worked example 2: a jump that is not real growth
Data. A 2019 survey estimate put Rwanda's urban population at 17.5% (2,215,085 people) (NISR, in REMA, 2021). The 2022 census counted 27.9% (3,701,245). Did towns really grow this fast?
Evaluation. Growth of almost 19% a year for three years is far above the City of Kigali's own estimate of about 4% a year. The jump comes mostly from a change in which areas are classified as urban, not from people moving. Lesson: before comparing urban figures from different years, check that they use the same definition.
Warning
A district is not a city. "Rubavu: 294,448 urban" counts all urban areas in Rubavu District, not just the town of Gisenyi. Say "the urban population of Rubavu District", and name the town separately.
Rob Humphreys: "Settlement Hierarchy". How settlements are ranked from hamlet to capital city by size and range of services. Place Kigali, Rubavu, Huye and a rural trading centre in the hierarchy.
Practice
Key points
Sources and credits
Sources: Fifth Rwanda Population and Housing Census, 2022: Main Indicators Report, NISR, 2023 (urban population by district); New roads are improving Rwanda's secondary cities, MININFRA, 30 March 2021 (the six secondary cities); About the City of Kigali, City of Kigali (area, divisions, GDP share, growth rate); Rwanda State of Environment and Outlook Report 2021, REMA (urban share in 2019); Kigali, Gisenyi, Butare and Kamembe, Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, adapted by Ganzaa.
Figure 4 and the worked examples were drawn and written by Ganzaa. District boundaries: geoBoundaries, CC BY 4.0; Natural Earth, public domain.
Photos: RW Kigali (36), Diego Tirira, CC BY-SA 2.0; Huye City University building, Preethigollapalli, CC BY-SA 4.0; Ruhengeri, mrflip, CC BY-SA 2.0; via Wikimedia Commons.
Video: "Settlement Hierarchy | Geography", Rob Humphreys, embedded from YouTube. The rest of the lesson and the exercises were written by Ganzaa.
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Quick check
Which of these is one of Rwanda's six secondary cities?
