Population in Rwanda
Senior 2 · Geography and Environment
Population in Rwanda
Lesson 3 of 4
20 min
Each week young people arrive at Nyabugogo bus station from Nyamasheke, Nyaruguru or Gakenke, hoping for work or study in Kigali. Families from Burundi and the DR Congo live in refugee camps such as Mahama and Kiziba. Rwandans work across East Africa and beyond. All of this is migration, and it changes both the places people leave and the places they reach.
| Push factors (drive people out) | Pull factors (attract people in) |
|---|---|
| Shortage of land and small, divided plots Unemployment and poverty Poor services: few secondary schools or hospitals nearby Natural hazards: drought in the east, landslides and floods in the west Conflict and insecurity (for refugees) | Jobs in industry, construction, trade and services Higher wages Better schools, universities and hospitals Electricity, water and entertainment Available land (for rural–rural migrants) Peace and security |
| Positive | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| Area of origin (rural village) | Less pressure on land; remittances (money sent home); new ideas and skills when migrants visit | Loss of young, active workers; more elderly and children left behind; farms neglected |
| Area of destination (town) | Cheap labour for industry and building; bigger market; cultural mixing | Congestion; informal settlements; pressure on water, housing and schools; unemployment and crime |
In one year, a sector in Gasabo records 1,200 people moving in and 800 moving out. Calculate the net migration and interpret it.
Tip
Exam technique. In any migration question, cover both ends (origin and destination) and both signs (positive and negative). A four-box answer (origin +, origin −, destination +, destination −) earns the marks for "effects".
Solution: emigration is leaving a country; immigration is entering a country.
Solution: shortage of land and unemployment (also poor services, hazards).
Solution: money sent home by migrants to their families.
Solution: 2,500 − 3,100 = −600 (a net loss).
Solution: growth of informal settlements (also congestion, pressure on services, unemployment).
Summary
Sources and credits
The push–pull and effects tables, worked example and practice items are written by Ganzaa.
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
