NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

The number of Rwandans owning a mobile phone has increased from 6.2 per cent of the country's total population in 2000 to 63.6 per cent in 2014 as poverty dropped to 39 per cent, the fourth Integrated Household Living Survey, launched yesterday in Kigali, says.

At 63 per cent, its means, nationally, at least six out of every 10 Rwandans have a phone. The ratio is higher in Kigali where at least 90 per cent of the city dwellers were connected as of 2014 compared to 79.6 per cent in 2011 and 33.2 per cent in 2000.

The survey tracks the level and pattern of poverty and living conditions among Rwandans living in the country at the time. Previously done after every five years, the 4th edition comes three years after the last one.

President Paul Kagame, who launched the report, said more frequent reporting will help the government to formulate more evidence-based development policies and planning.

According to the report, Rwanda's poverty levels have significantly dropped to 39 per cent as of 2014, down from 44 per cent three years ago.

Rwandans living in extreme poverty have also dwindled in the last three years to 16.3 per cent, from 24.1 per cent recorded in 2011.

The findings are an endorsement of the government's second Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS II) under which it aims to reduce poverty levels to below 30 per cent and extreme poverty to at least below 10 per cent.