Sub-Saharan Africa

A life that begins in Rwanda

One in every 328 babies in the world is born here: about 408,845 a year, 0.78 a minute.

Population: 14,569,341
Births a year: 408,845
Life expectancy: 67.9
Children who die before 5 (per 1,000): 37.7

Health and survival

Life expectancy, women (years)
70.1
World: 75.9
Life expectancy, men (years)
65.7
World: 71
Babies who die before 1 (per 1,000)
29.4
World: 27.8
Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)
37.7
World: 37.6
Mothers who die in childbirth (per 100,000 births)
229
World: 189
Adults living with HIV (%)
2
World: 0.7
Adults who smoke (%)
10
World: 20
Alcohol per adult (litres a year)
2.9
World: 4.6
Road deaths (per 100,000)
29.4
World: 17
Homicides (per 100,000)
3.6
World: 4.7

Family and school

Children per woman
3.65
World: 2.85
Women married before 18 (%)
6
World: 18
Children in primary school (%)
95
World: 89
Secondary school enrolment (%)
49
World: 81
Higher education enrolment (%)
9
World: 48
Children aged 7–14 who work (%)
5.9
World: 11.9

Money and work

Income per person (PPP)
$3,559
World: $21,797
Income inequality (Gini, 0–100)
39
World: 34
Living on under $3 a day (%)
38.6
World: 9.9
Unemployment (%)
11.4
World: 5.1
Jobs in farming (%)
35
World: 27
Women in the workforce (%)
57
World: 48
Health costs paid out of pocket (%)
4
World: 37

Home and connection

Living in cities (%)
31
World: 58
Access to electricity (%)
72
World: 92
Safe drinking water (%)
61
World: 91
Internet users (%)
32
World: 72

Peace and wellbeing

Life satisfaction (0–10)
3.27
World: 5.4
Deaths in armed conflict (per 100,000 a year)
0.01
World: 2.43
Refugees abroad (% of population)
1.68
World: 0.34

From 1960 to 2050

How life here has changed, and where UN projections expect it to go. The dashed part is a projection.

Life expectancy

1960: 47 → 2026: 68.3 → 2050: 72.8

World

Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)

1960: 218 → 2026: 33 → 2050: 9

World

Children per woman

1960: 8.3 → 2026: 3.6 → 2050: 2.6

World

Living in cities (%)

1960: 3 → 2026: 31 → 2050: 55

World

Nobody chooses where they are born

In the game, the country is drawn by the real share of births: Rwanda comes up about once in every 328 lives.

Other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa

All 178 countries →

Sources: World Bank (WDI), UN World Population Prospects, Our World in Data, World Happiness Report, UCDP and PRIO. Updated 2026-10-18.