Languages of Rwanda

Kinyarwanda is the national language of Rwanda,^[3] and the first language of almost the entire population of the country. It is one of the country's official languages alongside English,^[4] French,^[5] and Swahili.^[6]

Languages of Rwanda
Sign in English and Kinyarwanda in Kigali
Official	English, Kinyarwanda, French, Swahili
National	Kinyarwanda[1]
Main	English (working language)[2] Kinyarwanda (native)
Vernacular	Kinyarwanda
Minority	Mashi
Foreign	English, African French
Signed	Rwandan Sign Language
Keyboard layout	QWERTY

An anti-AIDS campaign poster in English, Rwanda

French had been the language of administration from the country's time under Belgian administration, between the World War I and independence in 1962. Since the 1994 genocide, the complications of relations with successive French governments and the return of numerous Tutsi refugees from anglophone Uganda meant an increase in the use of English by a higher proportion of the population and administration.

In 2008, the government changed the medium of education from French to English.^[7] At the same time, English increasingly became the working language of government and administration, further reducing the role of French in official domains. By 2018 the Rwandan government had reintroduced French as a foreign language class at the primary school level, and French was still widely used by members of the upper classes. A Rwandan historian, Antoine Mugesera, stated that French is still used among the educated, but Kinyarwanda is used for matters relating to simple topics and messages.^[8]

English is now considered the primary foreign language and working language. It is the statutory medium of instruction throughout the education system. Government announcements are typically made in both English and Kinyarwanda, and English is also widely used in administration and business.^[9]

Swahili is used by some people, in commerce, and is taught as a subject in schools.^[10] In 2017, the Rwandan National Assembly adopted a law making Swahili the fourth official language of Rwanda.^[6]

Inhabitants of Rwanda's Nkombo Island speak Mashi, a language closely related to Kinyarwanda.^[11]

Language distribution of .rw websites

According to W3Techs (retrieved 27 September 2025), among websites using the .rw domain whose content language is known, English dominates with 95.9%, followed by Kinyarwanda at 2.6% and French at 1.2%.

Rank	Language	Share of .rw websites (%)
1	English	95.9%
2	Kinyarwanda	2.6%
3	French	1.2%

Rwanda

2022 Census

Resident population aged 15 years and above in Rwanda by language(s) of literacy (%) according to the 2022 census.^[12]

Rank	Language	%
1	Kinyarwanda	78.3%
2	English	21.2%
3	French	8.2%
4	Swahili	4.0%
5	Other	0.7%

2012 Census

Resident population aged 15 years and above in Rwanda by language(s) of literacy (%) according to the 2012 census.^[13]

Rank	Language	%
1	Kinyarwanda	67.7%
2	English	14.7%
3	French	11.4%
4	Other	3.7%
–	None	29.4%

Kinyarwanda

Kinyarwanda is one of the three official languages of Rwanda and is spoken by virtually the entire population.^[1]

In 2012, according to the 4th Population and Housing Census (RPHC4), 67.7% of the resident population aged 15 and over was literate in Kinyarwanda, making it by far the 1st language of literacy in the country.^[13]

In 2022, according to the 5th Population and Housing Census (RPHC5), 78.3% of the resident population aged 15 and over was literate in Kinyarwanda, again making it by far the 1st language of literacy in the country.^[12]

English

English has been one of the three official languages of Rwanda since 2003, and in 2008 it replaced French as the language of education. It also became the working language of the country.^[1]

In 2012, according to the 4th Population and Housing Census (RPHC4), 14.7% of the resident population aged 15 and over was literate in English, making it the 2nd language of literacy in the country after Kinyarwanda.^[13]

In 2022, according to the 5th Population and Housing Census (RPHC5), 21.2% of the resident population aged 15 and over was literate in English, again making it the 2nd language of literacy in the country after Kinyarwanda.^[12]

French

French is one of the three official languages of Rwanda.^[1] Until 2008, it served as the language of education before being replaced by English.

In 2012, according to the 4th General Census of Population and Housing (RPHC4), 11.4% of the resident population aged 15 and over was literate in French, making it the 3rd language of literacy in the country after Kinyarwanda and English.^[13]

In 2014, according to the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), 6% of Rwandans were Francophone.^[14]

In December 2014, new Rwandan franc banknotes were issued only in English and Kinyarwanda. French disappeared from them.^[15]

In 2022, according to the 5th Population and Housing Census (RPHC5), 8.2% of the resident population aged 15 and over was literate in French, making it the 3rd language of literacy in the country after Kinyarwanda and English.^[12]

Swahili

On 8 February 2017, the Rwandan National Assembly adopted a law making Swahili the fourth official language of Rwanda.^[6]

In 2022, according to the 5th Population and Housing Census (RPHC5), 4% of the resident population aged 15 and over was literate in Swahili, making it the 4th language of literacy in the country after Kinyarwanda, English, and French.^[12]

Kigali

2022 Census

Resident population aged 15 years and above in Kigali by language(s) of literacy (%) according to the 2022 census.^[12]

Rank	Language	%
1	Kinyarwanda	89.9%
2	English	41%
3	French	19.5%
4	Swahili	11.7%
5	Other	2.7%

2012 Census

Resident population aged 15 years and above in Kigali by language(s) of literacy (%) according to the 2012 census.^[13]

Rank	Language	%
1	Kinyarwanda	83.4%
2	English	29%
3	French	26.7%
4	Other	0.2%

Kinyarwanda

Kinyarwanda is one of the three official languages of Rwanda and is spoken by virtually the entire population.^[1]

In 2012, according to the 4th Population and Housing Census (RPHC4), 83.4% of the resident population aged 15 and over in Kigali was literate in Kinyarwanda, making it by far the 1st language of literacy in the city.^[13]

In 2022, according to the 5th Population and Housing Census (RPHC5), 89.9% of the resident population aged 15 and over in Kigali was literate in Kinyarwanda, again making it by far the 1st language of literacy in the city.^[12]

English

English has been one of the three official languages of Rwanda since 2003, and in 2008 it replaced French as the language of education. It also became the working language of the country.^[1]

In 2012, according to the 4th Population and Housing Census (RPHC4), 29% of the resident population aged 15 and over in Kigali was literate in English, making it the 2nd language of literacy in the city after Kinyarwanda.^[13]

In 2022, according to the 5th Population and Housing Census (RPHC5), 41% of the resident population aged 15 and over in Kigali was literate in English, again making it the 2nd language of literacy in the city after Kinyarwanda.^[12]

French

French is one of the three official languages of Rwanda.^[1] Until 2008, it served as the language of education before being replaced by English.

In 2012, according to the 4th General Census of Population and Housing (RPHC4), 26.7% of the resident population aged 15 and over in Kigali was literate in French, making it the 3rd language of literacy in the city after Kinyarwanda and English.^[13]

In 2022, according to the 5th Population and Housing Census (RPHC5), 19.5% of the resident population aged 15 and over in Kigali was literate in French, making it the 3rd language of literacy in the city after Kinyarwanda and English.^[12]

Swahili

In 2022, according to the 5th Population and Housing Census (RPHC5), 11.7% of the resident population aged 15 and over in Kigali was literate in Swahili, making it the 4th language of literacy in the city after Kinyarwanda, English, and French.^[12]