Primary, Secondary and Literacy
Attendance rates in primary
According to the 2022 Rwanda Population and Housing Census, primary school attendance is high, with a national Net Attendance Rate (NAR) of 89.3%, slightly higher in urban areas (92.2%) than rural (89.7%), and marginally favoring girls (90.3%) over boys (88.4%). The Gross Attendance Rate (GAR) stands at 141.7%, indicating a significant number of children attending primary school outside the official age range of 6–11 years, likely due to late entry or repetition.
According to the RPHC2022, the percentage of females who have never attended school or are not yet in school (17.8%) is higher than that of males (14.9%).
Highest level of education attended
According to the RPHC2022, the overall non-attendance rate (never been to school or not yet attended school) for the population aged 3 years and above in Rwanda is 16.4%, which is significantly lower than the 2012 census figure of 25.5%. The percentage of females who have never attended school or are not yet in school (17.8%) is higher than that of males (14.9%). The majority of individuals who have never attended school or are not yet in school are located in rural areas (18.3%).
Primary school pupils by school status
According to administrative data compiled by the Ministry of education, the following table provides a trend of Primary school pupils by school status (Pupils in Public schools, Pupils in Government-subsidized schools, Pupils in Private schools) since 2018:
| Description/Year | 2018 | 2019 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 |
| Total pupils | 2,503,705 | 2,512,465 | 2,729,116 | 2,742,551 | 2,838,343 |
| Male | 1,259,344 | 1,268,996 | 1,370,022 | 1,384,332 | 1,445,412 |
| Female | 1,244,361 | 1,243,469 | 1,359,094 | 1,358,219 | 1,392,931 |
| %Of Male | 50.3% | 50.5% | 50.2% | 50.5% | 50.9% |
| %Of Female | 49.7% | 49.5% | 49.8% | 49.5% | 49.1% |
| Pupils in Public schools | 790,906 | 812,077 | 1,063,617 | 1,097,453 | 1,143,847 |
| Male | 397,253 | 409,920 | 534,244 | 553,802 | 582,517 |
| Female | 393,653 | 402,157 | 529,373 | 543,651 | 561,330 |
| Pupils in Government-subsidized schools | 1,609,471 | 1,592,142 | 1,532,460 | 1,507,756 | 1,537,759 |
| Male | 810,129 | 804,421 | 768,918 | 761619 | 783814 |
| Female | 799,342 | 787,721 | 763,542 | 746137 | 753945 |
| Pupils in Private schools | 103,328 | 108,246 | 133,039 | 137,342 | 156,737 |
| Male | 51,962 | 54,655 | 66,860 | 68,911 | 79,081 |
| Female | 51,366 | 53,591 | 66,179 | 68,431 | 77,656 |
Secondary education
According to the RPHC2022, for lower secondary education, Rwanda has an overall completion rate of 19.5%, with females (21.6%) having higher rates than males (17.3%). In urban areas, the completion rate is 25.1%, exceeding the national average, while in rural areas, it is lower at 17.2%. At the upper secondary level, the national completion rate is 16.6%, with females (17.5%) having a slightly higher rate than males (15.7%). Urban areas exhibit significantly higher completion rates (27.8%), whereas rural areas have much lower rates (11.0%).
Upper secondary education
According to the RPHC2022, the upper secondary education attainment is 8.0%, for the total population aged 15 years and above. The percentage of males who have attained upper secondary education is 8.4%, whereas, for females, it's slightly lower at 7.7%.
Language literacy
According to the RPHC2022, out of the total population aged 15 years, which is 8,289,582, 21.2% (1,760,444 individuals) are illiterate, while 78.8% (6,529,138 individuals) are literate. The illiteracy rate for males is 19.0% with an 81.0% literacy rate, while for females, the illiteracy rate is higher at 23.3% with a 76.7% literacy rate. This indicates a gender disparity in literacy rates, with a higher percentage of males being literate compared to females. In urban areas, the illiteracy rate is 10.2%, indicating a higher literacy rate of 89.8%, while in rural areas, the illiteracy rate is higher at 25.8% with a 74.2% literacy rate. About 54.0% is literate in Kinyarwanda only. About 14.1% of this population is literate in both Kinyarwanda and English, about 1.9% in Kinyarwanda and French while about 4.1% is literate in Kinyarwanda, English and French. The remaining 4.7% do so in other languages or in a combination of these three languages with others (including Kinyarwanda and Swahili).
Comparison of literacy rates Females vs Males
According to the RPHC2022, Males have a lower illiteracy rate of 19.0% and a higher literacy rate of 81.0%, while females have a higher illiteracy rate of 23.3% and a lower literacy rate of 76.7%.
Comparison of literacy rates Urban vs Rural areas
In urban areas, the illiteracy rate is lower at 10.2%, indicating a higher literacy rate of 89.8%. In contrast, in rural areas, the illiteracy rate is higher at 25.8%, with a literacy rate of 74.2%.