Wealth and income percentiles in Rwanda
How much net worth or income does it take to be in the top 10% or top 1% in Rwanda? Model estimates for 6.8 million adults aged 20+, reference level 2025.
Net worth thresholds in Rwanda
Net worth is private assets (property, deposits, securities, business ownership) minus debt, per adult. Thresholds show the minimum net worth needed to belong to each group.
| Group of adults | Threshold, USD |
|---|---|
| Median (top 50%) | USD 1,230 |
| Top 10% | USD 8,110 |
| Top 5% | USD 14,600 |
| Top 1% | USD 39,200 |
| Top 0.1% | USD 174,000 |
| Average (mean) | USD 4,040 |
Income thresholds in Rwanda
Income is a harmonized pre-tax economic income per adult used for cross-country comparison. It is broader than wages and includes capital income, pensions and some imputed components.
| Group of adults | Threshold, USD |
|---|---|
| Median (top 50%) | USD 918 |
| Top 10% | USD 3,150 |
| Top 5% | USD 5,820 |
| Top 1% | USD 18,100 |
| Top 0.1% | USD 53,700 |
| Average (mean) | USD 1,810 |
Rwanda in a global context
Rwanda has 0.12% of the world’s adults. About 0.13% of them are in the world’s top 10% by net worth and <0.01% are in the global top 1%. By income, the shares are 0.18% and <0.01%.
The median adult in Rwanda is in the global top 82.0% by net worth and the global top 84.4% by income. Rwanda is home to about <0.01% of the world’s top 1% by net worth.
Data quality and sources
The curves for Rwanda are built from the World Inequality Database’s 127-percentile estimates (2026 update), which combine tax records, surveys and national accounts; where a country has few direct sources, WID fills gaps from similar countries. The score shows how much direct national data stands behind the estimates, from 1 (strong direct national sources) to 5 (mainly imputed). The notes describe the national sources we have reviewed.
| Measure | Score | National data reviewed |
|---|---|---|
| Net worth | 5 | No national net-worth distribution is available; WID’s wealth estimates for this country are largely imputed. |
| Income | 5 | NISR EICV7 has been identified, but the model has not imported a comparable gross-income distribution. The curve is donor/proxy based. |
- World Inequality Lab, Technical Note 2026/04, country appendix
- NISR Rwanda EICV7 2023/24
- World Inequality Lab, Technical Note 2026/04, country appendix
Amounts are converted at fixed exchange rates of 2026-10-09; they do not adjust for purchasing power. Thresholds in the extreme top are modelled and uncertain.
Frequently asked questions
How much net worth do you need to be in the top 1% in Rwanda?
About USD 39,200 in net worth (assets minus debt) per adult, according to the WealthPercentile model for 2025. The top 10% starts at about USD 8,110.
What is the median income in Rwanda?
The median adult in Rwanda has a broad pre-tax economic income of about USD 918 a year. This measure is broader than wages: it includes capital income and some imputed components, so it is higher than a typical payslip.
How many adults in Rwanda are in the global top 1%?
About <0.01% of adults in Rwanda are in the world’s top 1% by net worth, and <0.01% by income.
How reliable are these numbers?
They are model estimates. The data-quality score for Rwanda is 5/5 for net worth and 5/5 for income, where 1 means strong direct source coverage and 5 means mainly modelled.