More than one in four young people in Rwanda are not in employment, education or training, with the rate rising to 27.5% in the third quarter of 2026 after declining for two consecutive years, according to the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR).
The figure represents an increase of 1.9 percentage points from 25.6% recorded in the same quarter of 2025, although it remains below the 32.9% reported in the third quarter of 2022.
The data covers young people aged 16 to 30 who are not working, studying or participating in training programmes.
The rate rose to 33.2% in the third quarter of 2023 before declining to 29.1% in 2024 and 25.6% in 2025.
The latest increase highlights the continuing challenge of ensuring young people can access jobs, education and skills development opportunities.
Meanwhile, Rwanda’s overall unemployment rate rose to 15.6% in August 2026, up from 13.4% in August 2025, according to NISR data.
Unemployment was higher among young people aged 16 to 30, at 18.8%, compared with 13.1% among those older than 30.
The data also showed a gender gap, with unemployment affecting 18.3% of women compared with 13.3% of men.
Women’s participation in the labour force stood at 55.8% in August 2026, compared with 73% for men.
Of the 8,808,239 people of working age, 5,630,632 were in the labour force. Among them, 4,752,916 were employed, while 877,716 were unemployed.
The labour force participation rate declined to 63.9%, from 65.8% a year earlier.
The proportion of working-age people who were available for work but were not actively looking for a job also increased, reaching 20.3% in August 2026, compared with 19% in August 2025.
The figures point to persistent challenges in expanding employment opportunities and connecting young people with education and vocational training, even as the proportion of those outside all three activities remains below its 2022 level.
