According to the National Institute of Statistics (NISR), Rwanda’s trade deficit narrowed by 12.5% in the second quarter of 2025 compared to the same period last year.
In this second term of 2025, all the exports Rwanda sent was worth 1,735.84 Million US dollars which indicates the decrease of 13% since the first term of 2025.
Exports from Rwanda reached 346.04 Million U.S dollars, the returned imports were worth 142.41 Million whereas the imports that entered the country were 1,247.39 Million U.S. Dollars.
NISR mentioned that during this quarter, products that Rwanda sent in other countries reduced by 35.64% compared to the second term of 2024 (where their worth was 346.04$ and 537.64$). But, it reduced to 28.03% compared to the first quarter of 2025.
This trend is consistent with the decline in the value of goods imported into Rwanda, which decreased by 20.50% in the second quarter of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, and by 9.55% compared to the first quarter of 2025.
Additionally, goods re-exported from Rwanda also decreased by 13.17% in the second quarter of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, but saw an increase of 5.19% compared to the first quarter of 2025.
The top five countries for Rwandan exports were the United Arab Emirates, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, China, Belgium, and Luxembourg.
Regarding imports, the top countries supplying goods to Rwanda were the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates, Burundi, and Germany.
The DRC received 94.55% of the goods that passed through Rwanda before being exported, valued at USD 54.56 million. The most exported items included food products and live animals worth USD 51.62 million, followed by petroleum products and related goods worth USD 31.94 million.
According to the reports from NISR also show that the top countries from which Rwanda imported goods include China, Tanzania, India, Kenya, and the United Arab Emirates.
Brenna AKARABO
RADIOTV10
