🇷🇼 Rwanda: Politics & Democracy
By V-Dem's measure, no — Rwanda scores 9.0 on the 0–100 liberal democracy index, which places it firmly in the autocratic range.
Current leaders
Paul Kagame
Head of State · Rwandan Patriotic Front
Justin Nsengiyumva
Head of Government
Democracy trend
Voting alignment
Rwanda's closest UN General Assembly voting partners since 1946:
Frequently asked questions
Is Rwanda a democracy?
By V-Dem's measure, no — Rwanda scores 9.0 on the 0–100 liberal democracy index, which places it firmly in the autocratic range. It ranks #153 of 179 countries in 2025.
Is democracy in Rwanda improving or declining?
Rwanda's V-Dem liberal democracy score has declined by 4.8 points over the past decade, standing at 9.0 in 2025 (1-year change: −0.1).
Who leads Rwanda?
Paul Kagame is Rwanda's head of state (Rwandan Patriotic Front); Justin Nsengiyumva serves as head of government.