Flag of Rwanda

Rwanda Military Profile

Home > Factbook > Countries > Rwanda

Military branchesRwanda Defense Force (RDF): Rwanda Army (Rwanda Land Force), Rwanda Air Force (Force Aerienne Rwandaise, FAR), Rwanda Reserve Force (2021)
Military service age and obligation18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription; Rwandan citizenship is required; enlistment is either as contract (5-years, renewable twice) or career (2019)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP1.2% of GDP (2019)

1.2% of GDP (2018)

1.2% of GDP (2017)

1.2% of GDP (2016)

1.2% of GDP (2015)
Military and security service personnel strengthsthe Rwanda Defense Force (RDF) has approximately 33,000 active personnel (32,000 Army; 1,000 Air Force) (2021)
Military equipment inventories and acquisitionsthe RDF's inventory includes mostly Soviet-era and older Western - mostly French and South African - equipment; Rwanda has received a limited supply of imports since 2010 from a variety of countries, including China, Israel, Russia, and Turkey (2020)
Military deployments1,370 Central African Republic (MINUSCA); 1,125 Sudan (UNAMID); 2,750 South Sudan (UNMISS) (2021)

note - in mid-2021, Rwanda sent about 1,000 combat troops to Mozambique to assist the Mozambique Government in combating an insurgency

Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021

Military Comparison