Formal External Trade in Goods First Quarter , 2026 NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STATISTICS OF RWANDA
Formal External Trade in Goods © NISR 1 Copyright © 2026 National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR). Licensed under CC BY 4.0 This Report is produced by the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR). Additional information about the Formal External Trade in Goods P.O Box : 6139 Kigali, Rwanda Tel: +250 788 383103 Hotline: 4321 Recommended citation: National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR), (2026), quartely Formal Extenal Trade in Goods. Email: [email protected]
Formal External Trade in Goods © NISR 2 Table of content ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ...........................................................................................................3 LIST OF FIGURES .....................................................................................................................................4 SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................................................5 INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................................................6
Rwanda’s Formal External Trade in Goods ....................................................................8
Domestic Exports ...........................................................................................................9 2.1. Overview .....................................................................................................................................9 2.2. Rwanda’s Export Markets ...........................................................................................................9 2.2.1. Trade Partners ........................................................................................................................9 2.2.2. East African Community Partner States ..............................................................................................9
Imports ......................................................................................................................10 3.1. Overview ...................................................................................................................................10 3.2. Origin of the imports of Rwanda ............................................................................................10 3.2.1 Trade Partners ...................................................................................................................................11 3.2.2 East African Community Partner States ............................................................................................12
Re-exports ......................................................................................................................13 4.1. Overview ...................................................................................................................................13 4.1.1. Trade Partners ......................................................................................................................13 4.1.2. East African Community Partner States ...............................................................................13
Trade with Selected Regional Economic Organizations .....................................................14 5.1. Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa ..................................................................14 5.2. Communauté Economique des Pays de Grands Lacs ..................................................................15 5.3. Southern African Development Community ...............................................................................15 5.4. European Union ......................................................................................................................16 5.5. Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) .....................................................16
Appendices ......................................................................................................................18
Formal External Trade in Goods © NISR 3 Acronyms and abbreviations CEPGL : Communauté Economique de Pays de Grands Lacs COMESA: Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa CPCs:
Customs Procedures Codes DBMS: Database Management System EAC:
East African Community ECOWAS: Economic Community of West African States EU:
European Union
IMTS:
International Merchandise Trade Statistics
NISR:
National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda RRA:
Rwanda Revenue Authority
SADC:
Southern African Development Community
US$:
United States of America’s Dollar
Formal External Trade in Goods © NISR 4 List of Figure Figure 1: Value of Rwanda’s Formal External Trade in Goods, 2022Q1-2026Q1 ..........................................8 Figure 2: Rwanda’s key export partners, 2022Q1-2026Q1 ....................................................................9 Figure 3: Exports to EAC Partner States, 2022Q1-2026Q1 ..................................................................10 Figure 4: Rwanda’s key imports partners, 2022Q1-2026Q1 ..................................................................11 Figure 5: Imports from EAC Partner States, 2022Q1-2026Q1 ..................................................................11 Figure 6: Rwanda’s key re-export partners, 2022Q1-2026Q1 ..................................................................12 Figure 7: Re-Exports to EAC Partner States, 2022Q1-2025Q2 ..................................................................13
Formal External Trade in Goods © NISR 5 Summary In the first quarter of 2026, Rwanda’s total trade was valued at US$ 1,892.91 million, representing a decrease of 5.13% from the first quarter of 2025. Domestic exports were estimated at US$ 366.85 million, imports at US$ 1,332.21 million, and re-exports at US$ 193.84 million. During this quarter, Rwanda’s total domestic exports decreased by 23.7% compared to the first quarter of 2025 (US$ 366.85 million and US$ 480.82 million respectively). However, they decreased by 2.29% compared to the fourth quarter of 2025. Simultaneously, the country’s total imports decreased by 3.4% in the first quarter of 2026 relative to the same quarter of 2025 and decreased by 13.67% from the fourth quarter of 2025. Similarly, re-exports increased by 43.18% in the first quarter of 2026 over the same quarter of 2025 and decreased by 13.35% compared to the fourth quarter of 2025. The top five export destinations were the China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, United Arab Emirates, the United States, and India. In terms of re-exports, the top five destinations were the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates, and Burundi. Democratic Republic of Congo accounted for 72.19 percent of Rwanda’s total re-exports. The most re-exported commodity group was “Food and live animals” (US$ 67.23 million) followed by “Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials” (US$ 61.79 million). China, India, Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda were the top five countries of origin for Rwanda’s imports measured on a CIF (Cost, Insurance, and Freight) basis. Formal External Trade in Goods © NISR 6 Introduction This Statistical Report on Formal External Trade in Goods pertains to the first quarter of 2026, covering the period from January 2026 to March 2026. It has been produced by the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR), through the Department of Economic Statistics (DES) under the External Trade Statistics Team. A key mandates of the DES is to compile, analyze, and produce statistics and information for the external trade sector following international recommendations. The data presented in this report are compiled by NISR from the data collected by the Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA), Customs Department, as part of its routine activities to manage, monitor, and facilitate cross-border trade. These data are processed using EUROTRACE and MS Access database management systems (DBMS). For the collection and compilation of formal external trade statistics, NISR relies on the General Trade System. Under this framework, recorded aggregates include all goods entering or leaving the country’s economic territory, with exception of goods in simple transit trade. Imports include all goods declared for direct domestic consumption, as well as goods imported into customs- bonded warehouses. Exports cover domestic exports, defined as goods of national origin. This includes goods produced within the exporting country and the goods that have been nationalized. Re-exports which are exported in the same conditions as imported or after undergoing minor operations which leave them essentially unchanged. This aggregate includes goods re-exported from customs-bonded warehouses. Partner country is the last known country of destination for exports and the country of origin for imports, as recorded at the time of compilation. Valuation of imports and exports: Imports are valued on a CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight) basis while exports and re-exports are valued on a FoB (Free on Board) basis. Classification of commodities: Data are categorized by partner country and according to international standard classifications such as the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (HS) and the Standard International Trade Classification (SITC). These classifications are linked to national Customs Procedure Codes (CPCs). Furthermore, the compilation of External Trade Statistics abides by the recommendations of the International Merchandise Trade Statistics: Concepts and Definitions 2010 (IMTS 2010) of the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD). Consequently, the data for this report are compiled on IMTS 2010 basis (not to be confused with data compiled on Balance of Payments or National Accounts basis) Formal External Trade in Goods © NISR 7 This section provides an overview of Rwanda’s total trade in goods from the first quarter of 2022 to the first quarter of 2026. In the first quarter of 2026, Rwanda’s total trade was US$ 1,892.91 million, a decrease of 5.13% compared to the first quarter of 2025 and a decrease of 11.64% over the fourth quarter of 2025. Figure 1 summarizes the balance of Rwanda’s formal trade in goods. Year on year, the trade deficit decreased by 5.13%. Imports of goods constitute 70.38% of total trade in goods, while domestic exports constituted 19.38% and re-exports constituted 10.24%. For more detailed figures, see Appendix 6.1. Figure 1: Value of Rwanda’s Formal External Trade in Goods, 2022Q1-2026Q1 Source: NISR with raw data from RRA/Customs Department
- Rwanda’s Formal External Trade in Goods -944.05 -771.52 0 200 -200 -400 -600 -800 -1000 -1,200 -1,400 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 -1,600 -590.31 -854.73 -937.51 -735.94 -918.11 -931.83 -1020.70 -928.27 -805.74 -867.33 -900.01 -774.66 -762.84 -758.94 -805.28 400 600 Q1 Q1 Q1 Q1 Q2 Q2 Q2 Q2 Q3 Q3 Q3 Q3 Q4 Q4 Q4 Q4 Q1 Exports Imports Re-Exports Trade Balance US $ million
Formal External Trade in Goods © NISR 8 2. Domestic Exports 2.1 Overview Compared to the fourth quarter of 2025, the value of total domestic exports in the first quarter of 2026 decreased by 2.29%, amounting to US$ 366.85 million. On a year-over-year basis, domestic export values decreased by 23.70% compared to the same quarter of 2025 (see Figure 1). 2.2 Rwanda’s Export Markets 2.2.1 Trade Partners Rwanda’s key destination markets of exports during the first quarter of 2026 were China (US$ 94.61 million, 25.79% share), the Democratic Republic of Congo (US$ 85.55 million, 23.32% share), the United Arab Emirates (US$ 38.62 million, 10.53% share), the United States (US$ 15.23 million, 4.15% share) and India (US$ 12.80 million, 3.49% share). These five countries accounted for US$ 246.81 million in export value, representing 67.28% share of the total domestic exports. Figure 2 summarizes these figures from the first quarter of 2022 up to the first quarter of 2026. For the top twenty domestic exports’ partners see appendix 6.5a. Figure 2: Rwanda’s key export partners, 2022Q1-2026Q1 Source: NISR with raw data from RRA / Customs Department Rest of the world China Congo, The Democratic Republic of United Arab Emirates 0 100 200 300 400 500 US $ million 108.51 35.45 35.82 120.83 40.65 130.88 44.32 19.43 51.12 51.03 47.53 124.20 97.94 69.86 43.3217.40 118.07 101.71 23.42 105.31 17.75 84.91 17.75 51.03 94.81 23.32 22.83 62.17 72.15 20.43 85.95 23.45 54.96 99.84 142.08 119.95 88.43 167.58 120.04 94.61 55.93 85.55 40.81 99.8199.81 38.18 7.95 94.41 6.204.16 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 Q1 Q1 Q1 Q1 Q1Q2 Q2 Q2 Q2Q3 Q3 Q3 Q3Q4 Q4 Q4 Q4 United States India 21.49 74.91 Formal External Trade in Goods © NISR 9 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 Q1 Q1 Q1 Q2Q2 Q2 Q3Q2 Q3Q3 Q3 Q4 Q4Q4 Q4 Q1 Q1 Burundi DRC Kenya Somalia South Sudan Tanzania Uganda EAC 0 0.00 5.0 20.00 10.0 40.0015.0 60.00 20.0 80.00 25.0 100.00 30.0 120.00 35.0 40.0 45.0 Values (US$ Million) 2.2.2 East African Community Partner States In the first quarter of 2026, Rwanda’s domestic exports to the East African Community Partner States were estimated at US$ 109.06 million, constituting around 17.47% of the total trade value with the EAC (see appendix 6.8b). Among these exports, about 78.45% were destined for the Democratic Republic of Congo (US$ 85.55 million). The value of domestic exports to the EAC Partner States increased by 57.32% compared to the same quarter in 2025. Uganda was the second destination for Rwandan exports within the EAC, with domestic exports valued at US$ 12.22 million. Figure 3: Exports to EAC Partner States, 2022Q1-2026Q1 Source: NISR with raw data from RRA/Customs Department. Formal External Trade in Goods © NISR 10 3.1 Overview In the first quarter of 2026, the total value of imports was US$ 1,332.21 million. This represents a decrease of 3.4% compared to the first quarter of 2025 (US$ 1,379.05 million) and a decrease of 13.67% compared to the fourth quarter of 2025 (US$ 1,543.21 million) (see Figure 1 above and appendix 6.1). During this quarter of 2026, the top five imported commodities in terms of USD values ranked from top to bottom were “Machinery and transport equipment” , “Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material” , “Food and live animals”, “Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials” and “Chemicals & related products, n.e.s.” while the top five countries of origin are China, India, Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. 3.2 Origin of the imports of Rwanda 3.2.1 Trade Partners The top five countries of origin of imports totalized US$ 807.57 million of imports, representing 60.62% of the total value of imports, and they are distributed as follows: China (US$ 355.53 million), India (US$ 154.28 million), Tanzania (US$ 126.30 million), Kenya (US$ 93.80 million) and Uganda (US$ 77.67 million). Regarding commodity groups, the top imported products were “Machinery and transport equipment” (US$ 249.63 million), “Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material’’ (US$ 243.92 million), “Food and live animals” (US$ 240.95 million), “Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials” (US$ 188.95 million) and “Chemicals & related products, n.e.s”( US$ 139.68 million). A comprehensive table detailing the top five partner countries for imports is provided in Appendix 6.6a. 3. Imports Formal External Trade in Goods © NISR 11 Figure 4: Rwanda’s key imports partners, 2022Q1-2026Q1 Source: NISR with raw data from RRA/Customs Department 2022Q1 639.33 250.05 149.01 152.16 157.33 0.14 718.21 305.82 176.78 111.49 151.85 17.06 633.92 268.09 141.01 97.80 100.61 33.77 701.54 309.36 219.86 165.86 127.01 58.19 676.45 280.91 158.17 151.51 245.08 56.84 760.66 524.64 324.96 218.31 134.59 88.14 154.28 126.30 93.80 77.67 355.53 96.43 480.36 158.66 199.66 99.19 96.55 0.11 2023Q2 2024Q2 2025Q2 2022Q2 2023Q3 2024Q3 2025Q3 2022Q3 2023Q4 2024Q4 2025Q4 2026Q1 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 2022Q4 2023Q1 2024Q1 2025Q1 674.93 252.73 173.48 122.36 45.45 45.43 755.53 287.58 188.59 183.29 110.69 698.07 304.32 227.43 115.36 71.12 633.21 302.07 171.00 144.46 99.54 60.24 788.34 299.94 267.62 215.21 63.43 607.45 292.94 306.69 101.83 253.72 67.58 579.09 338.53 151.30 115.65 135.35 59.14 585.76 275.63 133.49 107.83 78.17 66.50 623.82 311.41 156.85 107.12 102.24 67.49 Rest of the world China India Kenya Tanzania Uganda US Million 207.58 70.64 117.02