Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have continued to be the leading cause of death in Rwanda, accounting for 47.7% of all registered deaths in 2024, according to the latest data from the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR).
The figure represents an increase from 46% in 2023, highlighting a growing health burden from diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, cancer, and heart-related conditions.
Patrick Nshimiyimana, Head of the Civil Registration Statistics Department at NISR, confirmed that the total number of recorded deaths in 2024 reached 40,704, a sharp rise from 20,010 in 2022.
He expressed concern that only 46.1% of deaths were officially registered in 2024, up slightly from 41.8% in 2023, meaning that a large number of deaths still go unrecorded.
“People are dying, but many families do not report these deaths for official registration,” Nshimiyimana said. “We encourage Rwandans to change their mindset and ensure that every death is recorded in the civil registry, just as birth registration now exceeds 90%.”
He further noted that one of the reasons for underreporting is that 74.5% of deaths occur at home rather than in health facilities, which makes formal registration more difficult. Authorities are now exploring ways to enable community leaders at the village level to facilitate easier registration of deaths.
Data from the civil registration system also revealed that infectious diseases caused 42.9% of deaths in 2024. The year also saw outbreaks such as the Marburg virus, which affected Rwanda for the first time and claimed over 60 lives, most of whom were healthcare workers, before the outbreak was contained.
Meanwhile, deaths resulting from accidents and other external causes decreased from 11% in 2023 to 9.4% in 2024.
