Key data for Rwanda

NCI11th HRCI15th HANCI10th
HANCI compares 45 countries for their performance on 22 indicators of political commitment to reduce hunger and undernutrition. All the countries compared in the index have high rates of hunger and undernutrition. The comparative approach of the index means that country scores are calculated in relation to the political commitment of the other countries in the index.
Existing rates of: Stunting: 36.9% Wasting: 2% Proportion of population underweight: 2% Source: Government of Rwanda (CFSVA,2015)

Strong Performance

  • The Government of Rwanda has ensured tenure security for rural populations. Land titling is common and land markets function well. Policy promotes equitable access to common property resources.
  • The Government encourages varied agricultural research and extension services, and local farmer organisations are involved in setting policy priorities. The extension system is effective and properly reaches out to poor farmers. Government policies, strategies and mechanisms seek to ensure gender equity in access to extension services.
  • Rwanda instituted a separate budget line for nutrition, enabling transparency and accountability for spending.
  • The National Nutrition Policy/Strategy identifies time bound nutrition targets and a multisectoral and multistakeholder policy coordination mechanism has been set up.
  • Policymakers in Rwanda benefit from regular nutrition surveys that are statistically representative at national level. The last survey was published in 2019-2020.
  • The Government of Rwanda promotes complementary feeding practices and has achieved two high doses of vitamin A supplementation for 92% of children in 2018.
  • In Rwanda 97.6% of women aged 15-49 were visited at least once during pregnancy by skilled health personnel in 2017.

Areas for improvement

  • Spending on agriculture (9.4% of public spending in 2018) is close to, yet not fully meeting government commitments set out in the African Union’s Maputo Declaration (10% of public spending).
  • Rwanda’s spending in its health sector (8.9% of public spending in 2017) does not fully meet (15%) commitments set out in the Abuja Declaration.
  • In Rwanda, the law gives women and men equal economic rights and equal legal access to agricultural land. However, these laws are not effectively enforced and discriminatory practices against women continue, increasing their vulnerability to hunger and undernutrition.
  • Weak access to improved sanitation facilities (66.6% in 2017) obstructs better hunger and nutrition outcomes.
  • In Rwanda, constitutional protection of the right to food and the right to social security is weak.
  • Civil registration rates are weak (56% in 2014-15) and potentially hold back children’s access to critical public services such as health and education.

Hunger Reduction Commitment Index (HRCI)

Public Spending Score Year HRCI rank of 45
Public spending on agriculture as share of total public spending
?
9.4%201814th
Public spending on health as share of total public spending
?
8.9%201713th
Policies Score Year HRCI rank of 45
Access to land (security of tenure)
?
Strong2019Joint 9th
Access to agricultural research and extension services
?
Strong2019Joint 23rd
Civil registration system — coverage of live births
?
56%2014-15Joint 30th
Functioning of social protection systems
?
Moderate2018Joint 2nd
Laws Score Year HRCI rank of 45
Level of constitutional protection of the right to food
?
Weak2016Joint 30th
Equality of women’s access to agricultural land
?
In Law, not in Practice2019Joint 3rd
Equality of women’s economic rights
?
In Law, not in Practice2019Joint 5th
Constitutional right to social security
?
No2015Joint 33rd

Nutrition Commitment Index (NCI)

Public Spending Score Year NCI rank of 45
Separate budget for nutrition
?
Yes2019Joint 1st
Policies Score Year NCI rank of 45
Vitamin A supplementation coverage for children
?
92%2018Joint 9th
Government promotes complementary feeding
?
Yes2010Joint 1st
Population with access to an improved water source
?
79.5%201725th
Population with access to improved sanitation
?
66.6%20178th
Health care visits for pregnant women
?
97.6%2017Joint 6th
Nutrition features in national development policy
?
Moderate2017-202428th
National Nutrition Policy/Strategy
?
Yes2019Joint 1st
Multisector and multistakeholder policy coordination
?
Yes2019Joint 1st
Time bound nutrition targets
?
Yes2019Joint 1st
National nutrition survey in last 3 years
?
Yes2019-2020Joint 1st
Laws Score Year NCI rank of 45
Enshrine ICBMS in domestic law
?
Many Aspects Enshrined2019Joint 19th