Women are increasingly taking up space in Rwanda’s business sector, with new figures showing they now own more than half of all registered individual enterprises. According to the Rwanda Development Board’s 2025 Annual Report, 58,042 individual businesses are owned by women, representing 55 percent of all sole proprietorships. ALSO READ: Government boosts support for women entrepreneurs This highlights women’s strong presence in small, individually run businesses and their growing role in entrepreneurship and income generation in the country. ALSO READ: Supporting young women entrepreneurs builds stronger families, communities, and economies In 2025, business registrations rose significantly, with domestic companies increasing by 32.7 percent and individual enterprises by 16.4 percent, showing accelerated formalisation and a dynamic entrepreneurial environment. Efforts to promote gender balance in the private sector and support women in business continued throughout the year. However, in larger business structures, men still dominate. According to RDB, Women account for 35 percent of limited liability company owners, with 19,795 female owners compared to 36,844 men. The gap also persists in leadership positions, where women make up 35 percent of directors (24,013), against 44,579 men. Enterprise activity expanded alongside improved access to finance. Mortgage registrations increased by 19.4 percent compared to 2024, driven mainly by growth in immovable asset-backed lending. Movable asset mortgages rose slightly by one percent, while immovable asset-backed mortgages grew by 20.5 percent, showing continued confidence in property and asset-based financing.
