The United Nations has called on the Rwandan government to protect and sustain funding for children's sectors despite a decline in grants and an increase in domestic financing. According to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) Rwanda Representative Lieke van de Wiel, sustained investment in children has produced measurable results, including fewer children dying before the age of five, more children completing primary school, and more families moving out of poverty.
Rwanda's economy remains resilient, with the national budget rising to Frw 7,796.3 billion for 2026/27, a 12.1 per cent increase from the revised 2025/26 budget. Domestic resources now finance 67.6 per cent of public spending, while external grants account for 7 per cent. However, spending on services that directly benefit children is growing much more slowly, with the combined allocation to education, health, social protection, and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) increasing by only 4.2 per cent to Frw 1,711.3 billion.
The allocation to children's sectors has fallen from 26.8 per cent to 22 per cent of the national budget over five years, and in real terms, is now lower than it was in 2023/24. This comes at a time when households are facing higher food, energy, and housing costs, with food alone accounting for nearly two-thirds of spending among poorer households. UNICEF recommends that countries allocate at least 5 per cent of GDP or 20 per cent of their national budgets to education.
Education receives the largest allocation, with Frw 907.3 billion, making it the largest-funded of the four sectors. However, the brief points to gaps in early childhood education, with pre-primary education receiving the smallest allocation. One in five primary school pupils also repeats a grade. Health faces funding pressure, with the sector allocated Frw 500.2 billion, a 0.3 per cent decline from the previous year in nominal terms.
Social protection receives Frw 157.3 billion, making it the only one of the four sectors with an allocation below its 2022/23 level. Donor funding has fallen by about one-third, forcing the government to increase domestic financing to fill part of the gap. WASH records the strongest budget growth, with its allocation rising by 15.8 per cent to Frw 146.5 billion, but remains dependent on aid, with about 61 per cent of its funding coming from donors.
The report also examines climate-related spending, which amounts to Frw 761.8 billion, but only a small share reaches child-focused sectors. Climate-related allocations account for about 2 per cent of the education budget, less than 1 per cent of social protection, and none of the health budget. The government has promised to protect investment in children, with Jeanette Rwigamba, the Head of National Budget Department at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, saying the report will guide decisions as the government prepares the 2027/28 national budget.
The report points to progress in reducing poverty and improving child health, with poverty falling from 39.8 per cent in 2017 to 27.4 per cent in 2024, and stunting among children under five falling from 33 per cent in 2020 to 27 per cent in 2025. Despite these gains, about three in ten children still live in poverty, and 11 districts report stunting rates above 30 per cent. The brief calls for stronger domestic financing for social protection and WASH, continued support for maternal and child health, early childhood education, and nutrition programmes.
Key points
- The UN has urged the Rwandan government to protect and sustain funding for children's sectors amid a decline in grants and an increase in domestic financing.
- Rwanda's economy remains resilient, with a 12.1 per cent increase in the national budget for 2026/27.
- The allocation to children's sectors has fallen from 26.8 per cent to 22 per cent of the national budget over five years.
