# Northern Province, Rwanda – Population, Districts & Map

> Source: https://wherepedia.org/rwanda/northern-province/

Province · Rwanda 

# Northern Province

Northern Province is a province of Rwanda. It had an estimated **1,830,426 people** in 2023 on 3,276 km² (about 559 per km²). It is divided into 5 districts.

- 1,830,426people (2023)
- 3,276km²
- 5districts

## How many people live in Northern Province?

Northern Province had an estimated **1,830,426 people** in 2023 — 13.7% of Rwanda, 4th of 5 provinces. There are 1,081 women for every 1,000 men (above the Rwanda figure of 1,039). Spread over 3,276 km², that is about **559 people per km²**, 3rd of 5 provinces.

38.2% of people are children under 15 and 3.5% are 65 or older; the median age is about 20 years (it is 21 across Rwanda). For every 100 people of working age (15–64) there are 71 children and older people.

0–4 ****209,014**

5–9 ****239,475**

10–14 ****250,252**

15–19 ****216,282**

20–24 ****170,787**

25–29 ****136,711**

30–34 ****125,932**

35–39 ****122,816**

40–44 ****91,798**

45–49 ****69,291**

50–54 ****49,317**

55–59 ****46,232**

60–64 ****38,661**

65–69 ****29,333**

70–74 ****17,741**

75–79 ****9,667**

80+ ****7,117**

Source: [United States Census Bureau via OCHA HDX, population 2023 (COD-PS, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ps-rwa).

## Where is Northern Province?

Northern Province lies in [Rwanda](https://wherepedia.org/rwanda/). It borders 4 other provinces: [Eastern Province](https://wherepedia.org/rwanda/eastern-province/), [Kigali City](https://wherepedia.org/rwanda/kigali-city/), [Southern Province](https://wherepedia.org/rwanda/southern-province/) and [Western Province](https://wherepedia.org/rwanda/western-province/). By area it is the 4th largest of 5 provinces in Rwanda. It covers 13.5% of [Rwanda](https://wherepedia.org/rwanda/). The centre of Northern Province is about 41 km in a straight line from Kigali, the capital. The centre point is at 1.6111° S, 29.9109° E.

Source: [National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR). via OCHA HDX, administrative boundaries (COD-AB, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ab-rwa).

## Know before you go: Northern Province

- Time zoneUTC+2, no daylight saving · Africa/Kigali
- CurrencyFranc (RWF)
- Country calling code+250
- LanguagesKinyarwanda, English, French, Swahili
- Plug typesType C, E, G · 230 V
- Driving sideRight

### Nearest airports

- Kisoro Airport (KXO) · Kisoro42 km
- Kigali International Airport (KGL) · Kigali47 km

### Daylight

Days are longest in Dec (about 12.2 hours, sunrise around 05:49) and shortest in Jun (about 12.0 hours, sunrise around 05:59, sunset around 18:01).

Month Sunrise Sunset Daylight 

Jan 06:02 18:15 12.2 h 

Feb 06:09 18:19 12.2 h 

Mar 06:06 18:13 12.1 h 

Apr 05:58 18:02 12.1 h 

May 05:55 17:57 12.0 h 

Jun 05:59 18:01 12.0 h 

Jul 06:05 18:07 12.0 h 

Aug 06:03 18:07 12.1 h 

Sep 05:52 17:58 12.1 h 

Oct 05:41 17:50 12.1 h 

Nov 05:39 17:50 12.2 h 

Dec 05:49 18:01 12.2 h 

Source: [GeoNames country and time-zone files (CC BY 4.0)](https://www.geonames.org/); [Wikidata (CC0) — plug types, mains voltage, driving side; retrieved 2026-11-03](https://www.wikidata.org/); [OurAirports (public domain)](https://ourairports.com/data/).

Airports with scheduled passenger flights; straight-line distances. Daylight is calculated for the 15th of each month in local standard time. Check entry and visa rules with official government sources before travelling.

## Districts of Northern Province

District People per km² Area km² Sectors Services 

[Gicumbi District](https://wherepedia.org/rwanda/northern-province/gicumbi/) 442,057 533 829 21 0 

[Musanze District](https://wherepedia.org/rwanda/northern-province/musanze/) 439,040 832 528 15 0 

[Burera District](https://wherepedia.org/rwanda/northern-province/burera/) 329,813 511 646 17 0 

[Gakenke District](https://wherepedia.org/rwanda/northern-province/gakenke/) 319,159 453 705 19 0 

[Rulindo District](https://wherepedia.org/rwanda/northern-province/rulindo/) 300,357 529 568 17 0 

Source: [National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR). via OCHA HDX, administrative boundaries (COD-AB, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ab-rwa); [United States Census Bureau via OCHA HDX, population 2023 (COD-PS, CC BY-IGO)](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ps-rwa).

## Weather in Northern Province and the best time to visit

In Northern Province, the warmest month is Feb (average 18 °C) and the coolest is Jul (16 °C). About 1,502 mm of rain falls in a year; the wettest month is Apr (193 mm) and the driest Jul (46 mm). The most comfortable months for a visit are **January to February and June to September**.

- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec

Month Average °C Rain mm 

Jan 18 100 

Feb 18 108 

Mar 18 173 

Apr 18 193 

May 17 164 

Jun 17 67 

Jul 16 46 

Aug 17 75 

Sep 18 113 

Oct 18 160 

Nov 18 176 

Dec 18 126 

Source: [NASA POWER climatology, retrieved 2026-10-29](https://power.larc.nasa.gov/).

## Quick answers

- Where is Northern Province?In Rwanda
- What is the population of Northern Province?1,830,426 (2023 estimate)
- What is the median age in Northern Province?About 20 years (2023 estimate)
- What is the population density of Northern Province?About 559 people per km²
- What borders Northern Province?Eastern Province, Kigali City, Southern Province and Western Province
- What time zone is Northern Province in?UTC+2
- What currency is used in Northern Province?Franc (RWF)
- What language is spoken in Northern Province?Kinyarwanda, English, French (main languages nationally)
- What is the best time to visit Northern Province?January to February and June to September
- What is the P-code of Northern Province?RW4 (OCHA common operational dataset)