Datasource:
Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) - 2025
Period:
June to November, 2025
Electricity coverage
At least 74% of households in the Western Province have access to electricity, a figure identical to the national level. However, the results show considerable disparities between districts within the Western Province. Rubavu and Nyamasheke Districts recorded the highest number of households with electricity (84% and 81%, respectively), while Karongi District registered the lowest, at only 60%.
In comparison with the RDHS 2019-20, Nyamasheke District has steadily improved from 40% to 81%. At the provincial level, electricity coverage rose from 41% to 74% over the same period. Overall, electricity coverage has increased across all districts in the Western Province over the past five years.
Household durable goods
At least 39% of households in the Western Province own a radio, compared with 44% at the country level. Ownership varies considerably across the Western Province, ranging from 35% in Karongi District to 42% in Rubavu District, which recorded the highest proportion. Mobile telephone ownership is reported by 84% of households in the Western Province similar to the national level.
Households in Nyamasheke and Nyabihu Districts (90% and 87%, respectively) are more likely to own a telephone than those in Ngororero and Karongi Districts (79%, each). Computer ownership remains limited in the Western Province, with only 3% of households owning computers, compared to 5% at the national level. Compared with the RDHS 2019-20, radio possession at the provincial level increased by 5 percentage points (from 34% to 39%). Over the same period, mobile telephone ownership increased from 70% to 84%, and television ownership increased by 1 percentage point (from 10% to 11%) at the provincial level.
Access to drinking water Sanitation services
At least 19% of households in the Western Province have drinking water available on their premises, compared with 24% at the national level. A higher proportion of households in this province (52%) spend 30 minutes or less obtaining drinking water, compared to (44%) at the national level.
At the district level, Rubavu District recorded the highest proportion of households with water on the premises (31%), while Rutsiro District registered the lowest (8%). Conversely, Karongi had the highest proportion of households obtaining water within 30 minutes or less (65%), whereas Rutsiro had the highest proportion of households spending more than 30 minutes on water collection (44%).
In terms of distance, 24% of households in the Western Province travel more than 500 metres to their water source, compared with 28% at the national level. Ngororero District recorded the highest proportion of households travelling more than 500 metres (40%), while Karongi District had the highest proportion of household obtaining water from a source located less than 200 metres away (27%). Overall, access to drinking water in the Western Province remains less convenient than the national average, with substantial differences across districts.