The total population according to the 2014 population and housing census is 287,179 people. Of these,128,741 are male and 158,438 are female. The population has been growing steadily since 1969 (114,798) through 1980 (126,664), 1991 (186,681) to 2002 (220,312). The annual population growth rate between 2002- 2014 is 2.21 percent (2014 census). Total fertility rate of 8.5 (2002 census) is very high. The population density of the district is 353.9 persons per Km2. About 269,618 people live in rural areas and 17,561people live in urban areas(2014 census). The hilly terrain, soil fertility and accessibility mainly influence the settlement pattern. Consequently, the sub counties of Nyarusiza(30,263), Muramba (36,355)and Nyakabande(26,489) are more densely populated than the rest of the sub counties. Over 60 percent of the population is between the ages of 0 and 19 years and 4 percent are above 65 years of age. (2002 census) This indicates a high dependency burden often manifested in large numbers of unemployed youth. Due to population pressure a number of people have migrated to other Districts in search of land.