The present work is focused on the synthesis of bismuth sulfide (Bi₂S₃) nanorod/reduced graphene oxide (RGO) composites via a one-step hydrothermal method using GO and bismuth nitrate in 5 : 1, 3 : 1 and 2 : 1 weight ratios and their characterization. The morphological studies revealed the formation of homogeneously dispersed Bi₂S₃ nanorods on RGO sheets along with occasional wrapping in the Bi₂S₃ nanorod/RGO (3 : 1) composite. XRD, FTIR, Raman and XPS studies suggested the incorporation of Bi₂S₃ in RGO sheets. The galvanostatic charge–discharge measurements showed that the Bi₂S₃ nanorod/RGO (3 : 1) composite exhibited the highest specific capacitance (1932 F g⁻¹) at 1 A g⁻¹ in the presence of 2 M aqueous KOH in a three-electrode cell. This is ascribed to the enhanced contact area between metal sulfide nanoparticles and RGO, increased conductivity and synergistic effect of Bi₂S₃ and RGO. The optimized Bi₂S₃ nanorod/RGO (3 : 1) composite also maintained an excellent cycling stability with ∼100% capacitance retention after 700 cycles. It is noted that the supercapacitor performance of the Bi₂S₃ nanorod/RGO (3 : 1) composite was better than group V and VI metal chalcogenides and their nanocomposites reported in several previous studies.