Capital

Burundi

name: Gitega (political capital), Bujumbura (commercial capital); note - in January 2019, the Burundian parliament voted to make Gitega the political capital of the country while Bujumbura would remain its economic capital; as of 2022, the government's move to Gitega remains incomplete

geographic coordinates: 3 25 S, 29 55 E

time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology: the naming origins for both Gitega and Bujumbura are obscure; Bujumbura's name prior to independence in 1962 was Usumbura

Citizenship

Burundi

citizenship by birth: no

citizenship by descent only: the father must be a citizen of Burundi

dual citizenship recognized: no

residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years

Legal system

Burundi

mixed legal system of Belgian civil law and customary law

Suffrage

Burundi

18 years of age; universal

Area

Burundi

total: 27,830 sq km

land: 25,680 sq km

water: 2,150 sq km

Land use

Burundi

agricultural land: 73.3% (2018 est.)

arable land: 38.9% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 15.6% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 18.8% (2018 est.)

forest: 6.6% (2018 est.)

other: 20.1% (2018 est.)

Location

Burundi

Central Africa, east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, west of Tanzania

Age structure

Burundi

0-14 years: 42.67% (male 2,830,996/female 2,786,154)

15-64 years: 54.03% (male 3,523,380/female 3,588,511)

65 years and over: 3.3% (2023 est.) (male 187,176/female 246,735)

Birth rate

Burundi

34.9 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate

Burundi

5.9 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Languages

Burundi

Kirundi (official), French (official), English (official, least spoken), Swahili (2008 est.)

major-language sample(s):
Igitabo Mpuzamakungu c'ibimenyetso bifatika, isoko ntabanduka ku nkuru z'urufatiro. (Kirundi)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

note: data represent languages read and written by people 10 years of age or older; spoken Kirundi is nearly universal

Life expectancy at birth

Burundi

total population: 67.8 years (2023 est.)

male: 65.7 years

female: 70 years

Major urban areas - population

Burundi

1.207 million BUJUMBURA (capital) (2023)

Median age

Burundi

total: 18.2 years (2023 est.)

male: 17.9 years

female: 18.5 years

Mother's mean age at first birth

Burundi

21.5 years (2016/17 est.)

note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49

Net migration rate

Burundi

6.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution

Burundi

one of Africa's most densely populated countries; concentrations tend to be in the north and along the northern shore of Lake Tanganyika in the west; most people live on farms near areas of fertile volcanic soil as shown in this population distribution map

Population growth rate

Burundi

3.59% (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

Burundi

4.96 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Urbanization

Burundi

urban population: 14.8% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 5.43% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Education expenditures

Burundi

5% of GDP (2020 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

Burundi

total: 11 years

male: 11 years

female: 11 years (2018)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

Burundi

-5.7% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

Burundi

1.4% (2021 est.)

Labor force

Burundi

5.271 million (2021 est.)

Population below poverty line

Burundi

64.6% (2014 est.)

Unemployment rate

Burundi

1.79% (2021 est.)

1.71% (2020 est.)

1.59% (2019 est.)

NA

Public debt

Burundi

51.7% of GDP (2017 est.)

48.4% of GDP (2016 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Burundi

8.4% (2021 est.)

7.32% (2020 est.)

-0.69% (2019 est.)

Exports

Burundi

$285.105 million (2018 est.)

$270.686 million (2017 est.)

$315 million (2017 est.)

note: Data are in current year dollars and do not include illicit exports or re-exports.

Exports - partners

Burundi

United Arab Emirates 50%, Democratic Republic of the Congo 7% (2019)

Imports

Burundi

$905.294 million (2018 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$885.422 million (2017 est.)

$1.295 billion (2017 est.)

Imports - partners

Burundi

China 14%, Saudi Arabia 14%, India 9%, Kenya 7%, United Arab Emirates 7%, Tanzania 5%, Zambia 5% (2019)

Airports

Burundi

7 (2021)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

Burundi

total: 4,230 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 0.04 (2020 est.)

Internet users

Burundi

total: 754,000 (2021 est.)

percent of population: 5.8% (2021 est.)

Roadways

Burundi

total: 12,322 km (2016)

paved: 1,500 km (2016)

unpaved: 10,822 km (2016)

Telephones - fixed lines

Burundi

total subscriptions: 15,976 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2021 est.) less than 1

Telephones - mobile cellular

Burundi

total subscriptions: 7,740,494 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 62 (2021 est.)

Waterways

Burundi

673 km (2022) (mainly on Lake Tanganyika between Bujumbura, Burundi's principal port, and lake ports in Tanzania, Zambia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo)

Disputes - international

Burundi

cross-border conflicts persist among Tutsi, Hutu, other ethnic groups, associated political rebels, armed gangs, and various government forces in the Great Lakes region

Burundi-Rwanda: Burundi's Ngozi province and Rwanda's Butare province dispute the two-kilometer-square hilly farmed area of Sabanerwa in the Rukurazi Valley where the Akanyaru/Kanyaru River shifted its course southward after heavy rains in 1965 around Kibinga Hill in Rwanda's Butare Province