Burundi

Table of Contents

Introduction & Quick Facts
Land
- Relief and drainage
- Soils
- Climate
- Plant and animal life
People
- Ethnic groups
- Languages
- Religion
- Settlement patterns
- Demographic trends
Economy
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing
- Resources and power
- Manufacturing
- Finance, trade, and services
- Labour and taxation
- Transportation and telecommunications
Government and society
- Constitutional framework
- Local government
- Justice
- Political process
- Security
- Health and welfare
- Housing
- Education
Cultural life
- Daily life, social customs, and the arts
- Sports and recreation
- Media and publishing
History
- Precolonial Burundi
- Burundi under colonial rule
- The First and Second republics
- The Third Republic
- Civil war
- The path toward peace
- Burundi under Nkurunziza
  - Third-term controversy
    - Coup attempt
    - The 2015 elections
  - Ongoing unrest and violence
  - ICC withdrawal and investigation
  - Mediation efforts
  - The 2018 constitutional referendum and amendments
  - The 2020 elections

References & Edit History Facts & Stats

Images

Physical features of Burundi

Lake Tanganyika

Burundi: Ethnic composition

Burundi: Religious affiliation

Burundi: Urban-rural

Burundi: Age breakdown

Burundi highlands

For Students

Burundi summary

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Burundi: Facts & Stats

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As	République du Burundi • Republic of Burundi • Republika y’u Burundi
Head Of Government	Prime minister: Gervais Ndirakobuca
Capital	Bujumbura⁵
Population	(2024 est.) 13,439,000
Head Of State	President: Evariste Ndayishimiye³, assisted by Vice President: Prosper Bazombanza
Form Of Government	republic with two legislative bodies (Senate [43¹]; National Assembly [121²])
Official Languages	Rundi; French
Official Religion	none
Official Name	Republika y’u Burundi (Rundi); République du Burundi (French) (Republic of Burundi)
Total Area (Sq Km)	27,834
Total Area (Sq Mi)	10,747
Monetary Unit	Burundi franc (FBu)
Population Rank	(2023) 79
Population Projection 2030	13,123,000
Density: Persons Per Sq Mi	(2023) 1,222.6
Density: Persons Per Sq Km	(2023) 472
Urban-Rural Population	Urban: (2020) 13.7% • Rural: (2020) 86.3%
Life Expectancy At Birth	Male: (2017) 56.9 years • Female: (2021) 68 years
Literacy: Percentage Of Population Age 15 And Over Literate	Male: (2021) 81% • Female: (2021) 68%
Gni (U.S.$ ’000,000)	(2022) 3,038
Gni Per Capita (U.S.$)	(2022) 240
¹Thirty-six seats are indirectly elected; additional seats are designated for the Twa ethnic group (3) and former presidents (4).²Includes 21 appointed or co-opted seats.³After the unexpected death of Pres. Pierre Nkurunziza on June 8, 2020, the inauguration of president-elect Evariste Ndayishimiye was moved up to June 18.⁴The position of prime minister was reinstated under a 2018 constitutional amendment and was filled after the president elected in 2020 took office.⁵Future move of capital to Gitega announced by president in March 2007.

Photos

Physical features of Burundi

Lake Tanganyika

Burundi highlands

Burundi: Parliament House, Bujumbura, Burundi

Burundi: Hutu family compound

Burundi: music and dance

major states, peoples, and trade routes of eastern Africa, c. 1850

See All Images and Interactives →

Topics

Pierre Nkurunziza Sylvie Kinigi Africa Central Africa East African Community Gitega Bujumbura Karuzi Ngozi nation-state United States India United Kingdom China Canada Russia Germany Australia Japan France

Pierre Nkurunziza

Pierre Nkurunziza

president of Burundi

Sylvie Kinigi

prime minister of Burundi

Africa

Africa

continent

Congo River: hydroelectric dam at Inga Falls

Central Africa

Gitega

Burundi

Bujumbura

Bujumbura

national capital, Burundi

Karuzi

Burundi

Ngozi

Burundi

major states, peoples, and trade routes of eastern Africa, c. 1850

Kingdom of Burundi

historical kingdom, East Africa

Tanzania

Congo, Kinshasa

Democratic Republic of the Congo

capital at Kinshasa

Rwanda

East African mountains and lakes

East African mountains

mountains, East Africa

Lake Tanganyika.

Lake Tanganyika

lake, Africa

eastern Africa partitioned, c. 1914

German East Africa

former German dependency, Africa

Kagera River

Kagera River

river, Africa

Ruanda-Urundi

historical territory, Africa

Quiz

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You Name It!

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Match the Country with Its Hemisphere Quiz

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Guess the Country by Its Neighbors Quiz

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Which Country Is Larger By Area? Quiz

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Countries of the World

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Countries & Their Features

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Geography Fun Facts

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Which Country Is Larger? Quiz