Burundi

presidential republic

name: Gitega (political capital), Bujumbura (commercial capital) geographic coordinates: 3 25 S, 29 55 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: the origin of the name Bujumbura is unclear, but "bu-" is a Bantu prefix meaning "place" 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 2023, the government's move to Gitega remains incomplete

chief of state: President Evariste NDAYISHIMIYE (since 18 June 2020) head of government: Prime Minister Nestor NTAHONTUYE (since 5 August 2025) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by president election/appointment process: president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 7-year term (eligible for a second term); vice presidents nominated by the president, endorsed by Parliament most recent election date: 20 May 2020 election results: 2020: Evariste NDAYISHIMIYE elected president; percent of vote - Evariste NDAYISHIMIYE (CNDD-FDD) 71.5%, Agathon RWASA (CNL) 25.2%, Gaston SINDIMWO (UPRONA) 1.7%, other 1.6% 2015: Pierre NKURUNZIZA reelected president; percent of vote - Pierre NKURUNZIZA (CNDD-FDD) 69.4%, Agathon RWASA (Hope of Burundians - Amizerio y'ABARUNDI) 19%, other 11.6% expected date of next election: May 2027

legislature name: Parliament (Parlement) legislative structure: bicameral

highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of 9 judges and organized into judicial, administrative, and cassation chambers); Constitutional Court (consists of 7 members) judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges nominated by the Judicial Service Commission, a 15-member body of judicial and legal profession officials), appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate; judge tenure NA; Constitutional Court judges appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate and serve 6-year nonrenewable terms subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal; County Courts; Courts of Residence; Martial Court; Commercial Court

history: several previous, ratified by referendum 28 February 2005 amendment process: proposed by the president of the republic after consultation with the government or by absolute majority support of the membership in both houses of Parliament; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote by the Senate membership and at least four-fifths majority vote by the National Assembly; the president can opt to submit amendment bills to a referendum; constitutional articles including those on national unity, the secularity of Burundi, its democratic form of government, and its sovereignty cannot be amended

ACP, AfDB, ATMIS, AU, CEMAC, CEPGL, CICA, COMESA, EAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICGLR, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNMISS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

3.5% of GDP (2024 est.) 3% of GDP (2023 est.) 2.6% of GDP (2022 est.) 2% of GDP (2021 est.) 2.1% of GDP (2020 est.)

Burundi National Defense Force (BNDF; Force de Defense Nationale du Burundi, FDNB): Land Force ( Army ), Naval Force, Air Force, Specialized Units Ministry of Interior, Community Development, and Public Security: Burundi National Police (Police Nationale du Burundi, PNB) (2024) note: the Naval Force is responsible for monitoring Burundi s 175-km shoreline on Lake Tanganyika; the Specialized Units include a special security brigade for the protection of institutions (aka BSPI), commandos, special forces, and military police

18 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women (2025)

the National Defense Force (FDNB) is responsible for defending Burundi s territorial integrity and protecting its sovereignty; it has an internal security role, including maintaining and restoring public order if required; the FDNB also participates in providing humanitarian/disaster assistance, countering terrorism, narcotics trafficking, piracy, and illegal arms trade, and protecting the country s environment; the FDNB conducts limited training with foreign partners such as Russia and participates in regional peacekeeping missions, most recently in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Somalia; in recent years the FDNB has conducted operations against anti-government rebel groups based in the neighboring DRC that have carried out sporadic attacks in Burundi, such as the such as National Forces of Liberation (FNL), the Resistance for the Rule of Law-Tabara (aka RED Tabara), and Popular Forces of Burundi (FPB or FOREBU); Burundi has accused Rwanda of supporting the RED-Tabara the Arusha Accords that ended the 1993-2005 civil war created a unified military by balancing the predominantly Tutsi ex-Burundi Armed Forces (ex-FAB) and the largely Hutu dominated armed movements and requiring the military to have a 50/50 ethnic mix of Tutsis and Hutus (2025)

770 Central African Republic (MINUSCA); up to 10,000 Democratic Republic of the Congo (2025)

$11.739 billion (2024 est.) $11.343 billion (2023 est.) $11.048 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

$800 (2024 est.) $800 (2023 est.) $800 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

3.5% (2024 est.) 2.7% (2023 est.) 1.8% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

20.2% (2024 est.) 26.9% (2023 est.) 18.8% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

48.4% of GDP (2016 est.)

$378.229 million (2023 est.) $333.637 million (2022 est.) $302.752 million (2021 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

$1.433 billion (2023 est.) $1.42 billion (2022 est.) $1.166 billion (2021 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

1% (2024 est.) 1% (2023 est.) 1% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

revenues: $713.694 million (2021 est.) expenditures: $737.898 million (2021 est.) note: central government revenues and expenses (excluding grants/extrabudgetary units/social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

light consumer goods (sugar, shoes, soap, beer); cement, assembly of imported components; public works construction; food processing (fruits)

cassava, bananas, sweet potatoes, beans, maize, vegetables, potatoes, rice, sugarcane, fruits (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

total: 13,590,102 (2024 est.) male: 6,755,456 female: 6,834,646

2.96% (2025 est.)

0-14 years: 42.3% (male 2,895,275/female 2,848,286) 15-64 years: 54.4% (male 3,662,688/female 3,727,022) 65 years and over: 3.4% (2024 est.) (male 197,493/female 259,338)

35.91 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

5.51 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-0.81 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

total population: 68.1 years (2024 est.) male: 66 years female: 70.3 years

urban population: 14.8% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 5.43% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Hutu, Tutsi, Twa, South Asian

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

Christian 93.9% (Roman Catholic 58.6%, Protestant 35.3% [includes Adventist 2.7% and other Protestant religions 32.6%]), Muslim 3.4%, other 1.3%, none 1.3% (2016-17 est.)

total population: 71.4% (2020 est.) male: 78.2% (2020 est.) female: 66.2% (2020 est.)

nickel, uranium, rare earth oxides, peat, cobalt, copper, platinum, vanadium, arable land, hydropower, niobium, tantalum, gold, tin, tungsten, kaolin, limestone

refugees: 91,164 (2024 est.) IDPs: 92,174 (2024 est.) stateless persons: 791 (2024 est.)

6 (2025)

total subscriptions: 8,646,690 (2023 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 63 (2023 est.)

percent of population: 11% (2023 est.)