Burundi at its true size
Burundi covers 27,834 km², number 143 of 194 countries by area. Home to 14,390,003 people (2025). Sitting near the equator, it is one of the few places Mercator gets almost right.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 27,834 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 14,390,003 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 517 per km² |
| Capital | Bujumbura |
| Local time in Bujumbura | |
| Time zone | UTC+2 IANA |
| Currency | Burundian franc (BIF) Wikidata |
| Languages | English, French, Kirundi |
| Traffic | On the right |
| Region | Eastern Africa, Africa |
| Status | Independent state |
| Coast | Landlocked |
| Calling code | +257 |
| Codes | BI · BDI · 108 |
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Where Burundi ranks
Among the independent states, in 43 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#78 of 19414 million people#30 of 54 in Africa
- Population density#15 of 194517 people per km²#3 of 54 in Africa
- Urban population#180 of 19226% urban#50 of 54 in Africa
- Fertility rate#8 of 1924.79 births per woman#8 of 54 in Africa
- Population growth#25 of 192+2.41% a year#16 of 54 in Africa
- Birth rate#17 of 19233.2 births per 1,000 people#15 of 54 in Africa
- Death rate#115 of 1926.7 deaths per 1,000 people#32 of 54 in Africa
- Children under 15#9 of 19244.0% under 15#9 of 54 in Africa
- People over 65#183 of 1922.5% aged 65 and over#49 of 54 in Africa
- Net migration#153 of 192−2.4 per 1,000 people#47 of 54 in Africa
- Refugees abroad#10 of 19022.12 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#6 of 54 in Africa
Health & education
- Life expectancy#171 of 19263.8 years#34 of 54 in Africa
- Infant mortality#45 of 19130.5 infant deaths per 1,000 live births#36 of 54 in Africa
- Doctors#172 of 1780.08 doctors per 1,000 people#46 of 51 in Africa
- University enrolment#137 of 1456.4% gross enrolment#23 of 29 in Africa
- Human Development Index#184 of 190an index of 0.439#48 of 54 in Africa
Economy
- GNI per capita#185 of 185$240 a person#52 of 52 in Africa
- Internet users#184 of 1849% online#52 of 52 in Africa
- GDP per capita (PPP)#184 of 184$1,248 a person#52 of 52 in Africa
- GDP growth#65 of 187+4.2% a year#29 of 52 in Africa
- Inflation#7 of 176+34.1% a year#4 of 50 in Africa
- Unemployment#174 of 1780.9% of the labour force#52 of 53 in Africa
- Extreme poverty#5 of 14974.2% under $3.00 a day#5 of 47 in Africa
- Income inequality (Gini)#55 of 149a Gini index of 37.5#27 of 47 in Africa
- Jobs in agriculture#1 of 17885.3% of jobs#1 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in industry#177 of 1783.1% of jobs#52 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in services#178 of 17811.6% of jobs#53 of 53 in Africa
- Foreign investment#126 of 1841.0% of GDP#42 of 52 in Africa
- Military spending#24 of 1553.2% of GDP#7 of 50 in Africa
- Mobile subscriptions#170 of 19163 subscriptions per 100 people#43 of 54 in Africa
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#179 of 1850.07 tonnes a person#50 of 53 in Africa
- Forest area#154 of 19211% forest#41 of 54 in Africa
- Renewable energy#10 of 19083.0% renewable#10 of 54 in Africa
- Access to electricity#188 of 19220.1% with electricity#50 of 54 in Africa
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#32 of 19135.7 µg/m³#17 of 54 in Africa
- Protected land#157 of 1917.6% of the land protected#42 of 54 in Africa
- Arable land#9 of 19043.7% of the land arable#3 of 54 in Africa
- Water stress#90 of 17610.2% of its available fresh water#23 of 53 in Africa
- Precipitation#71 of 1801,274 mm a year#16 of 54 in Africa
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Burundi’s area, lit up on the map →
- Haiti1.0×Burundi and Haiti are almost exactly the same size.
- Equatorial Guinea0.99×Burundi and Equatorial Guinea are almost exactly the same size.
- Solomon Islands0.98×Burundi and Solomon Islands are almost exactly the same size.
- Albania0.97×Burundi is 3% smaller than Albania.
- Rwanda1.06×Burundi is 6% larger than Rwanda.
- Armenia0.94×Burundi is 6% smaller than Armenia.
How many times does Burundi fit into…
- Russia: about 613 times
- Canada: about 359 times
- United States: about 353 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Burundi shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Rivers
- Nile6,650 km
- Kagera400 km
Summits
- Mount Heha2,684 m
Lakes
- Lake Tanganyika32,900 km²
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Burundi. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about Burundi
- How big is Burundi?
- Burundi covers 27,834 km², which makes it number 143 of 194 countries by area. About 14,390,003 people live there (2025), 517 per km².
- Is Burundi bigger than Haiti?
- Burundi and Haiti are almost exactly the same size. Burundi: 27,834 km²; Haiti: 27,750 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Burundi?
- Burundi lies close to the equator, so Mercator draws it at nearly its true size. It is the countries far from the equator that Mercator inflates.
- Which countries border Burundi?
- Burundi shares a land border with DR Congo, Tanzania, Rwanda.