Burundi vs Rwanda
Burundi is 6% larger than Rwanda.
BurundiRwandaBurundi moved onto Rwanda · Equal-area projection
1.06×
Burundi is 1.06× the area of Rwanda.
 Burundi |  Rwanda | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaBurundi: 1.06× the area | 27,834 km²#143 of 194 | 26,338 km²#145 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 3 | 4 |
| People | ||
| PopulationAbout the same population | 14,390,003#78 of 194 · 2025 | 14,569,341#77 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityRwanda: 1.07× the density | 517 / km²#15 of 194 | 553 / km²#14 of 194 |
| Urban populationRwanda: 1.2× the urban share | 26%#180 of 192 · 2025 | 31%#170 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateBurundi: 1.31× the births per woman | 4.79 per woman#8 of 192 · 2024 | 3.65 per woman#38 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthBurundi: 0.24 points higher | +2.41%#25 of 192 · 2025 | +2.17%#39 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateBurundi: 1.18× the birth rate | 33.2 per 1,000#17 of 192 · 2024 | 28.1 per 1,000#38 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateBurundi: 1.14× the death rate | 6.7 per 1,000#115 of 192 · 2024 | 5.9 per 1,000#144 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Burundi: 7.0 points higher | 44.0%#9 of 192 · 2025 | 37.0%#41 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Rwanda: 1.5 points higher | 2.5%#183 of 192 · 2025 | 4.0%#142 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationRwanda: 2.8 per 1,000 higher | −2.4 per 1,000#153 of 192 · 2025 | +0.4 per 1,000#60 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadBurundi: 1.32× the refugees for its size | 22.12 per 1,000#10 of 190 · 2025 | 16.78 per 1,000#12 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyRwanda: 4.2 years longer | 63.8 years#171 of 192 · 2024 | 68.0 years#143 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityBurundi: 1.04× the infant mortality | 30.5 per 1,000 births#45 of 191 · 2024 | 29.4 per 1,000 births#48 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsRwanda: 1.13× the doctors per person | 0.08 per 1,000#172 of 178 · 2022 | 0.09 per 1,000#168 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentRwanda: 1.47× the university enrolment | 6.4%#137 of 145 · 2025 | 9.4%#135 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexRwanda: 0.139 higher | 0.439#184 of 190 · 2023 | 0.578#156 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaRwanda: 4.79× the income per person | $240#185 of 185 · 2025 | $1,150#165 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPRwanda: 4.87× the economy | $3.37B2025 | $16.37B2025 |
| Income group | Low income | Low income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Rwanda: 3.34× the output per person | $1,248#184 of 184 · 2025 | $4,164#160 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthRwanda: 5.2 points higher | +4.2%#65 of 187 · 2025 | +9.4%#6 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationBurundi: 28.2 points higher | +34.1%#7 of 176 · 2025 | +5.9%#36 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentRwanda: 12.7× the unemployment | 0.9%#174 of 178 · 2025 | 11.4%#28 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyBurundi: 1.92× the share in extreme poverty | 74.2%#5 of 149 · 2020 | 38.6%#23 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Rwanda: 1.9 higher | 37.5#55 of 149 · 2020 | 39.4#42 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureBurundi: 50.2 points higher | 85.3% of jobs#1 of 178 · 2025 | 35.1% of jobs#47 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryRwanda: 15.3 points higher | 3.1% of jobs#177 of 178 · 2025 | 18.4% of jobs#99 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesRwanda: 34.9 points higher | 11.6% of jobs#178 of 178 · 2025 | 46.5% of jobs#132 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentRwanda: 4.9 points higher | 1.0% of GDP#126 of 184 · 2025 | 5.9% of GDP#33 of 184 · 2025 |
| Exports | — | 21.6% of GDP#128 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingBurundi: 2.51× the military spending | 3.2% of GDP#24 of 155 · 2025 | 1.3% of GDP#100 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersRwanda: 3.69× the share online | 9%#184 of 184 · 2024 | 32%#164 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsRwanda: 1.48× the mobile subscriptions | 63 per 100#170 of 191 · 2023 | 93 per 100#140 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaRwanda: 2.39× the forest share | 11% of land#154 of 192 · 2024 | 26% of land#106 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personRwanda: 2.29× the CO₂ per person | 0.07 t a year#179 of 185 · 2024 | 0.16 t a year#172 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyBurundi: 3.1 points higher | 83.0%#10 of 190 · 2022 | 79.9%#17 of 190 · 2022 |
| Access to electricityRwanda: 51.9 points higher | 20.1%#188 of 192 · 2024 | 72.0%#153 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)About the same air pollution | 35.7 µg/m³#32 of 191 · 2023 | 36.0 µg/m³#30 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landRwanda: 1.5 points higher | 7.6% of land#157 of 191 · 2025 | 9.1% of land#146 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landRwanda: 5.2 points higher | 43.7% of land#9 of 190 · 2024 | 48.9% of land#6 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressRwanda: 1.98× the water stress | 10.2%#90 of 176 · 2022 | 20.2%#69 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationBurundi: 1.05× the rain and snow | 1,274 mm#71 of 180 · 2022 | 1,212 mm#74 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityRwanda: 1.35 higher | −1.23#169 of 193 · 2025 | +0.12#93 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionRwanda: 2.18 higher | −1.54#184 of 193 · 2025 | +0.64#50 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateBurundi: 1.56× the homicide rate | 5.6 per 100,000#47 of 146 · 2016 | 3.6 per 100,000#60 of 146 · 2020 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Presidential republic |
| Capital | Bujumbura | Kigali |
| Currency | Burundian franc (BIF) | Rwandan franc (RWF) |
| Official languages | English, French, Kirundi | English, French, Swahili, Kinyarwanda |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+2 | UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +257 | +250 |
| Region | Eastern Africa, Africa | Eastern Africa, Africa |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Burundi sits at about 3° S and is stretched to 1.0× its true area; Rwanda at 2° S is stretched to 1.0×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Burundi bigger than Rwanda?
- Yes. Burundi is 6% larger than Rwanda. Burundi covers 27,834 km² and Rwanda covers 26,338 km².
- How many times does Rwanda fit into Burundi?
- About 1.1 times: Burundi has 1.06× the area of Rwanda.
- Why do Burundi and Rwanda look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Burundi is drawn about 1.0× its true area there and Rwanda about 1.0×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Burundi or Rwanda?
- Rwanda: 14,569,341 people against 14,390,003. Density: Burundi 517 per km², Rwanda 553 per km².
- Which is richer, Burundi or Rwanda?
- By gross national income per person, Rwanda: $1,150 against $240 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 4.79× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Burundi or Rwanda?
- In Rwanda: life expectancy at birth is 68.0 years, against 63.8 — 4.2 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Burundi and Rwanda have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: presidential republic (CIA World Factbook).