Burundi vs Malawi
Burundi vs Malawi: Adult literacy
Adult literacy in 2020: 71.3% in Burundi and 70.2% in Malawi, by UNESCO estimates. In 2020 the value was higher in Burundi, by 1.2 percentage points, or 1.02 times that in Malawi.
% of adults · UNESCO
What the numbers say
- Burundi has been higher since 2020, when it overtook Malawi.
- The world as a whole: 87% in 2020.
Every year
% of adults · UNESCO
| Year | Burundi | Malawi | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | – | – | 87.7 |
| 2023 | – | – | 87.6 |
| 2022 | – | – | 87.4 |
| 2021 | – | – | 87.2 |
| 2020 | 71.3 | 70.2 | 87 |
| 2019 | – | – | 86.8 |
| 2018 | – | 76.7 | 86.8 |
| 2017 | 68.4 | 72.8 | 86.5 |
| 2016 | 65.7 | – | 86.3 |
| 2015 | – | – | 86 |
| 2014 | 61.3 | – | 85.6 |
| 2013 | – | – | 85.2 |
| 2012 | – | – | 84.9 |
| 2011 | – | – | 84.7 |
| 2010 | – | – | 84.4 |
| 2009 | – | – | 83.8 |
| 2008 | 48.1 | – | 83.5 |
| 2007 | – | – | 83.1 |
| 2006 | – | – | 82.5 |
| 2005 | – | – | 82.6 |
| 2004 | – | – | 82.6 |
| 2003 | – | – | 82.2 |
| 2002 | – | – | 81.7 |
| 2001 | – | – | 81.4 |
| 2000 | 59.3 | – | 81.1 |
| 1999 | – | – | 80.9 |
| 1998 | – | 64.1 | 80.5 |
| 1997 | – | – | 79.3 |
| 1996 | – | – | 77.3 |
| 1995 | – | – | 76.9 |
| 1994 | – | – | 76.4 |
| 1993 | – | – | 76 |
| 1992 | – | – | 75.5 |
| 1991 | – | – | 75.1 |
| 1990 | 37.4 | – | 74.6 |
| 1989 | – | – | 74.1 |
| 1988 | – | – | 73.6 |
| 1987 | – | 48.5 | 71.9 |
| 1986 | – | – | 71.3 |
| 1985 | – | – | 70.7 |
| 1984 | – | – | 70.2 |
| 1983 | – | – | 69.5 |
| 1982 | – | – | 68.9 |
| 1981 | – | – | 68.4 |
| 1980 | – | – | 67.8 |
| 1979 | 22.5 | – | 67.2 |
| 1978 | – | – | 66.5 |
| 1977 | – | – | 65.9 |
| 1976 | – | – | 65.6 |
| 1975 | – | – | 65.4 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- The share of people aged 15 and over who can read and write a short, simple statement about their everyday life.
- Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, via the World Bank.
- The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Burundi vs Malawi
Health
- Life expectancyBurundi: 63.7 years in 2023Malawi: 67.4 years in 2023
- Child mortalityBurundi: 4.7 per 100 live births in 2024Malawi: 4.9 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityBurundi: 35.4 per 1,000 live births in 2023Malawi: 29.6 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionBurundi: 3.72% in 2017Malawi: 3.45% in 2017
- Suicide rateBurundi: 12.6 per 100,000 people in 2017Malawi: 12.1 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationBurundi: 13.7 million people in 2023Malawi: 21.1 million people in 2023
- Population growthBurundi: 2.71% a year in 2023Malawi: 2.57% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateBurundi: 4.88 births per woman in 2023Malawi: 3.65 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationBurundi: 25.7% in 2025Malawi: 17.6% in 2025
- Median ageBurundi: 15.9 years in 2023Malawi: 17.6 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overBurundi: 2.5% in 2023Malawi: 2.6% in 2023
- Net migration rateBurundi: 0.1 per 1,000 people in 2023Malawi: -0.3 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingBurundi: 3.24% of GDP in 2025Malawi: 1.15% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsBurundi: $169M in 2025Malawi: $128M in 2025
- Military spending per personBurundi: $16 in 2025Malawi: $7 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingBurundi: 14.9% of government spending in 2025Malawi: 3.8% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelBurundi: 31,000 people in 2020Malawi: 15,000 people in 2020
- National powerBurundi: 0.06% of world capability in 2022Malawi: 0.07% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersBurundi: 0.59% of the labour force in 2020Malawi: 0.2% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsBurundi: 2 million TIV in 2019Malawi: 2 million TIV in 2024