Burundi vs Rwanda
Burundi vs Rwanda: GDP growth
GDP growth in 2025: 4.2% a year in Burundi and 9.4% a year in Rwanda, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Rwanda, by 5.1 percentage points, or 2.21 times that in Burundi.
% a year · IMF
What the numbers say
- Rwanda has been higher since 2021, when it overtook Burundi.
- In 2025, Burundi ranked 51 and Rwanda ranked 4 of 143 countries, counting from the highest.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Burundi at 4.5% a year and Rwanda at 7.1% a year in 2031.
Every year
% a year · IMF
| Year | Burundi | Rwanda |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4.2 | 9.4 |
| 2024 | 4.1 | 7.2 |
| 2023 | 2.7 | 8.6 |
| 2022 | 1.8 | 9.8 |
| 2021 | 3.1 | 8.4 |
| 2020 | 0.3 | -2.8 |
| 2019 | 1.8 | 9.3 |
| 2018 | 1.6 | 8.1 |
| 2017 | 0.5 | 4.7 |
| 2016 | -0.6 | 5.7 |
| 2015 | -3.9 | 8.9 |
| 2014 | 4.2 | 5.7 |
| 2013 | 4.9 | 4.7 |
| 2012 | 4.4 | 8.6 |
| 2011 | 4 | 8 |
| 2010 | 5.1 | 7.3 |
| 2009 | 3.8 | 6.2 |
| 2008 | 4.9 | 11.2 |
| 2007 | 3.5 | 7.7 |
| 2006 | 5.4 | 9.3 |
| 2005 | 4.4 | 9.4 |
| 2004 | 3.8 | 7.5 |
| 2003 | 2.5 | 2.2 |
| 2002 | 2.4 | 13.2 |
| 2001 | 1.7 | 8.5 |
| 2000 | 1.8 | 8.4 |
| 1999 | 1.2 | 3.3 |
| 1998 | 4.8 | 8.3 |
| 1997 | 0.4 | 14.9 |
| 1996 | -8 | 11.6 |
| 1995 | -7.9 | 24.5 |
| 1994 | -3.8 | -41.9 |
| 1993 | -6.2 | -10.4 |
| 1992 | 1 | 6.6 |
| 1991 | 5.8 | -4.3 |
| 1990 | 3.5 | 0.4 |
| 1989 | 1.3 | -5.7 |
| 1988 | 5 | 0.3 |
| 1987 | 5.5 | -0.3 |
| 1986 | 3.3 | 5.5 |
| 1985 | 11.8 | 4.4 |
| 1984 | 0.2 | 13 |
| 1983 | 3.7 | 6 |
| 1982 | -1.1 | -2.5 |
| 1981 | 12.2 | 2.5 |
| 1980 | -6.8 | -3.6 |
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Burundi | Rwanda |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 3.6 | 7.4 |
| 2027 | 4.7 | 7.2 |
| 2028 | 3.9 | 7 |
| 2029 | 4.6 | 7 |
| 2030 | 4 | 7 |
| 2031 | 4.5 | 7.1 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- How much the economy grew or shrank in a year, after inflation.
- Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook, October 2026.
- The dashed line is the IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026), a scenario rather than a forecast.
- Ranks count the 143 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Burundi vs Rwanda
Health
- Life expectancyBurundi: 63.7 years in 2023Rwanda: 67.8 years in 2023
- Child mortalityBurundi: 4.7 per 100 live births in 2024Rwanda: 3.8 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityBurundi: 35.4 per 1,000 live births in 2023Rwanda: 27.5 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionBurundi: 3.72% in 2017Rwanda: 3.87% in 2017
- Suicide rateBurundi: 12.6 per 100,000 people in 2017Rwanda: 11 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationBurundi: 13.7 million people in 2023Rwanda: 14 million people in 2023
- Population growthBurundi: 2.71% a year in 2023Rwanda: 2.18% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateBurundi: 4.88 births per woman in 2023Rwanda: 3.7 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationBurundi: 25.7% in 2025Rwanda: 30.9% in 2025
- Median ageBurundi: 15.9 years in 2023Rwanda: 19.4 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overBurundi: 2.5% in 2023Rwanda: 3.8% in 2023
- Net migration rateBurundi: 0.1 per 1,000 people in 2023Rwanda: -0.6 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingBurundi: 3.24% of GDP in 2025Rwanda: 1.29% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsBurundi: $169M in 2025Rwanda: $194M in 2025
- Military spending per personBurundi: $16 in 2025Rwanda: $13 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingBurundi: 14.9% of government spending in 2025Rwanda: 4.7% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelBurundi: 31,000 people in 2020Rwanda: 35,000 people in 2020
- National powerBurundi: 0.06% of world capability in 2022Rwanda: 0.07% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersBurundi: 0.59% of the labour force in 2020Rwanda: 0.7% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsBurundi: 2 million TIV in 2019Rwanda: 37 million TIV in 2023