Burundi vs Rwanda
Burundi vs Rwanda: Military share of state spending
Military share of state spending in 2025: 14.9% of government spending in Burundi and 4.7% of government spending in Rwanda, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Burundi, by 10.2 percentage points, or 3.16 times that in Rwanda.
% of government spending · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- Burundi has been higher since 1997, when it overtook Rwanda.
- In 2025, Burundi ranked 15 and Rwanda ranked 83 of 150 countries, counting from the highest.
Every year
% of government spending · SIPRI
| Year | Burundi | Rwanda |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 14.9 | 4.7 |
| 2024 | 15.9 | 4.3 |
| 2023 | 12.1 | 4.6 |
| 2022 | 7.7 | 4.5 |
| 2021 | 7.2 | 4.8 |
| 2020 | 7.4 | 4.4 |
| 2019 | 9.8 | 4.2 |
| 2018 | 8.3 | 4.7 |
| 2017 | 8.3 | 5 |
| 2016 | 9.9 | 4.9 |
| 2015 | 9.2 | 4.6 |
| 2014 | 8.1 | 4 |
| 2013 | 7.1 | 4 |
| 2012 | 6.7 | 4.2 |
| 2011 | – | 4.4 |
| 2010 | – | 5.1 |
| 2009 | – | 5.9 |
| 2008 | 6.6 | 5.8 |
| 2007 | 8.8 | 6.1 |
| 2006 | 9.6 | 8 |
| 2005 | 13.4 | 7.7 |
| 2004 | 12 | 9.7 |
| 2003 | 15.2 | 11.4 |
| 2002 | 22.6 | 12.7 |
| 2001 | 23.9 | 15.2 |
| 2000 | 19.7 | 16.3 |
| 1999 | 24.8 | 16.8 |
| 1998 | 28.3 | 23.1 |
| 1997 | 29.1 | 21.1 |
| 1996 | 20.6 | 23.7 |
| 1995 | 16.4 | 21.3 |
| 1994 | 20.1 | 21.4 |
| 1993 | 13.8 | 19.8 |
| 1992 | 11.9 | 17.8 |
| 1991 | 16.4 | – |
| 1990 | 17.3 | – |
- Highly uncertain
Each country on its own
Good to know
- The part of everything the government spends that goes on its armed forces and defence, by SIPRI’s count.
- Source: Information from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Military Expenditure Database, https://doi.org/10.55163/CQGC9685.
- Marked points are SIPRI’s own: a dot where it gives the figure as its estimate, a ring where it calls the figure highly uncertain.
- Ranks count the 150 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
- 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