Burundi vs Rwanda
Burundi vs Rwanda: Military spending
Military spending in 2025: 3.24% of GDP in Burundi and 1.29% of GDP in Rwanda, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Burundi, by 1.96 percentage points, or 2.52 times that in Rwanda.
% of GDP · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- Burundi has been higher since 1994, when it overtook Rwanda.
- In 2025, Burundi ranked 20 and Rwanda ranked 97 of 151 countries, counting from the highest.
Every year
% of GDP · SIPRI
| Year | Burundi | Rwanda |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3.24 | 1.29 |
| 2024 | 3.56 | 1.23 |
| 2023 | 3.43 | 1.25 |
| 2022 | 2.6 | 1.33 |
| 2021 | 2.04 | 1.51 |
| 2020 | 2.18 | 1.47 |
| 2019 | 2.81 | 1.2 |
| 2018 | 2.15 | 1.24 |
| 2017 | 2 | 1.25 |
| 2016 | 2.24 | 1.24 |
| 2015 | 2.13 | 1.21 |
| 2014 | 2.3 | 1.1 |
| 2013 | 2.48 | 1.06 |
| 2012 | 2.53 | 1.04 |
| 2011 | – | 1.1 |
| 2010 | – | 1.22 |
| 2009 | – | 1.33 |
| 2008 | 2.72 | 1.31 |
| 2007 | 3.42 | 1.37 |
| 2006 | 3.51 | 1.64 |
| 2005 | 4.44 | 1.74 |
| 2004 | 4.9 | 1.97 |
| 2003 | 5.53 | 2.45 |
| 2002 | 5.44 | 3.05 |
| 2001 | 6.07 | 3.4 |
| 2000 | 4.86 | 3.54 |
| 1999 | 6.26 | 4.45 |
| 1998 | 6.57 | 4.38 |
| 1997 | 6.36 | 4.17 |
| 1996 | 5.86 | 5.33 |
| 1995 | 4.21 | 0.61 |
| 1994 | 3.92 | 3.44 |
| 1993 | 3.72 | 4.54 |
| 1992 | 3.6 | 4.29 |
| 1991 | 3.79 | 5.51 |
| 1990 | 3.45 | 3.73 |
| 1989 | 3.35 | 1.75 |
| 1988 | 3.15 | 1.59 |
| 1987 | 2.65 | 1.68 |
| 1986 | 2.81 | 1.8 |
| 1985 | 2.75 | 1.59 |
| 1984 | 2.98 | 1.6 |
| 1983 | 3.11 | 1.9 |
| 1982 | 3.51 | 2 |
| 1981 | 3.03 | 2.04 |
| 1980 | 2.92 | 1.88 |
| 1979 | 2.64 | 1.75 |
| 1978 | 2.8 | 1.59 |
| 1977 | 2.53 | 2.15 |
| 1976 | 2.22 | 1.61 |
| 1975 | 2.06 | 1.63 |
| 1974 | 2.23 | 1.47 |
| 1973 | 1.95 | 1.89 |
| 1972 | 1.46 | – |
| 1971 | 1.03 | – |
| 1969 | 1.75 | – |
| 1968 | 1.41 | – |
| 1967 | 1.33 | – |
| 1966 | 1.38 | – |
| 1965 | 1.35 | – |
| 1964 | 0.45 | – |
| 1963 | 0.43 | – |
| 1962 | 3.94 | – |
- Highly uncertain
Each country on its own
Good to know
- What the country spends on its armed forces and defence, as a share of its economy, 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 151 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 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