Burundi’s population, which is currently at 11.89 million people in 2020, is projected to continue its growth through the rest of the 21st century. According to the most recent projections, Burundi’s population will surpass 50 million people in 2098.
Burundi’s population is growing at a quick rate of 3.12%. As a result, the yearly change in the population from 2019 to 2020 was over 360,000 people. This is thanks to, in large part, a very high fertility rate of 5.45 births per woman.
Because Benin is underdeveloped and ranks as one of the poorest countries in the world, rapid population growth could pose a large problem. Benin has experienced economic growth over the last few years; however, it is likely not enough to keep up with the population growing at its current rate.
| Burundi Population (as of 10/15/2024) | 14,148,146 |
| Last UN Estimate (July 1, 2024) | 14,047,800 |
| Births per Day | 1,277 |
| Deaths per Day | 257 |
| Migrations per Day | -74 |
| Net Change per Day | 947 |
| Population Change Since Jan. 1 | 272,736 |
Net increase of 1 person every 1.52 minutes
Population estimates based on interpolation of data from World Population Prospects
| One birth every 1.13 minutes | |
| One death every 5.6 minutes | |
| One emigrant every 19.47 minutes | |
| Net gain of one person every 1.52 minutes |
City | 2024 Pop. |
|---|---|
| Bujumbura | 331,700 |
| Muyinga | 71,076 |
| Ruyigi | 38,458 |
| Gitega | 23,167 |
| Ngozi | 21,506 |
| Rutana | 20,893 |
| Bururi | 19,740 |
| Makamba | 19,642 |
| Kayanza | 19,443 |
| Muramvya | 18,041 |
Burundi is a very densely populated country with substantial emigration, despite being the least globalized of 140 countries. Burundi has a population of about 11.57 million people as of 2019. The country is a landlocked nation in central Africa between Rwanda and Tanzania, and covers 10,747 square miles (27,834 square kilometers), giving it a population density of 1076.6 people per square mile (41.6 people per square kilometer), which ranks 14th in the world.
Only 14% of the population in Burundi live in urban areas, and with such a small percentage it makes sense that there aren't many large cities in the country. The largest by far is the capital city of Bujumbura with a population of roughly 500,000. The city is located on the eastern shore of the country and serves as Burundi's largest port. The next largest city, 1700 feet above sea level, is Muyinga with a population just over 100,000.
Year | Population | Change | Density (/km²) | Population Rank | Density Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 14,047,800 | 2.77% | 547 | 78 | 22 |
| 2023 | 13,689,400 | 2.91% | 533 | 78 | 23 |
| 2020 | 12,617,000 | 2.95% | 491 | 78 | 26 |
| 2019 | 12,255,300 | 3.34% | 477 | 78 | 26 |
| 2018 | 11,859,400 | 3.06% | 462 | 78 | 27 |
| 2017 | 11,506,800 | 2.38% | 448 | 79 | 27 |
| 2015 | 11,047,600 | 3.33% | 430 | 82 | 27 |
| 2010 | 9,376,440 | 4.32% | 365 | 91 | 29 |
| 2005 | 7,587,300 | 3.24% | 295 | 94 | 41 |
| 2000 | 6,470,190 | 1.3% | 252 | 97 | 48 |
| 1995 | 6,066,320 | 1.66% | 236 | 95 | 49 |
| 1990 | 5,587,050 | 2.11% | 218 | 94 | 50 |
| 1985 | 5,034,040 | 2.8% | 196 | 98 | 47 |
| 1980 | 4,383,710 | 2.92% | 171 | 101 | 48 |
| 1975 | 3,796,610 | 1.46% | 148 | 105 | 51 |
| 1970 | 3,530,430 | 2.36% | 137 | 104 | 49 |
| 1965 | 3,141,370 | 2.59% | 122 | 104 | 51 |
| 1960 | 2,764,260 | 1.99% | 108 | 106 | 52 |
| 1955 | 2,504,650 | 2.12% | 98 | 104 | 54 |
Year | Population | Change | Density (/km²) | Population Rank | Density Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 14,047,800 | 2.77% | 547 | 78 | 22 |
| 2025 | 14,390,000 | 2.67% | 560 | 78 | 21 |
| 2030 | 16,182,000 | 2.38% | 630 | 77 | 17 |
| 2035 | 18,085,800 | 2.25% | 704 | 76 | 15 |
| 2040 | 20,131,300 | 2.17% | 784 | 75 | 15 |
| 2045 | 22,197,900 | 1.97% | 864 | 70 | 14 |
| 2050 | 24,131,700 | 1.69% | 940 | 70 | 14 |
| 2055 | 25,984,900 | 1.49% | 1,012 | 67 | 14 |
| 2060 | 27,731,000 | 1.31% | 1,080 | 67 | 13 |
| 2065 | 29,449,600 | 1.21% | 1,147 | 64 | 13 |
| 2070 | 31,183,000 | 1.15% | 1,214 | 63 | 13 |
| 2075 | 32,760,400 | 0.99% | 1,276 | 62 | 13 |
| 2080 | 34,187,600 | 0.86% | 1,331 | 62 | 13 |
| 2085 | 35,393,100 | 0.7% | 1,378 | 60 | 11 |
| 2090 | 36,403,400 | 0.56% | 1,418 | 59 | 11 |
| 2095 | 37,221,700 | 0.45% | 1,449 | 58 | 11 |
17.7
Total
17.4
Male
18
Female
There are people over age 18 in Burundi.
Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 2018 |
| 2008 | 31 August 2008 |
| 1990 | 30 August 1990 |
The Tutsi, Hutu and Twa people have inhabited the area for at least 500 years. About 85% of Burundians are of Hutu origin, 15% are Tutsi and less than 1% are indigenous Twa or Pygmies.
Today, about 500,000 people in Burundi have been displaced due to the effects of AIDS, which has impacted the country significantly. Many people from Burundi have migrated to nearby countries due to civil war. In 2006, the U.S. accepted about 10,000 Burundian refugees.
Much of Burundi remains rural, and only 13% of the country lives in an urban area. Just over 1% of the population has electricity, and only 50% of children go to school. About 1 in 15 adults in Burundi have HIV/AIDS. The AIDS epidemic in the country has dramatically affected its demographics, displacing more than 500,000.
Burundi is a fairly religiously diverse country, but 86% of the population practices some form of Christianity. Within the Christian population, 62.1% are Roman Catholic, and 23.9% are Protestant. Aside from Christianity, numbers vary about estimates of the populations of other religions. Muslims make up for anywhere from 2.5-10% of the population, while there remaining portion practice a variety of other religions.
As a landlocked nation, Burundi has a hard time accessing many resources and is generally pretty underdeveloped. The largest industry in Burundi is agriculture, which makes up for 32.9% of their GDP, and employs over 70% of the population. Even though they produce a lot of food, overpopulation, and a generally poor economy has kept much of the population hungry and is, in fact, the world's hungriest country with 40% of the country needing more to eat. Burundi is one of the 5 poorest countries in the world with one of the lowest per capita GDPs. It has suffered from many problems, including limited education, widespread corruption, and warfare.
The distinct Burundian kingdom emerged during the 1500s and there were no major disruptions until Germany and Belgian forces began to occupy the land in the late 1800s and early 1900s. In 1959, there was a massive influx of refugees from the Ruandam half of the land due to ethnically-related violence there.
Urundi seceded in 1962 and the country became an independent kingdom the name of of the country changed to Burundi. Settling into their own was not easy, and over 120,000 Hutus were massacred by the government in 1972 over political issues. This kind of civil unrest has been fairly constant ever since, and an ethnic-based war that has gone on for more than ten years has killed about 200,000 people, displaced 140,000 internally, and forced about 48,000 refugees into Tanzania.