Burundi - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Burundi. Landlocked; straddles crest of the Nile-Congo watershed; the Kagera, which drains into Lake Victoria, is the most remote headstream of the White Nile. Mother's mean age at first birth is 21.5 years (2016/17 est.) (Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 494 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of Burundi
Location Central Africa, east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, west of Tanzania
Geographic coordinates 3 30 S, 30 00 E
Map references Africa
Tarrain hilly and mountainous, dropping to a plateau in east, some plains
Natural Resources nickel, uranium, rare earth oxides, peat, cobalt, copper, platinum, vanadium, arable land, hydropower, niobium, tantalum, gold, tin, tungsten, kaolin, limestone
Natural Hazards flooding; landslides; drought
Irrigated Land 230 sq km (2012)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Major aquifers
Land Boundaries 1,140 km
Border Countries Democratic Republic of the Congo 236 km; Rwanda 315 km; Tanzania 589 km
Coastline 0 km (landlocked)
Climate equatorial; high plateau with considerable altitude variation (772 m to 2,670 m above sea level); average annual temperature varies with altitude from 23 to 17 degrees Celsius but is generally moderate; average annual rainfall is about 150 cm with two wet seasons (February to May and September to November) and two dry seasons (June to August and December to January)
Area
Total Area
Land Area 25,680 sq km
Water Area 2,150 sq km
comparative Area slightly smaller than Maryland
Maritime Claims
Elevations
Highest point unnamed elevation on Mukike Range 2,685 m
Lowest point Lake Tanganyika 772 m
Mean elevation 1,504 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 73.3% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 38.9% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 15.6% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 18.8% (2018 est.)
Forest 6.6% (2018 est.)
Other 20.1% (2018 est.)
Population Distribution

One of Africa's most densely populated countries; concentrations tend to be in the north and along the northern shore of Lake Tanganyika in the west; most people live on farms near areas of fertile volcanic soil as shown in this population distribution map

People and Society

In Burundi, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Hutu, Tutsi, Twa, South Asian

Population
Pop growth rate 2.81% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 34.6 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 5.7 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 6.5% of GDP (2020)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density 0.8 beds/1,000 population (2014)
Total fertility rate 4.9 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 2.41 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate 28.5% (2016/17)
Est married women (ages 15-49) 54.1% (2023 est.)
Literacy age 15 and over can read and write
Education expenditures 5% of GDP (2020 est.)
Net Migration rate -0.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Burundian | Burundian(s)
Languages
Religions Christian 93.9% (Roman Catholic 58.6%, Protestant 35.3% [includes Adventist 2.7% and other Protestant religions 32.6%]), Muslim 3.4%, other 1.3%, none 1.3% (2016-17 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years 42.3% (male 2,895,275/female 2,848,286)
15-64 years 54.4% (male 3,662,688/female 3,727,022)
65 years and over 3.4% (2024 est.) (male 197,493/female 259,338)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 95.2
Youth dependency ratio 90.4
Elderly dependency ratio 4.8
Potential support ratio 20.7 (2021 est.)
Median Age
Total 18.4 years (2024 est.)
Male 18 years
Female 18.7 years
Urbanization
Urban population 14.8% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 5.43% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 1.207 million BUJUMBURA (capital) (2023).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.76 male(s)/female
Total population 0.99 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 35.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 39.7 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 31.5 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 68.1 years (2024 est.)
Male 66 years
Female 70.3 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: 98.7% of population
Improved: rural rural: 78.9% of population
Improved: total total: 81.6% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 1.3% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 21.1% of population
Unimproved: total total: 18.4% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: 87.4% of population
Improved: rural rural: 53.7% of population
Improved: total total: 58.4% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 12.6% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 46.3% of population
Unimproved: total total: 41.6% of population (2020 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 4.07 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 1.84 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 2.23 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Total 11.8% (2020 est.)
Male 17.4% (2020 est.)
Female 6.1% (2020 est.)
Child marriage
Women married by age 15 2.8%
Women married by age 18 19%
Men married by age 18 1.4% (2017 est.)
Demographic profile

Burundi is a densely populated country with a high population growth rate, factors that combined with land scarcity and poverty place a large share of its population at risk of food insecurity. About 90% of the population relies on subsistence agriculture. Subdivision of land to sons, and redistribution to returning refugees, results in smaller, overworked, and less-productive plots. Food shortages, poverty, and a lack of clean water contribute to a 60% chronic malnutrition rate among children. A lack of reproductive health services has prevented a significant reduction in Burundi’s maternal mortality and fertility rates, which are both among the world’s highest. With almost two-thirds of its population under the age of 25 and a birth rate of about 5 children per woman as of 2022, Burundi’s population will continue to expand rapidly for decades to come, putting additional strain on a poor country.

Historically, migration flows into and out of Burundi have consisted overwhelmingly of refugees from violent conflicts. In the last decade, more than a half million Burundian refugees returned home from neighboring countries, mainly Tanzania. Reintegrating the returnees has been problematic due to their prolonged time in exile, land scarcity, poor infrastructure, poverty, and unemployment. Repatriates and existing residents (including internally displaced persons) compete for limited land and other resources. To further complicate matters, international aid organizations reduced their assistance because they no longer classified Burundi as a post-conflict country. Conditions deteriorated when renewed violence erupted in April 2015, causing another outpouring of refugees. In addition to refugee out-migration, Burundi has hosted thousands of refugees from neighboring countries, mostly from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and lesser numbers from Rwanda.

All Important Facts about Burundi

Want to know more about Burundi? Check all different factbooks for Burundi below.

Burundi is found in Eastern Africa