Burundi economy: GDP, investment, trade and remittances
How large the Burundi economy is and how fast it is growing, who invests in it, what it sells and buys, how much its citizens abroad send home, who it owes and what it holds in reserve. The latest published year is shown with each figure.
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Burundi economy snapshot: GDP, growth and income per person
Burundi's GDP was US$3.4 billion in 2025, after real growth of 4.2%.
GDP
Current US dollars.
Real GDP growth
Annual change, per cent. Red bars are contractions.
GDP per person
Current US dollars.
Source: World Bank, 2025. Method
Who invests in Burundi and in what
Direct investment by investing country
Mauritius was the largest investing country in Burundi, at 70% of inward direct investment positions in 2024.
Inward direct investment positions in Burundi at the end of 2024: the stock of foreign direct investment, not a year's new flow. The 7 largest investing countries.
The IMF data holds no positions reported by Burundi itself. The figures are derived by the IMF from what the investing countries report, so they are shown as reported by investing countries.
Source: IMF, 2024. Method
What Burundi sells and buys
Coffee, tea and spices was 36% of exports in 2023.
Burundi sold the most to Democratic Republic of the Congo, 27% of exports in 2023.
Exports by product, 2023
Tile area follows value. Each tile is a customs chapter of the Harmonized System; hover for the full name.
Source: UN Comtrade, 2023. Method
Top buyers, 2023
Share of Burundi's exports.
Top suppliers, 2023
Share of Burundi's imports.
Source: UN Comtrade, 2023. Method
What Burundi buys, 2023
The 8 largest product chapters in imports.
Source: UN Comtrade, 2023. Method
Trade balance of goods
Exports minus imports. Red bars are years when imports were larger. A year is left out when either side is not published.
Source: UN Comtrade, 2023. Method
Remittances against foreign direct investment in Burundi
Remittances to Burundi were 7.8 times foreign direct investment in 2025.
Source: World Bank, 2026. Method
Remittances and investment as a share of GDP
The same two flows measured against the size of the economy.
Source: World Bank, 2026. Method
Who Burundi owes
External debt stock by type of creditor. Creditor types cover public and publicly guaranteed debt; the grey part is the rest of the total external debt stock. A creditor type with no published figure is not shown.
Multilateral creditors held 39% of Burundi's external debt stock in 2024.
Public external debt owed to China was US$37 million in 2024, 4% of the external debt stock.
Source: World Bank, 2026. Method
Reserves and months of import cover
Total reserves including gold, and how many months of imports they cover.
Source: World Bank, 2026. Method
Aid received by Burundi
Net official development assistance and official aid received.
Source: World Bank, 2026. Method
Where Burundi ranks in Africa
Its place among the 54 African countries on each of our Africa rankings. Each tile opens the full ranking with its source.
- GDP per person52nd of 53$469, 2025Richest countries in Africa
- Size of the economy41st of 53$6.78 billion, 2025Largest economies in Africa
- Population29th of 5314.5 million, 2025African countries by population
- Area45th of 5427,834 sq kmLargest countries in Africa
- Life expectancy36th of 5463.8 years, 2024Life expectancy in Africa
- US travel advisory41st of 54Level 3, reconsider travelSafest countries in Africa
- President's time in office22nd longest of 51Evariste Ndayishimiye, 6 yearsLongest serving presidents
- President's age12th youngest of 5158 years oldYoungest presidents in Africa
More on Burundi
- Burundi government directory
- Inflation and unemployment in Burundi
- Burundi debt: debt to GDP and largest creditors
- Who invests in Africa: the largest foreign investors in every country
- Natural resources in Burundi: oil, gas and minerals
- East Africa: Burundi and its neighbours compared
- African economies compared: GDP, investment, trade and remittances
World Bank data pages for Burundi: GDP, GDP growth, GDP per person, remittances, foreign direct investment, reserves, months of imports, external debt, debt by creditor, aid. UN Comtrade: trade data. IMF: direct investment positions.
Cite this
PollsAfrica (2026). Burundi economy: GDP, investment, trade and remittances. Retrieved 10 Oct 2026 from https://pollsafrica.com/economy/burundi