PollsAfricaWork with us
Burundi · Economy

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.

GDP
US$3.4 billion
current US$, 2025
Real GDP growth
4.2%
2025
GDP per person
US$234
current US$, 2025
Exports of goods
US$170 million
2023
Remittances received
US$273 million
2025, 8.1% of GDP
Foreign direct investment, net inflows
US$35 million
2025, 1.0% of GDP

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.

02.0bn4.0bn6.0bn201520172019202120232025GDP 2015: US$2.8 billionGDP 2016: US$2.6 billionGDP 2017: US$2.8 billionGDP 2018: US$2.9 billionGDP 2019: US$2.9 billionGDP 2020: US$3.2 billionGDP 2021: US$3.4 billionGDP 2022: US$4.0 billionGDP 2023: US$3.4 billionGDP 2024: US$3.0 billionGDP 2025: US$3.4 billion

Real GDP growth

Annual change, per cent. Red bars are contractions.

-2%0%2%4%6%201520172019202120232025Real GDP growth 2015: -0.4%Real GDP growth 2016: 3.2%Real GDP growth 2017: 3.8%Real GDP growth 2018: 5.3%Real GDP growth 2019: 4.5%Real GDP growth 2020: 0.3%Real GDP growth 2021: 3.2%Real GDP growth 2022: 2.3%Real GDP growth 2023: 3.3%Real GDP growth 2024: 4.1%Real GDP growth 2025: 4.2%

GDP per person

Current US dollars.

0100200300400201520172019202120232025GDP per person 2015: US$254GDP per person 2016: US$233GDP per person 2017: US$246GDP per person 2018: US$246GDP per person 2019: US$234GDP per person 2020: US$253GDP per person 2021: US$264GDP per person 2022: US$302GDP per person 2023: US$250GDP per person 2024: US$216GDP per person 2025: US$234

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.

MauritiusUS$26 million70.1%
FranceUS$4.4 million11.9%
ChinaUS$4.3 million11.5%
South AfricaUS$1.1 million3.0%
South KoreaUS$736 thousand2.0%
ItalyUS$474 thousand1.3%
GreeceUS$92 thousand0.2%

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.

Coffee, tea, mate and spices: US$60 million, 35.6%Coffee, tea and spices36%Natural, cultured pearls: US$31 million, 18.0%Pearls, precious s…18%Beverages, spirits and vinegar: US$12 million, 7.1%Beverages7%Tobacco and manufactured tobacco substitutes: US$11 million, 6.2%Tobacco6%Products of the milling industry: US$9.8 million, 5.8%Products of t…6%Iron and steel: US$8.4 million, 4.9%Iron and st…5%Glass and glassware: US$5.9 million, 3.5%Soap, organic surface-active agents: US$5.3 million, 3.1%Preparations of vegetables, fruit, nuts or other parts of plants: US$3.9 million, 2.3%Ores, slag and ash: US$3.8 million, 2.2%Plastics and articles thereof: US$3.6 million, 2.1%Vehicles: US$3.3 million, 2.0%All other chapters: US$12 million, 7.0%All other ch…7%

Source: UN Comtrade, 2023. Method

Top buyers, 2023

Share of Burundi's exports.

Democratic Republic of the CongoUS$46 million27.4%
United Arab EmiratesUS$35 million20.9%
SwitzerlandUS$15 million8.8%
BelgiumUS$9.7 million5.7%
SudanUS$8.8 million5.2%
GermanyUS$6.2 million3.7%
TanzaniaUS$6.2 million3.7%
KenyaUS$6.1 million3.6%
RwandaUS$5.5 million3.2%
UgandaUS$5.0 million3.0%

Top suppliers, 2023

Share of Burundi's imports.

United Arab EmiratesUS$192 million16.7%
ChinaUS$168 million14.6%
TanzaniaUS$144 million12.5%
Saudi ArabiaUS$93 million8.1%
IndiaUS$87 million7.6%
KenyaUS$59 million5.1%
UgandaUS$52 million4.5%
JapanUS$45 million3.9%
BelgiumUS$27 million2.4%
ZambiaUS$25 million2.2%

Source: UN Comtrade, 2023. Method

What Burundi buys, 2023

The 8 largest product chapters in imports.

Mineral fuels and oilsUS$256 million22.2%
FertilisersUS$101 million8.8%
VehiclesUS$83 million7.2%
Machinery and mechanical appliancesUS$67 million5.8%
Electrical machinery and equipmentUS$63 million5.4%
Iron and steelUS$53 million4.6%
CerealsUS$45 million3.9%
Pharmaceutical productsUS$41 million3.6%

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.

-1.5bn-1.0bn-500m020152017201920212023Trade balance 2015: -US$447 million (exports US$114 million, imports US$561 million)Trade balance 2016: -US$502 million (exports US$123 million, imports US$625 million)Trade balance 2017: -US$634 million (exports US$149 million, imports US$783 million)Trade balance 2018: -US$613 million (exports US$180 million, imports US$793 million)Trade balance 2019: -US$707 million (exports US$181 million, imports US$888 million)Trade balance 2020: -US$748 million (exports US$161 million, imports US$910 million)Trade balance 2021: -US$861 million (exports US$164 million, imports US$1.0 billion)Trade balance 2022: -US$1.1 billion (exports US$208 million, imports US$1.3 billion)Trade balance 2023: -US$981 million (exports US$170 million, imports US$1.2 billion)

Source: UN Comtrade, 2023. Method

Remittances against foreign direct investment in Burundi

Remittances to Burundi were 7.8 times foreign direct investment in 2025.

Remittances receivedForeign direct investment, net inflows
0100m200m300m201520172019202120232025Remittances 2015: US$51 millionRemittances 2016: US$35 millionRemittances 2017: US$34 millionRemittances 2018: US$48 millionRemittances 2019: US$92 millionRemittances 2020: US$145 millionRemittances 2021: US$168 millionRemittances 2022: US$163 millionRemittances 2023: US$196 millionRemittances 2024: US$237 millionRemittances 2025: US$273 millionForeign direct investment 2015: US$7.4 millionForeign direct investment 2016: US$55 thousandForeign direct investment 2017: US$65 millionForeign direct investment 2018: US$6.7 millionForeign direct investment 2019: US$30 millionForeign direct investment 2020: US$21 millionForeign direct investment 2021: US$22 millionForeign direct investment 2022: US$25 millionForeign direct investment 2023: US$34 millionForeign direct investment 2024: US$33 millionForeign direct investment 2025: US$35 million

Source: World Bank, 2026. Method

Remittances and investment as a share of GDP

The same two flows measured against the size of the economy.

Remittances, share of GDPForeign direct investment, share of GDP
0%3%5%8%10%201520172019202120232025Remittances 2015: 1.8%Remittances 2016: 1.3%Remittances 2017: 1.2%Remittances 2018: 1.7%Remittances 2019: 3.2%Remittances 2020: 4.6%Remittances 2021: 4.9%Remittances 2022: 4.1%Remittances 2023: 5.7%Remittances 2024: 7.8%Remittances 2025: 8.1%Foreign direct investment 2015: 0.3%Foreign direct investment 2016: 0.0%Foreign direct investment 2017: 2.3%Foreign direct investment 2018: 0.2%Foreign direct investment 2019: 1.1%Foreign direct investment 2020: 0.7%Foreign direct investment 2021: 0.7%Foreign direct investment 2022: 0.6%Foreign direct investment 2023: 1.0%Foreign direct investment 2024: 1.1%Foreign direct investment 2025: 1.0%

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.

MultilateralBilateralRest of the totalPublic debt owed to China
0500m1.0bn1.5bn20152017201920212023Multilateral 2015: US$308 millionBilateral 2015: US$101 millionRest of the total 2015: US$218 millionMultilateral 2016: US$311 millionBilateral 2016: US$98 millionRest of the total 2016: US$194 millionMultilateral 2017: US$321 millionBilateral 2017: US$99 millionRest of the total 2017: US$188 millionMultilateral 2018: US$323 millionBilateral 2018: US$105 millionRest of the total 2018: US$167 millionMultilateral 2019: US$347 millionBilateral 2019: US$133 millionRest of the total 2019: US$149 millionMultilateral 2020: US$361 millionBilateral 2020: US$171 millionRest of the total 2020: US$133 millionMultilateral 2021: US$390 millionBilateral 2021: US$186 millionRest of the total 2021: US$400 millionMultilateral 2022: US$388 millionBilateral 2022: US$182 millionRest of the total 2022: US$377 millionMultilateral 2023: US$411 millionBilateral 2023: US$187 millionRest of the total 2023: US$436 millionMultilateral 2024: US$399 millionBilateral 2024: US$202 millionRest of the total 2024: US$423 millionPublic debt owed to China 2015: US$11 millionPublic debt owed to China 2016: US$14 millionPublic debt owed to China 2017: US$15 millionPublic debt owed to China 2018: US$14 millionPublic debt owed to China 2019: US$42 millionPublic debt owed to China 2020: US$45 millionPublic debt owed to China 2021: US$46 millionPublic debt owed to China 2022: US$43 millionPublic debt owed to China 2023: US$42 millionPublic debt owed to China 2024: US$37 million

Source: World Bank, 2026. Method

Reserves and months of import cover

Total reserves including gold, and how many months of imports they cover.

Reserves, US$Months of imports
0100m200m300m012320152017201920212023Reserves 2015: US$136 millionReserves 2016: US$95 millionReserves 2017: US$97 millionReserves 2018: US$68 millionReserves 2019: US$111 millionReserves 2020: US$90 millionReserves 2021: US$266 millionReserves 2022: US$159 millionReserves 2023: US$90 millionMonths of imports 2015: 1.9 monthsMonths of imports 2016: 1.5 monthsMonths of imports 2017: 1.3 monthsMonths of imports 2018: 0.9 monthsMonths of imports 2019: 1.2 monthsMonths of imports 2020: 1.0 monthMonths of imports 2021: 2.6 monthsMonths of imports 2022: 1.3 monthsMonths of imports 2023: 0.7 months

Source: World Bank, 2026. Method

Aid received by Burundi

Net official development assistance and official aid received.

0200m400m600m800m20152017201920212023Aid received 2015: US$367 millionAid received 2016: US$743 millionAid received 2017: US$436 millionAid received 2018: US$451 millionAid received 2019: US$556 millionAid received 2020: US$482 millionAid received 2021: US$610 millionAid received 2022: US$575 millionAid received 2023: US$622 million

Source: World Bank, 2026. Method