Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Burundi
Burundi: Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) was 14.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Military expenditure in Burundi, 1990–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of general government expenditure.
Analysis
In 2025, military expenditure in Burundi stood at 14.9%.
The figure is down 6.8% on the previous year and up 61.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Burundi peaked at 29.1% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 6.6%, in 2008.
That places Burundi 19th out of 164 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Burundi, year by year
| Year | % of general government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 17.3% | — |
| 1991 | 16.4% | -5.2% |
| 1992 | 11.9% | -27.6% |
| 1993 | 13.8% | +16.7% |
| 1994 | 20.1% | +45.4% |
| 1995 | 16.4% | -18.6% |
| 1996 | 20.6% | +25.9% |
| 1997 | 29.1% | +41.3% |
| 1998 | 28.3% | -2.7% |
| 1999 | 24.8% | -12.6% |
| 2000 | 19.7% | -20.3% |
| 2001 | 23.9% | +21.2% |
| 2002 | 22.6% | -5.4% |
| 2003 | 15.2% | -32.9% |
| 2004 | 12.0% | -20.8% |
| 2005 | 13.4% | +11.4% |
| 2006 | 9.6% | -28.1% |
| 2007 | 8.8% | -9.0% |
| 2008 | 6.6% | -24.6% |
| 2012 | 6.7% | +1.8% |
| 2013 | 7.1% | +6.1% |
| 2014 | 8.1% | +13.1% |
| 2015 | 9.2% | +13.9% |
| 2016 | 9.9% | +8.0% |
| 2017 | 8.3% | -16.3% |
| 2018 | 8.3% | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 9.8% | +18.1% |
| 2020 | 7.4% | -23.9% |
| 2021 | 7.2% | -3.2% |
| 2022 | 7.7% | +7.8% |
| 2023 | 12.0% | +55.6% |
| 2024 | 15.9% | +32.3% |
| 2025 | 14.9% | -6.8% |
Burundi compared with similar countries
- Burundi's 14.9% is above the median for low income countries, which is 9.3%, 1.6× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Burundi's 14.9% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.9%, 2.5× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 19.9% | 11.9% | 29.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 14.6% | 6.6% | 23.9% | 9 |
| 2010s | 8.4% | 6.7% | 9.9% | 8 |
| 2020s | 10.9% | 7.2% | 15.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Burundi
More public sector data for Burundi
- Democracy, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Arms imports 2.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2019)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.1632 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2019)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0007 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2019)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 200 % change on previous year (2016)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Burundi?
- Military expenditure in Burundi was 14.9% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Burundi?
- The highest recorded value was 29.1% in 1997.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Burundi?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.6% in 2008.
- How does Burundi rank for military expenditure?
- Burundi ranks 19th out of 164 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Burundi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 61.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Burundi data come from?
- The figures come from SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), published as part of Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Military expenditure expressed as a percentage of general government expenditure