Military spending as a share of GDP in Burundi
Burundi: Military spending as a share of GDP was 1.9% in 2019. ▲ Rising
Latest (2019)
1.9%
Change on year
up 10.7%
World rank
51st
of 172 countries
All-time high
3.4%
in 1997
All-time low
0.9%
in 1971
Years of data
58
1962–2019
Military spending as a share of GDP in Burundi, 1962–2019
Source: Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for military spending as a share of gdp in Burundi is 1.9%, measured in 2019.
That represents a change of up 10.7% on the previous year and up 18.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Burundi peaked at 3.4% in 1997 and was at its lowest, 0.9%, in 1971.
Burundi ranks 51st of 172 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 58 years of available data.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Burundi, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1962 | 1.2% | — |
| 1963 | 0.9% | -23.8% |
| 1964 | 0.9% | -1.6% |
| 1965 | 1.0% | +14.3% |
| 1966 | 1.0% | -6.7% |
| 1967 | 1.0% | -0.6% |
| 1968 | 1.0% | +2.1% |
| 1969 | 1.0% | +0.3% |
| 1970 | 0.9% | -7.9% |
| 1971 | 0.9% | -3.5% |
| 1972 | 1.3% | +49.4% |
| 1973 | 1.4% | +4.4% |
| 1974 | 1.5% | +12.8% |
| 1975 | 1.5% | -1.8% |
| 1976 | 1.6% | +6.4% |
| 1977 | 1.6% | +1.0% |
| 1978 | 1.8% | +12.3% |
| 1979 | 2.2% | +20.8% |
| 1980 | 2.4% | +10.6% |
| 1981 | 2.3% | -4.7% |
| 1982 | 2.4% | +4.2% |
| 1983 | 2.3% | -3.4% |
| 1984 | 2.1% | -11.4% |
| 1985 | 1.9% | -9.9% |
| 1986 | 1.8% | -2.6% |
| 1987 | 1.6% | -9.9% |
| 1988 | 1.5% | -6.9% |
| 1989 | 1.4% | -8.4% |
| 1990 | 1.3% | -7.5% |
| 1991 | 1.3% | +1.2% |
| 1992 | 1.6% | +19.9% |
| 1993 | 1.4% | -8.7% |
| 1994 | 1.7% | +21.2% |
| 1995 | 2.1% | +21.8% |
| 1996 | 2.4% | +13.6% |
| 1997 | 3.4% | +41.1% |
| 1998 | 3.1% | -8.5% |
| 1999 | 2.9% | -7.1% |
| 2000 | 2.4% | -15.5% |
| 2001 | 2.3% | -6.6% |
| 2002 | 2.6% | +12.6% |
| 2003 | 1.9% | -27.1% |
| 2004 | 1.9% | +2.7% |
| 2005 | 2.1% | +7.2% |
| 2006 | 2.1% | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 2.2% | +5.8% |
| 2008 | 2.1% | -5.8% |
| 2009 | 1.6% | -25.4% |
| 2010 | 1.5% | -2.7% |
| 2011 | 1.6% | +6.0% |
| 2012 | 1.6% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 1.6% | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 1.5% | -9.3% |
| 2015 | 1.6% | +9.6% |
| 2016 | 1.6% | -2.7% |
| 2017 | 1.7% | +6.4% |
| 2018 | 1.7% | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 1.9% | +10.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.2% | 8 |
| 1970s | 1.5% | 0.9% | 2.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.0% | 1.4% | 2.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.1% | 1.3% | 3.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.1% | 1.6% | 2.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.6% | 1.5% | 1.9% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Burundi
- 48 Somalia 1.9% compare
- 49 Burkina Faso 1.9% compare
- 50 Iran, Islamic Republic of 1.9% compare
- 52 Chile 1.8% compare
- 53 Bulgaria 1.8% compare
- 54 Trinidad and Tobago 1.8% compare
More economy & growth data for Burundi
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 2.45 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 5.01 Percent per annum (2029)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant LCU), per capita 16,315 constant LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), annual 16.96 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 0.1823 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 42.62 current US$ per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), annual 30.13 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), per 972.59 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), per 227,413 current LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 3.01 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Burundi?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Burundi was 1.9% in 2019, according to Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Burundi?
- The highest recorded value was 3.4% in 1997.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Burundi?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9% in 1971.
- How does Burundi rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Burundi ranks 51st out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Burundi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Burundi data come from?
- The figures come from Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military spending as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Military spending measured as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP).