Armed forces personnel in Burundi
Burundi: Armed forces personnel was 31,000 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Armed forces personnel in Burundi, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for armed forces personnel in Burundi is 31,000, measured in 2020.
That represents a change of down 39.2% on the previous year and down 39.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Burundi peaked at 82,000 in 2005 and was at its lowest, 5,200, in 1985.
That places Burundi 87th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 32 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Burundi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 5,200 | — |
| 1989 | 11,000 | +111.5% |
| 1990 | 12,000 | +9.1% |
| 1991 | 12,000 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 13,000 | +8.3% |
| 1993 | 13,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 17,000 | +30.8% |
| 1995 | 14,600 | -14.1% |
| 1996 | 22,000 | +50.7% |
| 1997 | 22,000 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 43,500 | +97.7% |
| 1999 | 45,500 | +4.6% |
| 2000 | 45,500 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 51,000 | +12.1% |
| 2002 | 51,000 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 56,000 | +9.8% |
| 2004 | 81,000 | +44.6% |
| 2005 | 82,000 | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 51,000 | -37.8% |
| 2008 | 51,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 51,050 | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 51,050 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 51,050 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 51,000 | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 51,050 | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 51,050 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 41,000 | -19.7% |
| 2016 | 51,050 | +24.5% |
| 2017 | 31,000 | -39.3% |
| 2018 | 51,050 | +64.7% |
| 2019 | 51,000 | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 31,000 | -39.2% |
Burundi compared with similar countries
- Burundi's 31,000 is below the median for low income countries, which is 35,000, 89% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Burundi's 31,000 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16,000, 1.9× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Armed forces personnel in Burundi changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | +111.5% | 5,200 | 11,000 |
| 1998 | +97.7% | 22,000 | 43,500 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 8,100 | 5,200 | 11,000 | 2 |
| 1990s | 21,460 | 12,000 | 45,500 | 10 |
| 2000s | 57,728 | 45,500 | 82,000 | 9 |
| 2010s | 48,030 | 31,000 | 51,050 | 10 |
| 2020s | 31,000 | 31,000 | 31,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Burundi
More reference data data for Burundi
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0676 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.5075 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.6676 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0521 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.6676 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2266 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.2677 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 2.21 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 3.17 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2838 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in Burundi?
- Armed forces personnel in Burundi was 31,000 in 2020, according to The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel recorded in Burundi?
- The highest recorded value was 82,000 in 2005.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Burundi?
- The lowest recorded value was 5,200 in 1985.
- How does Burundi rank for armed forces personnel?
- Burundi ranks 87th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Burundi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 39.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Burundi data come from?
- The figures come from The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Armed forces personnel. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 32 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if their training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces.