Share of population living in urban areas in Burundi

Burundi: Share of population living in urban areas was 84.6% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
84.6%
World rank
57th
of 236 countries
All-time high
84.6%
in 2020
All-time low
34.7%
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of population living in urban areas in Burundi, 1950–2020

0204060801950198520201950: 34.7 %1955: 37.3 %1960: 39.8 %1965: 43 %1970: 45.9 %1975: 48 %1980: 51.5 %1985: 55.8 %1990: 58.5 %1995: 60.7 %2000: 63 %2005: 65.7 %2010: 72.7 %2015: 79.1 %2020: 84.6 %

Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Burundi recorded 84.6% for share of population living in urban areas in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.

The figure is up 16.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas in Burundi peaked at 84.6% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 34.7%, in 1950.

That places Burundi 57th out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 36.0% 34.7% 37.3% 2
1960s 41.4% 39.8% 43.0% 2
1970s 47.0% 45.9% 48.0% 2
1980s 53.7% 51.5% 55.8% 2
1990s 59.6% 58.5% 60.7% 2
2000s 64.3% 63.0% 65.7% 2
2010s 75.9% 72.7% 79.1% 2
2020s 84.6% 84.6% 84.6% 1

Countries ranked near Burundi

  1. 54 Philippines 84.8% compare
  2. 55 Iran 84.7% compare
  3. 56 Sri Lanka 84.7% compare
  4. 58 Guam 84.5% compare
  5. 59 Afghanistan 84.4% compare
  6. 60 Netherlands 84.3% compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for Burundi

All data for Burundi →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in urban areas in Burundi?
Share of population living in urban areas in Burundi was 84.6% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Burundi?
The highest recorded value was 84.6% in 2020.
What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Burundi?
The lowest recorded value was 34.7% in 1950.
How does Burundi rank for share of population living in urban areas?
Burundi ranks 57th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of population living in urban areas rising or falling in Burundi?
Over the last ten years it is up 16.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Burundi data come from?
The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in urban areas
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 3,540 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.