Unemployment rate in Burundi
Burundi: Unemployment rate was 0.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Unemployment rate in Burundi, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment rate in Burundi stood at 0.9%.
That represents a change of up 0.8% on the previous year and down 36.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate in Burundi peaked at 3.2% in 2006 and was at its lowest, 0.9%, in 2022.
That places Burundi 182nd out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment rate in Burundi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 3.1% | — |
| 1992 | 3.1% | -0.5% |
| 1993 | 3.1% | -1.2% |
| 1994 | 3.1% | +0.4% |
| 1995 | 3.1% | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 3.1% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 3.1% | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 3.2% | +1.0% |
| 1999 | 3.1% | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 3.1% | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 3.2% | +0.5% |
| 2002 | 3.2% | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 3.1% | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 3.2% | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 3.2% | -0.5% |
| 2006 | 3.2% | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 2.4% | -24.5% |
| 2008 | 1.6% | -32.0% |
| 2009 | 1.6% | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 1.6% | -0.4% |
| 2011 | 1.6% | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 1.6% | -0.6% |
| 2013 | 1.6% | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 1.6% | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 1.4% | -7.8% |
| 2016 | 1.4% | -6.7% |
| 2017 | 1.2% | -7.5% |
| 2018 | 1.1% | -8.2% |
| 2019 | 1.0% | -9.1% |
| 2020 | 1.0% | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 1.1% | +8.5% |
| 2022 | 0.9% | -18.7% |
| 2023 | 0.9% | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 0.9% | +0.4% |
| 2025 | 0.9% | +0.8% |
Burundi compared with similar countries
- Burundi's 0.9% is below the median for low income countries, which is 4.4%, 21% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Burundi's 0.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.4%, 17% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment rate 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | -32.0% | 2.4% | 1.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.1% | 3.1% | 3.2% | 9 |
| 2000s | 2.8% | 1.6% | 3.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.4% | 1.0% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.0% | 0.9% | 1.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Burundi
More work & labour data for Burundi
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.2923 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.2698 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.3134 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 1.39 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 4.44 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 7,183 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 18,579 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 19,365 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 18,509 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 37,874 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment rate in Burundi?
- Unemployment rate in Burundi was 0.9% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate recorded in Burundi?
- The highest recorded value was 3.2% in 2006.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate recorded in Burundi?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.9% in 2022.
- How does Burundi rank for unemployment rate?
- Burundi ranks 182nd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate rising or falling in Burundi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 36.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Burundi data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Unemployment rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of the labor force without work, but actively looking for a job and available to start soon.