Literacy in Burundi
Burundi: Literacy was 71.34 in 2020. ▲ Rising
Latest (2020)
71.34
Change on year
up 4.3%
World rank
70th
of 89 countries
All-time high
71.34
in 2020
All-time low
22.51
in 1979
Years of data
8
1979–2020
Literacy in Burundi, 1979–2020
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Burundi recorded 71.34 for literacy in 2020. That is the highest value across all 8 years on record.
That represents a change of up 4.3% on the previous year and up 48.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy in Burundi peaked at 71.34 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 22.51, in 1979.
That places Burundi 70th out of 89 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Literacy in Burundi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 22.51 | — |
| 1990 | 37.38 | +66.1% |
| 2000 | 59.3 | +58.6% |
| 2008 | 48.08 | -18.9% |
| 2014 | 61.29 | +27.5% |
| 2016 | 65.69 | +7.2% |
| 2017 | 68.38 | +4.1% |
| 2020 | 71.34 | +4.3% |
Burundi compared with similar countries
- Burundi's 71.34 is above the median for low income countries, which is 60.46, 1.2× the median. (13 countries reporting)
- Burundi's 71.34 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 70.87, 1.0× the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 22.51 | 22.51 | 22.51 | 1 |
| 1990s | 37.38 | 37.38 | 37.38 | 1 |
| 2000s | 53.69 | 48.08 | 59.3 | 2 |
| 2010s | 65.12 | 61.29 | 68.38 | 3 |
| 2020s | 71.34 | 71.34 | 71.34 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Burundi
More education data for Burundi
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 75.11 (2025)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 73.53 (2025)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 27,748 (2025)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 646,726 (2020)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 115,798 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 117,464 (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 590,027 (2025)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.52 million (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 4.06 % change on previous year (2020)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy in Burundi?
- Literacy in Burundi was 71.34 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy recorded in Burundi?
- The highest recorded value was 71.34 in 2020.
- What is the lowest literacy recorded in Burundi?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.51 in 1979.
- How does Burundi rank for literacy?
- Burundi ranks 70th out of 89 countries with data for 2020.
- Is literacy rising or falling in Burundi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 48.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Burundi data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 8 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).