Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Burundi
Burundi: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 73.5% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Burundi, 1973–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Burundi recorded 73.5% for share of children in primary school age who are in school in 2025.
The figure is down 17.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Burundi peaked at 94.7% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 15.9%, in 1978.
Burundi ranks 189th of 209 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Burundi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 18.7% | — |
| 1978 | 15.9% | -15.2% |
| 1980 | 16.9% | +6.4% |
| 1981 | 18.3% | +8.6% |
| 1982 | 21.2% | +15.7% |
| 1983 | 26.6% | +25.6% |
| 1984 | 31.0% | +16.3% |
| 1985 | 35.1% | +13.2% |
| 1986 | 37.7% | +7.4% |
| 1987 | 42.4% | +12.7% |
| 1988 | 45.1% | +6.2% |
| 1993 | 45.5% | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 42.3% | -7.0% |
| 2001 | 51.2% | +20.9% |
| 2002 | 51.8% | +1.2% |
| 2003 | 55.2% | +6.6% |
| 2004 | 56.8% | +2.8% |
| 2005 | 60.4% | +6.4% |
| 2006 | 77.9% | +29.0% |
| 2007 | 85.4% | +9.6% |
| 2008 | 93.1% | +9.0% |
| 2009 | 90.7% | -2.6% |
| 2010 | 94.2% | +3.8% |
| 2011 | 94.7% | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 93.5% | -1.3% |
| 2013 | 88.1% | -5.9% |
| 2014 | 91.1% | +3.4% |
| 2015 | 88.9% | -2.4% |
| 2016 | 87.3% | -1.8% |
| 2017 | 83.1% | -4.9% |
| 2018 | 80.4% | -3.3% |
| 2019 | 78.9% | -1.9% |
| 2020 | 79.4% | +0.7% |
| 2025 | 73.5% | -7.4% |
Burundi compared with similar countries
- Burundi's 73.5% is above the median for low income countries, which is 69.5%, 1.1× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Burundi's 73.5% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 84.5%, 87% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 17.3% | 15.9% | 18.7% | 2 |
| 1980s | 30.5% | 16.9% | 45.1% | 9 |
| 1990s | 45.5% | 45.5% | 45.5% | 1 |
| 2000s | 66.5% | 42.3% | 93.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 88.0% | 78.9% | 94.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 76.5% | 73.5% | 79.4% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Burundi
More education data for Burundi
- 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)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0007 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1748 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children in primary school age who are in school in Burundi?
- Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Burundi was 73.5% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Burundi?
- The highest recorded value was 94.7% in 2011.
- What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Burundi?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.9% in 1978.
- How does Burundi rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
- Burundi ranks 189th out of 209 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of children in primary school age who are in school rising or falling in Burundi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Burundi data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children in primary school age who are in school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of children of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.