Share of children who have completed primary school in Burundi
Burundi: Share of children who have completed primary school was 60.5% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Share of children who have completed primary school in Burundi, 1981–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of children who have completed primary school in Burundi is 60.5%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.9% on the previous year and up 39.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who have completed primary school in Burundi peaked at 60.5% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 5.4%, in 1981.
Burundi ranks 150th of 165 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of children who have completed primary school in Burundi, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 5.4% | — |
| 1982 | 5.6% | +2.6% |
| 1983 | 5.8% | +3.6% |
| 1984 | 6.0% | +4.9% |
| 1985 | 6.4% | +5.8% |
| 1986 | 6.8% | +6.6% |
| 1987 | 7.3% | +6.9% |
| 1988 | 7.9% | +8.5% |
| 1989 | 8.6% | +8.7% |
| 1990 | 9.4% | +9.0% |
| 1991 | 10.1% | +7.8% |
| 1992 | 10.7% | +5.8% |
| 1993 | 11.2% | +4.6% |
| 1994 | 11.5% | +2.7% |
| 1995 | 11.7% | +1.9% |
| 1996 | 11.8% | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 11.9% | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 12.2% | +1.8% |
| 1999 | 12.5% | +2.9% |
| 2000 | 13.1% | +4.7% |
| 2001 | 13.8% | +5.7% |
| 2002 | 14.8% | +7.0% |
| 2003 | 15.9% | +7.6% |
| 2004 | 17.3% | +8.3% |
| 2005 | 18.7% | +8.3% |
| 2006 | 20.4% | +9.0% |
| 2007 | 22.5% | +10.2% |
| 2008 | 24.9% | +10.9% |
| 2009 | 27.7% | +11.2% |
| 2010 | 30.6% | +10.5% |
| 2011 | 33.6% | +9.7% |
| 2012 | 36.6% | +8.8% |
| 2013 | 39.2% | +7.1% |
| 2014 | 41.5% | +5.9% |
| 2015 | 43.5% | +4.7% |
| 2016 | 45.2% | +4.0% |
| 2017 | 46.9% | +3.8% |
| 2018 | 48.5% | +3.4% |
| 2019 | 50.2% | +3.5% |
| 2020 | 51.9% | +3.3% |
| 2021 | 53.6% | +3.4% |
| 2022 | 55.2% | +3.1% |
| 2023 | 56.9% | +3.1% |
| 2024 | 58.7% | +3.2% |
| 2025 | 60.5% | +2.9% |
Burundi compared with similar countries
- Burundi's 60.5% is above the median for low income countries, which is 57.7%, 1.0× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Burundi's 60.5% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 72.2%, 84% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 6.6% | 5.4% | 8.6% | 9 |
| 1990s | 11.3% | 9.4% | 12.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 18.9% | 13.1% | 27.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 41.6% | 30.6% | 50.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 56.1% | 51.9% | 60.5% | 6 |
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 who have completed primary school in Burundi?
- Share of children who have completed primary school in Burundi was 60.5% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in Burundi?
- The highest recorded value was 60.5% in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in Burundi?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.4% in 1981.
- How does Burundi rank for share of children who have completed primary school?
- Burundi ranks 150th out of 165 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of children who have completed primary school rising or falling in Burundi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 39.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Burundi data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children who have completed primary school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of children who are three to five years older than the official age for the last grade of primary education who have successfully completed it. This broader age band is used to include children who started school late or had to resit particular years.