8 Billion Lives
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Where you could be born / Africa / Eastern Africa

Born in Burundi

About 1 in 287 people born in 2023 started life in Burundi. A boy can expect to live 62 years and a girl 66, up from 40 and 42 in 1950. Fewer than half of people live in cities, and 66% have basic drinking water.

1 in 287
odds of being born here
460,900 births · Ranked 58th of 230
62 / 66
years of life, boys / girls
Was 40 / 42 in 1950
$960
income per person a year
2021 dollars · Ranked 199th of 203 · extrapolated
24%
live in a city
Most live in villages

Life and health

Life lasts about 23 years longer than in 1950. Child deaths fell from 276 in every 1,000 births to 49.

How long a life lasts

GirlsBoys

020406080195019852023

Years a baby born that year could expect to live.

Children who die before age 5
0100200300400195019852023

In every 1,000 births.

Life expectancy at birth61.6 years for boys, 65.7 for girlsUN WPP 2024
Children who die before age 548.8 in every 1,000 birthsUN WPP 2024
Deaths a year92,000UN WPP 2024
Doctors per 1,000 people0.1World Bank WDI
Children immunized against measles86%World Bank WDI
Adults living with HIV0.8%World Bank WDI
New tuberculosis cases a year86 per 100,000 peopleWorld Bank WDI
Malaria cases a year323 per 1,000 people at riskWorld Bank WDI

Family

Women had 6.9 children on average in 1950. Now it is 4.9.

Children per woman
02468195019852023

Average over a lifetime.

Children per woman4.88UN WPP 2024
Average age of mothers at birth30.2 yearsUN WPP 2024

Money and work

If every 100 coins of income were shared out, the richest fifth would hold 45 and the poorest fifth 7.

Who gets the income
Share of all income by fifth of the population, 2020
7%Poorest fifth
11%Second
15%Middle
21%Fourth
45%Richest fifth
Income per personabout $960 a year (2021 dollars, adjusted for prices)World Bank PIP, scaled between survey years Extrapolated
Share of income going to the richest fifth / poorest fifth45% / 7% (2020)World Bank PIP
Unemployment0.9% of the workforce (2023)World Bank WDI
Price rises26.9% a year (2023)World Bank WDI
Growth in output per person0.5% (2023)World Bank WDI
Jobs in farming86% of jobsWorld Bank WDI
Self-employed85% of jobs (2025)World Bank WDI
Secondary school enrolment32% (can pass 100 when older students are counted)World Bank WDI

Daily life

The largest city is Bujumbura, with 769,317 people.

24%
live in cities
12%
have electricity at home
66%
have basic drinking water
Largest cities
People living there
Bujumbura769,317
Gitega64,904
Ngozi61,716
Mpanda58,913
Rumonge55,599
Languages
Share of people who can use each
Rundi63%
French59%
Rundi, French is official.

Cities and regions

Every state, province and large city with a page.

Largest regions

Bujumbura Mairie769,317
Gitega108,735
Bubanza89,909
Ngozi61,716
Rumonge55,599
Cibitoke36,959
Kayanza33,682
Cankuzo32,458
Bururi29,685
Bujumbura Rural18,104

Sourced: GeoNames Population of each state, province or region.

All 11 regions
  • Bujumbura Mairie769,317
  • Gitega108,735
  • Bubanza89,909
  • Ngozi61,716
  • Rumonge55,599
  • Cibitoke36,959
  • Kayanza33,682
  • Cankuzo32,458
  • Bururi29,685
  • Bujumbura Rural18,104
  • Kirundo15,511

People on the move

About 4.1% as many people born here live abroad as live here. The most common destinations are Tanzania, Rwanda, DR Congo.

Where people born here live abroad
By country of residence, 2024
Tanzania241,069
Rwanda130,912
DR Congo67,352
Residents born abroad2.8% (2024)World Bank WDI
People born here who live abroadequal to 4.1% of the people who live hereUN DESA migrant stock
Where they go mostTanzania (241,069), Rwanda (130,912), DR Congo (67,352)UN DESA migrant stock
Money sent home from abroadabout $273.1 million a year (2025)World Bank WDI

Safety nets

13% of older people receive a pension. Help for someone who loses a job reaches 0%.

13%
of older people receive a pension (2021)
0%
of unemployed people receive a benefit (2022)

Events in the data

The game draws real events from these records, so a life lived here can meet them.

Reported COVID-19 deaths, 2020 to 202415Our World in Data, from WHO
Significant earthquakes recorded since 19501NOAA NCEI
Deaths in organized violence50,851 between 1991 and 2024UCDP

Now live it.

Born in Burundi, to a family drawn from these numbers. Every life replays exactly from its seed.

Be born in Burundi

Elsewhere in Africa

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How to read the sources. Every figure is sourced to a named dataset, shown beside it. A figure marked "Extrapolated" is estimated by a model because no survey covers the year. UN figures are for 2023, the latest year of UN estimates; other figures are the latest year their dataset has. Rank 1 is the highest figure among 230 countries and territories. All sources and licences