Burundi: crime and justice

How many prisoners are there in Burundi?

Burundi's prisons held 10,006 people in 2024, of whom 6,141 were awaiting trial, according to judicial statistics in the INSBU Statistical Yearbook 2024. The prison population was 13,565 in 2023.

The official capacity of Burundi's prisons was 4,294 places in 2023, when they held 13,565 people, about 3.2 times capacity. In 2024 there were 792 women and 139 minors in prison. The figures come from the Ministry of Justice's judicial statistics yearbook. The yearbook also reports a court backlog of 32,001 cases in 2024.

Official sources: INSBU: Statistical Yearbook 2024 (PDF)

Does Burundi publish crime statistics?

Burundi publishes judicial and prison statistics but no regular recorded-crime series was found on the sites of the Ministry of Justice or INSBU, checked on 15 October 2026. The INSBU Statistical Yearbook 2024 reports court activity, criminal judgments by type of offence where available, and prison numbers.

The most recent internationally published homicide figure is 5.6 intentional homicides per 100,000 people in 2016, from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, published by the World Bank.

Official sources: INSBU: Statistical Yearbook 2024 (PDF) · World Bank: Intentional homicides (UNODC), Burundi

What is the murder rate in Burundi?

According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the intentional homicide rate in Burundi was 5.6 per 100,000 in 2016. Sub-Saharan Africa median: 5.6 per 100,000; Burundi is 9th highest of 17. Of 120 countries with 2016 data, 43rd highest.

How many women are murdered in Burundi?

The latest figure from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, for 2016, is 2.2 per 100,000. Across Sub-Saharan Africa the middle value was 2.5 per 100,000, and Burundi placed 6th highest of 8. Of 103 countries with 2016 data, 36th highest.

How many men are killed in Burundi?

The UN Office on Drugs and Crime puts the homicide rate for men in Burundi at 9.2 per 100,000 in 2016. It is 5th highest of 8 in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the median is 9.9 per 100,000. Worldwide: 36th of 102.

How many battle deaths has Burundi had?

According to the Uppsala Conflict Data Program, battle-related deaths in Burundi was 19 in 2024. Its high point since 2005 was 2005, at 298; its low point was 2019, at 16. Across Sub-Saharan Africa the middle value was 164, and Burundi placed 17th highest of 20. World rank, highest first: 35th of 41.