9 answers, 2 from Burundi's own official bodies, with a link to each figure.
2,849,953 pupils were enrolled in Burundi's basic education (école fondamentale) in 2023-2024, according to the INSBU Statistical Yearbook 2024, up from 2,822,040 a year earlier. They were taught by 56,999 teachers, with 50 pupils per teacher and 70 pupils per classroom.
The yearbook uses data from the Ministry of National Education and Scientific Research, and also reports pre-school, post-basic secondary and higher education figures.
71.3% of adults in Burundi aged 15 and over could read and write in 2020, up from 68.4% in 2017, according to UNESCO data published by the World Bank.
The figures come from household surveys, where people report whether they can read and write a simple sentence in any language. Literacy is higher among young people than older adults, reflecting the expansion of schooling. The INSBU Statistical Yearbook 2024 reports school enrolment by level.
The figures below use one definition for every country, so they can differ from national figures.
The latest figure from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, for 2018, is 92.8%. The peak was 95.4% in 2010 and the low 57.7% in 2005. Across Sub-Saharan Africa the middle value was 90.7%, and Burundi placed 8th highest of 19. World rank, highest first: 36th of 69.
The latest figure from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, for 2025, is 23.1%. Its high point since 2005 was 2017, at 48.2%; its low point was 2005, at 13.0%.
In 2025, gross tertiary enrolment in Burundi was 6.4%, according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics. It is the top of the series, which starts in 2005.
According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, the adult literacy rate in Burundi was 71.3% in 2020. That compares with 48.1% in 2008. It is 4th highest of 8 in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the median is 70.7%. World rank, highest first: 36th of 41.
The latest figure from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, for 2025, is 4.5% of GDP. Its high point since 2005 was 2014, at 6.8% of GDP; its low point was 2005, at 3.6% of GDP.
According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, the number of primary pupils per teacher in Burundi was 43 in 2018. No year since 2005 has been lower. It is 6th highest of 23 in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the median is 39. Worldwide: 8th of 85.
The UNESCO Institute for Statistics puts the primary completion rate in Burundi at 47.6% in 2020. Since 2005 it has ranged from 34.9% (2005) to 69.1% (2013). Sub-Saharan Africa median: 73.6%; Burundi is 22nd highest of 22. Worldwide: 128th of 128.
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