Burundi: Battle-related deaths (number of people)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Burundi's battle-related deaths (number of people) fell 77.9% on 2023 (from 86 to 19).

Across the 16 yearly changes before that (1992 to 2023), the average change was +64.1% and a typical year strayed about 176.2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 582.1% in 1995 and the biggest yearly fall was 77.9% in 2024. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, Burundi had the 31st highest value of the 35 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Burundi in the 2024 ranking

• Thailand — 28th of 35: 35
• Türkiye — 29th of 35: 34
• Angola — 30th of 35: 25
• Bangladesh — 32nd of 35: 2
• Libya — 33rd of 35: 2
• South Sudan — 34th of 35: 2

What this measures

Battle-related deaths are deaths in battle-related conflicts between warring parties in the conflict dyad (two conflict units that are parties to a conflict). Battle-related deaths refer to those deaths caused by the warring parties that can be directly related to combat. This includes battlefield fighting, guerrilla activities (e.g. hit and-run attacks/ambushes) and all kinds of bombardments of military bases, cities and villages etc. The target for the attacks is either the military forces or representatives for the parties, though there is often substantial collateral damage in the form of civilians being killed in the crossfire, indiscriminate bombings, etc. All fatalities, military as well as civilian, incurred in such situations are counted as battle-related deaths.

Limitations: While the best estimate for battle-related deaths is considered a conservative minimum, the high estimate may still undercount actual fatalities due to unreported events, and users are cautioned that the apparent precision of the numbers does not eliminate underlying uncertainty.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 23 values

Battle-related deaths (number of people) in nearby economies

• Angola — 25 (2024)
• Cameroon — 231 (2024)
• Central African Republic — 177 (2024)
• Chad — 69 (2024)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 1,138 (2024)
• Ethiopia — 2,824 (2024)
• Kenya — 66 (2024)
• Mali — 1,008 (2024)
• Mozambique — 151 (2024)
• Niger — 952 (2024)
• Nigeria

More public sector data for Burundi

• Military expenditure (current USD) — 226.62 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 670.49 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 3.24% (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) — 14.85% (2025)
• Armed forces personnel, total — 31,000 (2020)
• Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 0.59% (2020)
• CPIA business regulatory environment rating (1=low to 6=high) — 3 (2025)
• CPIA debt policy rating (1=low to 6=high) — 3.5 (2025)
• CPIA economic management cluster average (1=low to 6=high) — 3.17 (2025)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Burundi's battle-related deaths (number of people)?

19 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1991?

It is down 93.01% from 272 in 1991 (7.75% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 1,529 in 2000 and the lowest 16 in 2019.

How does Burundi rank?

31st highest of 35 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in battle-related deaths (number of people) unusual for Burundi?

In 2024, Burundi's battle-related deaths (number of people) fell 77.9% on 2023 (from 86 to 19). Across the 16 yearly changes before that (1992 to 2023), the average change was +64.1% and a typical year strayed about 176.2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator VC.BTL.DETH, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: UCDP Battle-related Deaths Dataset , Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP), uri: https://ucdp.uu.se/downloads/, publisher: Uppsala University Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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