Burundi: Real interest rate (%)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Burundi's real interest rate (%) rose 0.73 percentage points on 2024 (from -5.68% to -4.95%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1992 to 2024), the average change was −0.61 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 8.98 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations above 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 23 percentage points in 1981 and the biggest yearly fall was 16.92 percentage points in 2000. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is downward, about 1.96 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 52% of the movement over 10 observed years.

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

How it compares

In 2025, Burundi had the 69th highest value of the 73 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 2025 ranking

• Angola — 66th of 73: -0.93%
• Bulgaria — 67th of 73: -2.96%
• New Zealand — 68th of 73: -3.5%
• Bolivia — 70th of 73: -8.11%
• Haiti — 71st of 73: -15.91%
• Zimbabwe — 72nd of 73: -20.07%

What this measures

An interest rate is the amount charged, expressed as a percentage of the principal over a period of time, by the owners of certain kinds of financial assets for putting the financial assets at the disposal of another institutional unit. The real interest rate is the lending interest rate adjusted for inflation as measured by the GDP deflator. The terms and conditions attached to lending rates differ by country, however, limiting their comparability. This indicator is expressed as a percentage (a÷b)*100.

All 46 values

Real interest rate (%) in nearby economies

• Angola — -0.93% (2025)
• Benin — 4.56% (2021)
• Botswana — 4.24% (2024)
• Burkina Faso — 6.13% (2021)
• Cabo Verde — 5.9% (2025)
• Comoros — 0.05% (2022)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 15.12% (2025)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 6.55% (2016)
• Eswatini — 9.45% (2024)
• Gambia, The — 13.08% (2025)
• Guinea-Bissau — 2.51% (2016)
• Kenya

More financial sector data for Burundi

• GDP deflator (base year varies by country) — 718.81 (2025)
• DEC alternative conversion factor (LCU per US$) — US$5,336 (2025)
• Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) — US$2,943 (2025)
• Inflation, GDP deflator (annual % growth) — 18.22% (2025)
• Domestic credit to private sector by banks (% of GDP) — 37.89% (2025)
• Net foreign assets (current LCU) — -2.26 trillion (2025)
• Monetary sector credit to private sector (% of GDP) — 38.54% (2025)
• Broad money (current LCU) — 8.01 trillion (2025)
• Broad money (% of GDP) — 44.6% (2025)
• Claims on central government, etc. (% of GDP)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Burundi's real interest rate (%)?

-4.95% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1978?

It is down 4.5 percentage points from -0.45% in 1978. The highest value was 19.23% in 1981 and the lowest -16.68% in 2000.

How does Burundi rank?

69th highest of 73 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in real interest rate (%) unusual for Burundi?

In 2025, Burundi's real interest rate (%) rose 0.73 percentage points on 2024 (from -5.68% to -4.95%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1992 to 2024), the average change was −0.61 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 8.98 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations above 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 FR.INR.RINR, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF); World Development Indicators, World Bank (WB) 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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