Land use in Burundi
Burundi: Land use was 1.67 million hectares in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
1.67 million hectares
Change on year
up 1.7%
World rank
97th
of 224 countries
All-time high
1.67 million hectares
in 2023
All-time low
905,000 hectares
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Land use in Burundi, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
In 2023, land use in Burundi stood at 1.67 million hectares. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.7% on the previous year and up 19.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use in Burundi peaked at 1.67 million hectares in 2023 and was at its lowest, 905,000 hectares, in 1961.
That places Burundi 97th out of 224 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Land use in Burundi, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 905,000 hectares | — |
| 1962 | 930,000 hectares | +2.8% |
| 1963 | 954,000 hectares | +2.6% |
| 1964 | 974,000 hectares | +2.1% |
| 1965 | 996,000 hectares | +2.3% |
| 1966 | 993,000 hectares | -0.3% |
| 1967 | 1.04 million hectares | +4.5% |
| 1968 | 1.05 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 1969 | 1.25 million hectares | +18.8% |
| 1970 | 1.20 million hectares | -3.8% |
| 1971 | 1.19 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1972 | 1.17 million hectares | -1.9% |
| 1973 | 1.23 million hectares | +5.5% |
| 1974 | 1.23 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 1.23 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 1.24 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 1.26 million hectares | +2.2% |
| 1978 | 1.25 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 1979 | 1.25 million hectares | -0.4% |
| 1980 | 1.25 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 1.25 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 1.25 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 1.25 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 1.25 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 1.25 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 1.27 million hectares | +1.6% |
| 1987 | 1.28 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1988 | 1.29 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1989 | 1.29 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 1.29 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 1.29 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 1.30 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1993 | 1.30 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 1.30 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 1.31 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 1.31 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 1.31 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 1.31 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 1.32 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 1.32 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 1.34 million hectares | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 1.35 million hectares | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 1.35 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 1.36 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 1.34 million hectares | -2.1% |
| 2006 | 1.34 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 1.34 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 1.34 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 1.35 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 1.35 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 1.36 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 1.38 million hectares | +1.4% |
| 2013 | 1.40 million hectares | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 1.43 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 1.46 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 2016 | 1.49 million hectares | +1.9% |
| 2017 | 1.51 million hectares | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 1.54 million hectares | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 1.57 million hectares | +1.8% |
| 2020 | 1.59 million hectares | +1.7% |
| 2021 | 1.62 million hectares | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 1.64 million hectares | +1.5% |
| 2023 | 1.67 million hectares | +1.7% |
Burundi compared with similar countries
- Burundi's 1.67 million hectares is below the median for low income countries, which is 3.60 million hectares, 46% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Burundi's 1.67 million hectares is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.21 million hectares, 52% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.01 million hectares | 905,000 hectares | 1.25 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.22 million hectares | 1.17 million hectares | 1.26 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.26 million hectares | 1.25 million hectares | 1.29 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.30 million hectares | 1.29 million hectares | 1.32 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.34 million hectares | 1.32 million hectares | 1.36 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.45 million hectares | 1.35 million hectares | 1.57 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.63 million hectares | 1.59 million hectares | 1.67 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Burundi
More environment data for Burundi
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -3.89 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -3.95 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate -27.74 % change on previous year (2013)
- Standard Deviation 0.284 °C (2013)
- Temperature change 1.27 °C (2013)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.86 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate 4.57 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use in Burundi?
- Land use in Burundi was 1.67 million hectares in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest land use recorded in Burundi?
- The highest recorded value was 1.67 million hectares in 2023.
- What is the lowest land use recorded in Burundi?
- The lowest recorded value was 905,000 hectares in 1961.
- How does Burundi rank for land use?
- Burundi ranks 97th out of 224 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use rising or falling in Burundi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Burundi data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Land use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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