Food imports in Burundi
Burundi: Food imports was 13.7% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Food imports in Burundi, 1965–2023
Source: Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division. Measured in % of merchandise imports.
Analysis
In 2023, food imports in Burundi stood at 13.7%.
That represents a change of up 6.2% on the previous year and down 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, food imports in Burundi peaked at 30.1% in 2012 and was at its lowest, 6.5%, in 2005.
That places Burundi 110th out of 196 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Food imports in Burundi, year by year
| Year | % of merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 17.5% | — |
| 1974 | 21.6% | +23.1% |
| 1975 | 16.2% | -25.0% |
| 1976 | 19.0% | +17.6% |
| 1993 | 15.0% | -21.0% |
| 1994 | 22.1% | +47.3% |
| 1995 | 20.9% | -5.6% |
| 1996 | 15.9% | -24.1% |
| 1997 | 18.4% | +15.9% |
| 1998 | 19.6% | +6.6% |
| 1999 | 11.2% | -43.1% |
| 2000 | 22.9% | +105.6% |
| 2001 | 13.1% | -42.9% |
| 2002 | 11.2% | -14.9% |
| 2003 | 15.6% | +40.1% |
| 2004 | 9.0% | -42.3% |
| 2005 | 6.5% | -27.9% |
| 2006 | 22.2% | +241.5% |
| 2007 | 12.4% | -43.9% |
| 2008 | 11.2% | -9.9% |
| 2009 | 12.5% | +12.0% |
| 2010 | 13.7% | +9.1% |
| 2011 | 24.7% | +80.4% |
| 2012 | 30.1% | +22.1% |
| 2013 | 14.0% | -53.6% |
| 2014 | 13.1% | -6.6% |
| 2015 | 12.6% | -3.4% |
| 2016 | 16.6% | +31.1% |
| 2017 | 19.0% | +14.6% |
| 2018 | 16.7% | -11.7% |
| 2019 | 15.6% | -6.9% |
| 2020 | 14.7% | -5.9% |
| 2021 | 14.3% | -2.4% |
| 2022 | 12.9% | -10.2% |
| 2023 | 13.7% | +6.2% |
Burundi compared with similar countries
- Burundi's 13.7% is below the median for low income countries, which is 21.5%, 63% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
- Burundi's 13.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 20.0%, 68% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Food imports in Burundi changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | +241.5% | 6.5% | 22.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 17.5% | 17.5% | 17.5% | 1 |
| 1970s | 18.9% | 16.2% | 21.6% | 3 |
| 1990s | 17.6% | 11.2% | 22.1% | 7 |
| 2000s | 13.7% | 6.5% | 22.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.6% | 12.6% | 30.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.9% | 12.9% | 14.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Burundi
More private sector data for Burundi
- Merchandise trade 45.2% (2025)
- Manufactures imports 61.1% (2023)
- Merchandise imports 1.19 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 46.0% (2023)
- Manufactures exports 15.2% (2023)
- Merchandise exports 332.00 million current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 23.07 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.0987 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 89.71 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per capita 82.56 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is food imports in Burundi?
- Food imports in Burundi was 13.7% in 2023, according to Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division.
- What is the highest food imports recorded in Burundi?
- The highest recorded value was 30.1% in 2012.
- What is the lowest food imports recorded in Burundi?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.5% in 2005.
- How does Burundi rank for food imports?
- Burundi ranks 110th out of 196 countries with data for 2023.
- Is food imports rising or falling in Burundi?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Burundi data come from?
- The figures come from Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division, published as part of Food imports (% of merchandise imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Food comprises the commodities in SITC (Rev. 3) sections 0 (food and live animals), 1 (beverages and tobacco), and 4 (animal and vegetable oils and fats) and division 22 (oil seeds, oil nuts, and oil kernels). This indicator is expressed as a percentage of merchandise imports which is comprised of goods whose economic ownership is changed between a non-resident and a resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e.