Burundi vs Rwanda: Refugees by country of origin
Burundi
322,462 people
in 2024
Rwanda
249,087 people
in 2024
Burundi rank
14th
Rwanda rank
16th
Refugees by country of origin over time
- Burundi
- Rwanda
How they compare
Burundi currently reports 322,462 people against 249,087 people in Rwanda, a difference of 73,375 people.
That makes Burundi's figure about 1.3 times Rwanda's.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 55 shared years of data; in 1965 it was Rwanda ahead.
Burundi ranks 14th and Rwanda ranks 16th of 204 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Burundi averaged higher in 3 and Rwanda in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Burundi | Rwanda | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1,625 people | 157,750 people | 156,125 people | Rwanda |
| 1970s | 141,181 people | 171,133 people | 29,952 people | Rwanda |
| 1980s | 186,738 people | 331,939 people | 145,201 people | Rwanda |
| 1990s | 418,913 people | 645,849 people | 226,936 people | Rwanda |
| 2000s | 430,074 people | 89,366 people | 340,708 people | Burundi |
| 2010s | 231,269 people | 180,833 people | 50,436 people | Burundi |
| 2020s | 331,921 people | 248,555 people | 83,366 people | Burundi |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher refugees by country of origin, Burundi or Rwanda?
- Burundi, at 322,462 people against 249,087 people in Rwanda as of 2024.
- What is the difference in refugees by country of origin between Burundi and Rwanda?
- 73,375 people, with Burundi ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Burundi and Rwanda?
- 55 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2024.
- How do Burundi and Rwanda rank globally for refugees by country of origin?
- Burundi ranks 14th and Rwanda ranks 16th of 204 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNHCR (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Refugees by country of origin. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
People who fled their country of origin and are in need of international protection. Refugees are those who have already been granted asylum status in the country they moved to. This includes all refugees, not just those who fled that year.