Population and Demographics

As of July 2006, Burundi is projected to have an estimated population of 8,090,068, approximately half of whom are aged 14 or less. This estimate explicitly takes into account the effects of AIDS, which has a significant effect on the demographics of the country.

At around 206 persons per km square, Burundi has the second-largest population density in Sub-Saharan Africa, behind only Rwanda. The population is made up of three major ethnic groups:

• Bahutu (Hutu)
• Batutsi or Watusi (Tutsi)
• Batwa (Twa)

Roughly 85% of the population are of Hutu ethnic origin; most of the remaining population are Tutsi, with a minority of Twa (Pygmy), and a few thousand Europeans and South Asians. The Twa are thought to be the original inhabitants of the area, with Hutu and then Tutsi settlers arriving in the 1300s and 1400s respectively. Although Hutus encompass the majority of the population, historically Tutsis have been politically and economically dominant.

The largest religion is Roman Catholicism (62%), followed by indigenous beliefs (23%) and a minority of Protestants (5%) and Muslims (10%). However, the Anglican Church of Burundi claims over 10% of the population as members and recent reports indicate the Christian population may be as high as 90% with most of the remainder being Muslim.