Sub-Saharan Africa

A life that begins in Burundi

One in every 281 babies in the world is born here: about 477,906 a year, 0.91 a minute.

Population: 14,390,003
Births a year: 477,906
Life expectancy: 63.8
Children who die before 5 (per 1,000): 47.1

Health and survival

Life expectancy, women (years)
65.9
World: 75.9
Life expectancy, men (years)
61.8
World: 71
Babies who die before 1 (per 1,000)
30.5
World: 27.8
Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)
47.1
World: 37.6
Mothers who die in childbirth (per 100,000 births)
392
World: 189
Adults living with HIV (%)
0.8
World: 0.7
Adults who smoke (%)
10
World: 20
Alcohol per adult (litres a year)
4.2
World: 4.6
Road deaths (per 100,000)
35.5
World: 17
Homicides (per 100,000)
5.7
World: 4.7

Family and school

Children per woman
4.79
World: 2.85
Women married before 18 (%)
19
World: 18
Children in primary school (%)
93
World: 89
Secondary school enrolment (%)
23
World: 81
Higher education enrolment (%)
6
World: 48
Children aged 7–14 who work (%)
31.9
World: 11.9

Money and work

Income per person (PPP)
$1,067
World: $21,797
Income inequality (Gini, 0–100)
38
World: 34
Living on under $3 a day (%)
74.2
World: 9.9
Unemployment (%)
0.92
World: 5.1
Jobs in farming (%)
85
World: 27
Women in the workforce (%)
80
World: 48
Health costs paid out of pocket (%)
24
World: 37

Home and connection

Living in cities (%)
26
World: 58
Access to electricity (%)
20
World: 92
Safe drinking water (%)
66
World: 91
Internet users (%)
9
World: 72

Peace and wellbeing

Life satisfaction (0–10)
3.78
World: 5.4
Deaths in armed conflict (per 100,000 a year)
0.41
World: 2.43
Refugees abroad (% of population)
2.21
World: 0.34

From 1960 to 2050

How life here has changed, and where UN projections expect it to go. The dashed part is a projection.

Life expectancy

1960: 43.2 → 2026: 63.9 → 2050: 67.6

World

Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)

1960: 240 → 2026: 43 → 2050: 13

World

Children per woman

1960: 7 → 2026: 4.6 → 2050: 3

World

Living in cities (%)

1960: 2 → 2026: 26 → 2050: 44

World

Nobody chooses where they are born

In the game, the country is drawn by the real share of births: Burundi comes up about once in every 281 lives.

Other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa

All 178 countries →

Sources: World Bank (WDI), UN World Population Prospects, Our World in Data, World Happiness Report, UCDP and PRIO. Updated 2026-10-18.