Academic Freedom Index in Burundi
Burundi: Academic Freedom Index was 0.144 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Academic Freedom Index in Burundi, 1960–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Burundi recorded 0.144 for academic freedom index in 2025.
That represents a change of down 28.4% on the previous year and up 5.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, academic freedom index in Burundi peaked at 0.263 in 1992 and was at its lowest, 0.126, in 1972.
That places Burundi 151st out of 174 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Academic Freedom Index in Burundi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 0.129 | — |
| 1961 | 0.129 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 0.144 | +11.6% |
| 1963 | 0.201 | +39.6% |
| 1964 | 0.222 | +10.4% |
| 1965 | 0.222 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.167 | -24.8% |
| 1967 | 0.158 | -5.4% |
| 1968 | 0.158 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.158 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.144 | -8.9% |
| 1971 | 0.138 | -4.2% |
| 1972 | 0.126 | -8.7% |
| 1973 | 0.126 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.137 | +8.7% |
| 1975 | 0.129 | -5.8% |
| 1976 | 0.165 | +27.9% |
| 1977 | 0.188 | +13.9% |
| 1978 | 0.188 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.182 | -3.2% |
| 1980 | 0.204 | +12.1% |
| 1981 | 0.204 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.204 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.214 | +4.9% |
| 1984 | 0.214 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.214 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.214 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.214 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.235 | +9.8% |
| 1989 | 0.238 | +1.3% |
| 1990 | 0.248 | +4.2% |
| 1991 | 0.248 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 0.263 | +6.0% |
| 1993 | 0.261 | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 0.258 | -1.1% |
| 1995 | 0.258 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.258 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.258 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.258 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.258 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.253 | -1.9% |
| 2001 | 0.253 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.238 | -5.9% |
| 2003 | 0.238 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.238 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.25 | +5.0% |
| 2006 | 0.244 | -2.4% |
| 2007 | 0.244 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.232 | -4.9% |
| 2009 | 0.24 | +3.4% |
| 2010 | 0.212 | -11.7% |
| 2011 | 0.215 | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 0.204 | -5.1% |
| 2013 | 0.196 | -3.9% |
| 2014 | 0.196 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.137 | -30.1% |
| 2016 | 0.127 | -7.3% |
| 2017 | 0.127 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.131 | +3.1% |
| 2019 | 0.134 | +2.3% |
| 2020 | 0.141 | +5.2% |
| 2021 | 0.187 | +32.6% |
| 2022 | 0.241 | +28.9% |
| 2023 | 0.191 | -20.7% |
| 2024 | 0.201 | +5.2% |
| 2025 | 0.144 | -28.4% |
Burundi compared with similar countries
- Burundi's 0.144 is below the median for low income countries, which is 0.326, 44% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Burundi's 0.144 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.519, 28% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Academic Freedom Index 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | +39.6% | 0.144 | 0.201 |
| 2021 | +32.6% | 0.141 | 0.187 |
| 2015 | -30.1% | 0.196 | 0.137 |
| 2022 | +28.9% | 0.187 | 0.241 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.1688 | 0.129 | 0.222 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.1523 | 0.126 | 0.188 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.2155 | 0.204 | 0.238 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.2568 | 0.248 | 0.263 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.243 | 0.232 | 0.253 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1679 | 0.127 | 0.215 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1842 | 0.141 | 0.241 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Burundi
More social development data for Burundi
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 110,800 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 318,291 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 7 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 7 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0221 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 318,291 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0077 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is academic freedom index in Burundi?
- Academic freedom index in Burundi was 0.144 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest academic freedom index recorded in Burundi?
- The highest recorded value was 0.263 in 1992.
- What is the lowest academic freedom index recorded in Burundi?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.126 in 1972.
- How does Burundi rank for academic freedom index?
- Burundi ranks 151st out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is academic freedom index rising or falling in Burundi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Burundi data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Academic Freedom Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Central estimate of the extent to which academics can research, teach, publish, express opinions, and participate in academic bodies without interference, censorship, or institutional restrictions, and universities exercise institutional autonomy.