Burundi
Internet penetration in Burundi remains low, with only about 11.3% of the population having access to the internet as of 2022 according to ITU data. The slow growth in internet usage is attributed to a combination of high costs, limited infrastructure, and the government’s reluctance to liberalise the telecommunications sector.
Internet governance
Internet governance in Burundi is heavily influenced by the country’s political landscape, which is marked by restrictive controls and limited freedoms. The regulatory framework and bodies responsible for overseeing the internet and telecommunications sector face significant challenges, including inadequate infrastructure, and a lack of comprehensive digital policies.
Regulatory Bodies and Their Functions
- Ministry of Communication, Information Technologies and Media: This ministry is the primary governmental body responsible for overseeing the telecommunications sector, including internet governance. It sets policies and regulations for the development and management of telecommunications and information technologies in Burundi.
- Burundi Agency for Regulation and Control of Telecommunications (ARCT): ARCT is the key regulatory authority that implements policies and regulations formulated by the ministry. Its responsibilities include licensing service providers, managing the frequency spectrum, and ensuring compliance with national and international standards. However, ARCT operates under significant political pressure, which often influences its regulatory actions and undermines its independence and effectiveness.
- National Communication Council (CNC): The CNC oversees media regulation, including online content. It has the authority to monitor and control media activities, ensuring they align with government policies. This body often faces criticism for stifling freedom of expression and imposing stringent controls on media outlets, including those operating online.
Digital strategies
Burundi’s National Information and Communication Technologies Development Policy (PNDTIC) 2010-2025 is a comprehensive framework aimed at promoting digital transformation and enhancing the country’s ICT capabilities. This policy sets out several strategic objectives to advance digital infrastructure, improve digital literacy, and foster economic growth through technology.
Key Objectives and Initiatives of PNDTIC 2010-2025
- Enhancing Digital Infrastructure:
- The policy aims to expand broadband networks and improve internet connectivity across the country, particularly focusing on rural and underserved areas. This involves the deployment of fiber-optic cables and the establishment of public Wi-Fi zones to ensure wider access to digital service.
- Promoting Digital Literacy and Education:
- PNDTIC emphasizes integrating digital skills training into the education system. Schools are being equipped with computers and internet access to enhance learning outcomes and prepare students for the digital economy. Workshops and training sessions for ICT focal points in public institutions have been organized to build capacity and improve digital literacy among government employees.
- Fostering Digital Governance and E-Government:
- The policy supports the digitalization of public services to increase efficiency, transparency, and accessibility. This includes the development of e-government platforms to facilitate online service delivery and improve the interaction between the government and citizens.
- Economic Intelligence and Data Security:
- Through partnerships with private sector companies like N-Soft, the policy aims to enhance digital sovereignty and economic intelligence. This involves the use of advanced data processing tools to monitor and regulate economic activities, ensuring data security and supporting informed policy decisions.
- International Collaboration and Support:
- The policy aligns with international best practices and frameworks, benefiting from collaborations with organizations like the World Bank and OECD. These collaborations help Burundi access funding, technical expertise, and policy guidance to support its digital transformation initiatives.
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity in Burundi
Cybersecurity in Burundi is an emerging field that is gaining increasing importance as the country continues to integrate digital technologies into its governmental, economic, and social frameworks. The nation’s efforts in cybersecurity are geared towards protecting critical information infrastructure, securing digital services, and ensuring the safety of its citizens online.
1. Infrastructure and Capability Development: Burundi is at a nascent stage in developing its cybersecurity infrastructure. The government is focused on building foundational capabilities, including establishing regulatory frameworks, improving technical infrastructure, and fostering cybersecurity awareness among the population.
2. Legal and Regulatory Framework: The legal framework for cybersecurity in Burundi is evolving. The government has been working on drafting and implementing laws and regulations to address cyber threats and crimes. This includes efforts to align with international standards and best practices, although comprehensive legislation is still under development.
3. Institutional Setup: The country is in the process of setting up dedicated institutions to oversee and manage cybersecurity. ANATIC is responsible for the development and implementation of ICT policies, including those related to cybersecurity. It coordinates efforts across various sectors to enhance digital security.This agency conducts awareness programs, offers technical support, and collaborates with international partners to strengthen Burundi’s cybersecurity capabilities.
4. Public Awareness and Capacity Building: Raising public awareness about cybersecurity risks and best practices is a priority for Burundi. Initiatives aimed at educating citizens, businesses, and government employees about the importance of cybersecurity are underway. Capacity-building programs are also being implemented to train professionals in the field of cybersecurity.
AI strategies and policies
The artificial intelligence (AI) landscape in Burundi is in its early stages, characterized by growing interest and incremental developments across various sectors. The country is beginning to explore AI’s potential to drive economic growth, improve public services, and address social challenges.
- Researchers in Burundi are embracing AI to tackle challenges in agriculture. A project aimed to develop an AI-based banana disease and pest detection system using deep learning to support farmers.
- EON Reality is expanding its rollout in Burundi, targeting a national rollout with 10,000 tailored AI-driven learning courses and launching a Spatial AI Center and EON AI Autonomous Agents.
The data is sourced from reputable international agencies and organizations. Hover over each field for source information and explanations.
General profile
Official name: Republic of Burundi
National internet domain: BI
Area: 27,834 km2
Capital: Gitega
Population: 13.2 million
The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.Population growth: 2.67
Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.
Life expectancy at birth: 61.98
Total years (Estimate for 2022)The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.
Rule of law estimate: -1.28
Rule of Law captures perceptions of the extent to which agents have confidence in and abide by the rules of society, and in particular the quality of contract enforcement, property rights, the police, and the courts, as well as the likelihood of crime and violence. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from approximately -2.5 to 2.5 (Estimate for 2023)
Regulatory quality estimate: -0.95
Political stability: -1.19
Economic info
Currency: Burundian franc
Unemployment (%): 1.03
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force)The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.
GDP (current US$): 2.6 billion
GDP growth (annual %): 2.70
GDP per capita (current US$): 199.5807602
The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.Inflation, consumer prices (annual %): 26.94
The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.
Digital profile
Internet and social media penetration:
Individuals using the internet, total (%): 11.28
The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.Social media users: 940.4 thousand
Estimate for 2024Male internet users (%): No data
Male internet users as a % of total male population.The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.
Facebook users: 940.4 thousand
Estimate for 2024Female internet users (%): No data
Female Internet users as a % of total female population.The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.
Instagram users: 103.2 thousand
Estimate for 2024Households with internet access at home (%): 18.29
The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.Linkedin users: 85.0 thousand
Estimate for 2024Fixed broadband subscriptions: 0.02
Total fixed broadband subscriptions (per 100 people) refers to fixed subscriptions to high-speed access to the public internet (a TCP/IP connection), at downstream speeds equal to, or greater than, 256 kbit/s.The displayed data represents the most recent information obtained from sources, typically covering the years 2018 to 2023.
X users: 43.6 thousand
Estimate for 2024Mobile infrastructure and access:
Mobile ownership (%): 33.15
Mobile phone ownership as a % of total population (Estimate for 2023)Mobile Infrastructure: 33.02
Mobile Infrastructure index: High-performance mobile internet coverage availability. It includes parameters such as network coverage, performance, quality of supporting infrastructure and amount of spectrum assigned to mobile network operators (Estimate for 2023)Gender gap in mobile internet (%): 93.57
This metric evaluates the disparity in mobile internet access between genders. (Estimate for 2023)Mobile Affordability: 14.44
Mobile Affordability index : The availability of mobile services and devices at price points that reflect the level of income across a national population. It includes parameters such as mobile tariffs, headset prices, taxation and inequality (Estimate for 2023)Gender gap in mobile ownership (%): 89.43
Represents the disparity between genders in owning mobile devices. (Estimate for 2023)Top-Level Domains (TLDs) per person: 19.67
Number of generic and country Top Level Domains per person Estimate for 2023.Network performance: 27.91
Network performance index: Quality of mobile services measured by download speed, upload speed and latencies (Estimate for 2023)Mobile download speeds: 4.03
Mobile download speeds: Average download speed for mobile users (originally in Mbit/s) (Estimate for 2023)Mobile uploads speeds: 6.40
Mobile uploads speeds: average uploads speed for mobile users (originally in Mbit/s) (Estimate for 2023)Mobile Latencies: 73.31
Mobile Latencies: Average latency for mobile users (originally in milliseconds) (Estimate for 2023)Network Coverage (%): 43.58
Network coverage (% of total population) (Estimate for 2023)2G Coverage (%): 96.80
Coverage % of population (Estimate for 2023)3G Coverage (%): 50.60
Coverage % of population (Estimate for 2023)4G Coverage (%): 34.14
Coverage % of population (Estimate for 2023)5G Coverage (%): 0
Coverage % of population (Estimate for 2023)Operating system and browser market share estimate
Operating system market share (%):
Desktop, Tablet & Console Operating System Market Share: Estimate for 2024Browser market share (%):
Browser Market Share Worldwide: Estimate for 2024Android: 69.97
Chrome: 82.71
Win10: 10.44
Safari: 3.10
iOS: 3.48
Edge: 3.12
OS X: 0.70
Firefox: 1.75
Win11: 4.65
Samsung Internet: 1.20
The UN E-Government Survey
The UN E-Government Survey is the assessment of the digital government landscape across all UN member states. The E-Government Survey is informed by over two decades of longitudinal research, with a ranking of countries based on the UN E-Government Development Index (EGDI), a combination of primary data (collected and owned by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs) and secondary data from other UN agencies.E-Government Rank: 183
Nations E-Government Development Index (EGDI), a combination of primary data (collected and owned by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs) and secondary data from other UN agencies. Estimate gives the country's rank.E-Government Index: 0.24
The EGDI is a composite measure of three important dimensions of e-government, namely: provision of online services, telecommunication connectivity and human capacity. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from approximately 0 to 1.E-Participation Index: 0.21
The E-Participation Index (EPI) is derived as a supplementary index to the United Nations E-Government Survey. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from approximately 0 to 1.Online Service Index: 0.31
The online services index was developed by the UN to evaluate the scope and quality of government online services. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from approximately 0 to 1.Human Capital Index: 0.39
The Human Capital Index (HCI) quantiï¬es the contribution of health and education to the productivity of the next generation of workers. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from approximately 0 to 1.Telecommunication Infrastructure Index: 0.03
Telecommunication Infrastructure Index- Telecommunication Infrastructure Index (TII) Composite Indicator that measures the countries' Telecommunication infrastructure readiness to adopt the opportunities offered by Information and Communication Technology as to enhance their competitiveness. Estimate gives the country's score ranging from approximately 0 to 1.Government AI Readiness Index
Ranking: 182
Global Ranking is calculated based on the total score. (Estimate for 2024).Total: 21.13
The total score is calculated by taking the arithmetic mean of each dimension, followed by the arithmetic mean of each pillar. The final score is the arithmetic mean of the three pillars, with all indicators, dimensions, and pillars weighted equally. (Estimate for 2024).Government: 16.62
This pillar evaluates a government's readiness and capability to implement AI responsibly and effectively. It includes several dimensions: the presence of a national AI strategy (Vision), regulations for data protection, privacy, and cybersecurity, along with ethical frameworks and accountability measures (Governance and Ethics). It also considers the existing IT infrastructure, online services, and promotion of emerging technology investments (Digital Capacity). Finally, it assesses the government’s ability to change and innovate effectively, including responsiveness to change, effectiveness, and use of procurement data (Adaptability). (Estimate for 2024).Technology Sector: 18.95
This pillar assesses the country's technology sector and its ability to support AI implementation. It includes the maturity of the sector, measured by metrics such as the number of AI and non-AI unicorns, value of trade in ICT services and goods, and spending on computer software (Maturity). It also evaluates the sector's capacity for innovation, considering factors like time spent dealing with regulations, availability of venture capital, R&D spending, company investment in emerging technology, and research papers published in AI (Innovation Capacity). Additionally, it examines the availability of skills within the population, focusing on STEM graduates, GitHub users, female STEM graduates, quality of engineering education, and ICT skills (Human Capital). (Estimate for 2024).Data and Infrastructure: 27.84
This pillar evaluates a country’s technological and data infrastructure to support AI implementation. It examines the quality of technological infrastructure, including telecommunications, supercomputing capabilities, broadband quality, 5G infrastructure, and the adoption of emerging technologies (Infrastructure). It also assesses the availability of data for training AI models, considering factors such as open data, data governance, mobile-cellular subscriptions, household internet access, and statistical capacity (Data Availability). Additionally, it considers the representativeness of the available data, focusing on metrics like the gender gap in internet access and the affordability of internet-enabled devices relative to GDP per capita (Data Representativeness). (Estimate for 2024).