01Key Takeaways
- Burundi's exports totaled $217.47 million in 2023, up 4.6% from $207.87 million in 2022, the highest annual total in the five-year period.
- The United Arab Emirates was the top buyer at 37.0% of exports worth $80.46 million, ahead of the Democratic Republic of the Congo at 20.4%.
- The top three destinations together made up 63.8% of total export value.
- Precious metals, stones and jewellery led all export categories at 34.5% of total value ($74.98 million), narrowly ahead of coffee, tea and spices at 27.8%.
025-Year Trend
| Year | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $180.9M | $161.4M | $163.7M | $207.9M | $217.5M |
03Top Export Markets (2023)
| Rank | Partner | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United Arab Emirates | $80.5M | 37.0% |
| 2 | Congo - Kinshasa | $44.4M | 20.4% |
| 3 | Switzerland | $13.9M | 6.4% |
| 4 | Belgium | $8.9M | 4.1% |
| 5 | Sudan | $8.6M | 4.0% |
| 6 | Pakistan | $6.5M | 3.0% |
| 7 | Tanzania | $6.1M | 2.8% |
| 8 | Rwanda | $5.8M | 2.7% |
| 9 | Germany | $5.4M | 2.5% |
| 10 | Areas, nes | $5.2M | 2.4% |
04Top Export Categories (2023)
| Rank | Category | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Natural or Cultured Pearls, Precious or Semi-Precious Stones, Precious Metals, Metals Clad with Precious Metal, and Articles thereof; Imitation Jewellery; Coin | $75.0M | 34.5% |
| 2 | Coffee, Tea, Mate and Spices | $60.5M | 27.8% |
| 3 | Beverages, Spirits and Vinegar | $12.5M | 5.8% |
| 4 | Tobacco and Manufactured Tobacco Substitutes | $11.0M | 5.0% |
| 5 | Products of the Milling Industry; Malt; Starches; Inulin; Wheat Gluten | $10.0M | 4.6% |
| 6 | Iron and Steel | $8.9M | 4.1% |
| 7 | Glass and Glassware | $6.2M | 2.8% |
| 8 | Soap, Organic Surface-Active Agents, Washing Preparations, Lubricating Preparations, Artificial Waxes, Prepared Waxes, Polishing or Scouring Preparations, Candles and similar Articles, Modelling Pastes, Dental Waxes and Dental Preparations with a basis of Plaster | $5.6M | 2.6% |
| 9 | Mineral Fuels, Mineral Oils and Products of their Distillation; Bituminous Substances; Mineral Waxes | $4.1M | 1.9% |
| 10 | Ores, Slag and Ash | $4.1M | 1.9% |
05Trade Partner Map
06Analysis
UAE and DR Congo Anchor Burundi's Export Markets
Burundi shipped $217.47 million worth of goods abroad in 2023, the latest year with verified trade data in this dataset. That total marks a rise of 4.6% from the $207.87 million recorded in 2022, extending a recovery to the highest annual figure in the five-year span this dataset covers. United Arab Emirates was the largest buyer, absorbing 37.0% of the total, worth $80.46 million.
Congo - Kinshasa ranked second at 20.4% ($44.41 million), ahead of Switzerland at 6.4% ($13.92 million) and Belgium at 4.1% ($8.93 million). Sudan took fifth place at 4.0% ($8.61 million), followed by Pakistan at 3.0% ($6.49 million) and Tanzania at 2.8% ($6.13 million). Rwanda took eighth place at 2.7% ($5.85 million), Germany added 2.5% ($5.40 million), and an aggregated "areas not elsewhere specified" reporting category rounded out the top ten at 2.4% ($5.22 million). Together, the top three destinations made up 63.8% of total export value.
The UAE's leading position traces to a single commodity. Trading Economics reports that gold in unwrought or semi-manufactured form accounted for $74.97 million of Burundi's $80.46 million in exports to the UAE in 2023, meaning gold alone explains nearly all of the trade with Burundi's top buyer. Dubai has become one of the main global entry points for gold originating in the African Great Lakes region, including material that moves informally across borders before being exported. The Democratic Republic of the Congo's second-place position fits that same regional pattern, reflecting Burundi's role as a transit point for goods, including gold, moving between the two neighboring countries. Switzerland's third-place ranking connects to the same global gold refining industry that dominates several other African gold exporters' buyer lists, while Belgium, Sudan, Pakistan, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Germany round out a top ten spread across regional and international trading relationships. Rwanda and Tanzania's presence, both immediate neighbors, points to the same kind of cross-border overland trade that shapes the Congo relationship, while Sudan and Pakistan's appearance is harder to explain from geography alone and likely reflects specific commodity or trading-house relationships rather than a broad bilateral trade pattern.
Gold and Coffee Dominate a Small, Two-Product Export Base
Natural and cultured pearls, precious and semi-precious stones, precious metals and jewellery led all export categories in 2023, worth $74.98 million and accounting for 34.5% of total export value. Coffee, tea, mate and spices followed closely at 27.8% ($60.54 million), and beverages, spirits and vinegar ranked a distant third at 5.8% ($12.54 million).
Tobacco and related products added 5.0% ($10.97 million), while products of the milling industry contributed 4.6% ($9.96 million). Iron and steel brought in 4.1% ($8.85 million), and glass and glassware added 2.8% ($6.18 million). Soap and related preparations contributed 2.6% ($5.56 million), mineral fuels and mineral oils added 1.9% ($4.10 million), and ores, slag and ash closed out the top ten at 1.9% ($4.05 million).
Gold and coffee together make up close to two out of every three dollars of Burundi's export value, leaving a fairly narrow base beyond those two categories. Coffee's strong second-place position reflects a crop that has anchored Burundi's export economy for decades, grown on small plots across the country's highlands and central to rural livelihoods well beyond what the export figures alone capture. Beverages and tobacco extend a modest agricultural processing base, while iron and steel, glass, and soap point to small-scale manufacturing serving regional markets rather than global export volumes. Mineral fuels and ores round out a top ten where, outside of gold and coffee, no single category comes close to matching the scale of the top two.
A Recovery to a Five-Year High
Burundi's exports followed an uneven path over the past five years before recovering to a new high. Exports fell from $180.85 million in 2019 to $161.44 million in 2020, likely reflecting disrupted shipping and softer demand during the early stages of the global pandemic, then held roughly steady at $163.66 million in 2021, before climbing to $207.87 million in 2022 and rising a further 4.6% to $217.47 million in 2023.
The steady climb since 2020, without the sharp single-year swings seen in some other export profiles built around gold, suggests Burundi's total has grown gradually rather than tracking one volatile commodity price alone. For a closer look at how individual partner countries or product categories break down year over year, the data panels above provide the full detail behind these figures.