Religion in Burundi
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Religion in Burundi is diverse, with Christianity being the predominant faith. Catholicism is the largest Christian denomination in the country, followed by Protestantism. Islam is the second largest religion, though its demographic share of the population has been subject to dispute.[2]
Burundi is a secular state and its constitution grants complete freedom of religious practice. Religious festivals including Good Friday, Ascension Day, Assumption Day, All Saints' Day, Christmas, Eid al-Fitr, and Eid al-Adha are recognised as national holidays.[3]
Statistics
According to a 2017 estimate in the CIA Factbook, about 94% of the population of Burundi is Christian (58.6% being Catholic, 35.3% being Protestant), 3.4% is Muslim (mainly Sunni), while 2.3% or 'other' or 'none'.[4][5][6]
An estimate by the Encyclopedia of Africa in 2010, states that 67% of the Burundi's people are Christians, 23% follow traditional religions, and 10% are Muslims or adherents of other faiths.[7]
Censuses
The share of Christians increased from 78.8% to 85.3% of the total population between the 1990 and 2008 population and housing censuses. Similarly, the proportion of Muslims grew from 1.6% to 2.5%, and adherents of other religions also expanded from 0.6% to 6.1% of Burundians in the same period. Conversely, the share of those with an unknown religious affiliation has declined significantly from 18.7% to 6.1% by 2008.[8][9]
Both Christian and Muslim groups allege that the Muslim population has been undercounted and may constitute upward of 12–15% of the Burundian population.[2]
| Religion | 1990[8] | 2008[9] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | |
| Christianity | 4,174,891 | 78.8 | 6,874,687 | 85.3 |
| —Catholicism | 3,443,087 | 65.0 | 4,941,833 | 61.3 |
| —Protestantism | 729,682 | 13.8 | 1,907,400 | 23.7 |
| —Jehovah's Witnesses | 25,454 | 0.3 | ||
| Islam | 83,528 | 1.6 | 200,509 | 2.5 |
| Traditional faiths | 18,251 | 0.3 | 2,747 | 0.0 |
| Other | 30,651 | 0.6 | 494,533 | 6.1 |
| Unknown | 987,594 | 18.7 | 491,098 | 6.1 |
| Total | 5,292,793 | 100 | 8,063,574 | 100 |
History
Christianity
The earliest Christian missions arrived in 1879, but the missionaries were killed, and the king of Burundi, who ruled through 1908, had no interest in foreign theology or imported goods.[10]
Larger Christian missions arrived in Burundi in the early 20th century, during its German colonial rule era, and followed by its Belgian colonial rule era.[11] Catholic and Protestant missionaries arrived in the first two decades of the 20th century, while the 1920s saw the arrival of Baptists, the 1930s the arrival of Free Methodists and Anglican missionaries.[10] These missions were closely involved with the colonial project. In post-colonial independent Burundi, Christianity has had a deep engagement with political leaders of Burundi, a country with nearly 11 million citizens and one of the most densely populated nations in Africa (over 1000 people per square mile).[11]
The religious institutions within Burundi have both been called upon to help heal social divisions, help end civil chaos after political assassinations, and close wounds of mass violence, but they have also been criticized.[12] Some, such as Timothy Longman - a professor and director of the African Studies Center, state that the colonial officials and Christian missionaries assumed the people of the newly conquered lands to be "savage and anarchic", then worsened the ethnic divisions within the Burundi society by assuming that "the peoples of the world could be neatly divided into distinct racial categories and subcategories" in order to competitively convert them to Christianity.[13] The missionaries did not invent ethnic groups, states Longman, because they pre-existed. However, they did create racial significance when these didn't exist before, inadvertently creating ideological divisions and inequalities.[13]
Initial conversions to Catholicism in Burundi were almost exclusively among the Hutu people – the majority in Burundi but one who neither were the rulers nor were part of economic elite. In contrast, the Protestant missionaries gained early conversions in the elite but minority Tutsi people of Burundi.[14] The assumptions about the ethnic differences, states Longman, led to discriminatory practices, questionable distribution of property. The resulting conflicts and retaliatory genocide among the Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups, in Burundi and Rwanda, with which Burundi shares history and culture, have attracted widespread dismay and attention.[15]
In the post-colonial contemporary era, Mushasha in the Gitega Province of Burundi serves as its archbishop's seat.[10] The traditional Catholic and Protestant community has been losing members to more emotional Evangelical Protestantism.[10]
Islam
Islam arrived in Burundi some 200 years before Christianity through Sunni Arab-Swahili traders active in the Lake Tanganyika region.[10] However, Islam has been a minority religion with some presence in the trading towns near the Lake.[10]
Freedom of Religion
In 2022, Freedom House rated Burundi's religious freedom as 3 out of 4,[16] noting that relations between the government and the Catholic Church have worsened in recent years.
Gitega Church
Bujumbura Mosque
See also
References
- "National Profiles". Archived from the original on 10 October 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
The Muslim population is estimated to be as high as 10 percent.
- "2023 Report on International Religious Freedom: Burundi". United States Department of State (USDOS). 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
Both Christian and Muslim groups believe the Muslim population is underreported and may constitute as much as 12-15 percent of the population.
- "Republic of Burundi". East African Federation. July 2007. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
- "CIA Factbook, Retrieved 2023-04-25". Archived from the original on 4 September 2025. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
- "Africa :: Burundi". CIA The World Factbook. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- U.S. Department of State
- Anthony Appiah; Henry Louis Gates (2010). Encyclopedia of Africa. Oxford University Press. p. 221. ISBN 978-0-19-533770-9. Archived from the original on 23 December 2024. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
- "Population by religion, sex and urban/rural residence: each census, 1985 - 2004" (PDF). United Nations Statistics Division. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
- "Population by religion, sex and urban/rural residence - Burundi". UNdata. 10 August 2026. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
- Toyin Falola; Daniel Jean-Jacques (2015). Africa: An Encyclopedia of Culture and Society. ABC-CLIO. p. 121. ISBN 978-1-59884-666-9.
- Elias Kifon Bongmba (2015). Routledge Companion to Christianity in Africa. Routledge. pp. 365–67. ISBN 978-1-134-50577-7.
- Elias Kifon Bongmba (2015). Routledge Companion to Christianity in Africa. Routledge. pp. 369–372, 550–551. ISBN 978-1-134-50577-7.
- Timothy Longman (2010). Christianity and Genocide in Rwanda. Cambridge University Press. pp. 42–46, 62–63. ISBN 978-0-521-19139-5.
- Timothy Longman (2010). Christianity and Genocide in Rwanda. Cambridge University Press. pp. 46–48. ISBN 978-0-521-19139-5.
- Timothy Longman (2010). Christianity and Genocide in Rwanda. Cambridge University Press. pp. 14–15. ISBN 978-0-521-19139-5.
- "Freedom House, Retrieved 2023-04-25". Archived from the original on 12 July 2025. Retrieved 27 April 2023.
Freedom of religion in Burundi
 | This article has an unclear citation style. (February 2010) |
The Constitution of Burundi provides for freedom of religion, and the Government generally respects this right in practice. Government policy contributes to the generally free practice of religion. In a 2007 US Government study, there were no reports of societal abuses or discrimination based on religious belief or practice.[1]
Religious demography
The country has an area of 10,747 square miles (27,830 km2) and a population of 8,390,500. Although reliable statistics on the followers of various religious groups are not available, sources[who?] estimate the Christian population to be 67 percent, with Roman Catholics representing the largest group at 62 percent. Protestant and Anglican practitioners comprise the remaining 5 percent. The local representative of the Holy See estimates the Catholic population to be closer to 65 percent. An estimated 23 percent of the population adheres to traditional indigenous religious beliefs; some of the traditional indigenous groups promoted cures for HIV, AIDS and other ailments. The Muslim population is estimated to be as high as 10 percent, the majority of whom live in urban areas. Sunnis make up the majority of the Muslim population, and the remainder is Shi'a.
Foreign missionary groups are active in the country.
Status of religious freedom
Legal and policy framework
The Constitution, promulgated in March 2005, provides for freedom of religion, and the Government generally respected this right in practice. The Government sought to protect this right and did not tolerate its abuse, either by governmental or private actors. Discrimination on the basis of religious conviction is prohibited. A 1992 law covering nonprofit organizations, including religious groups, is the basis for the recognition and registration of religious bodies.
There is no state religion.
The Government requires religious groups to register with the Ministry of the Interior. Each association with a religious nature must file the following with the ministry: the denomination or affiliation of the religious institution, a copy of its statutes, the address of its headquarters in the country, an address abroad if the local religious institution is a subsidiary, and information about the association's governing body and legal representative. If an association with a religious nature fails to register with the Ministry, its representative is reminded of the requirement to do so. If the representative does not comply, the place of worship or association is instructed to close down. Although the representative of the religious institution or association can be jailed for 6 months to 5 years for failing to comply with these instructions, during the reporting period no representative received this penalty.
The Government requires that all religious groups maintain a headquarters in the country.
While there is no law that accords tax exemptions to religious groups, the Government often waives taxes on imported religious articles used by religious institutions and on the importation by religious institutions of goods destined for social development purposes. The Finance Ministry negotiates these exemptions on a case-by-case basis, and there is no indication of religious bias in the awarding of such exemptions.
The heads of major religious organizations are accorded diplomatic status. Foreign missionary groups openly promote their religious beliefs. The Government has welcomed their development assistance.
The Government recognizes Catholic holy days, including the Assumption, the Ascension, All Saints' Day, and Christmas. In 2005 the Government also officially recognized the Islamic holy days of Eid al-Fitr, commemorating the end of Ramadan, and Eid al-Adha, which is celebrated at the end of the Hajj.
Restrictions on religious freedom
Government policy and practice contributed to the generally free practice of religion.
Abuses of religious freedom
There were no known abuses of religious freedom by the Government during the period covered by this report.
In the past, the Party for the Liberation of the Hutu People-National Liberation Force (PALIPEHUTU-FNL) was considered responsible for the killings of religious adherents, including five civilians attending a religious service in Bujumbura Rural Province in June 2005 and Catholic priest Gerard Nzeyimana in Makamba Province in October 2004. No one has been charged in these killings.
There were no reports of religious prisoners or detainees in the country.
Forced religious conversion
There were no reports of forced religious conversion, including of minor U.S. citizens who had been abducted or illegally removed from the United States, or of the refusal to allow such citizens to be returned to the United States.
Societal abuses and discrimination
There were no reports of societal abuses or discrimination based on religious belief or practice.
International Views
In 2022, Freedom House rated Burundi religious freedom as 3 out of 4,[2] noting that relations between the government and the Roman Catholic Church have worsened in recent years.
A 2021 report noted that the government recognizes and registers religious groups through a 2014 law governing the operational framework of religious groups, which states these organizations must register with the Ministry of Interior.[3]
See also
References
Sources
- United States Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. Burundi: International Religious Freedom Report 2007. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
