Burundi Military Strength (2026): Army, Air Force, Navy & Budget

Burundi armed forces in numbers

Finance

Military spending: $227 million#123 of 156
Military spending as % of GDP: 3.2%#24 of 156

Equipment and personnel: Global Firepower 2023 military strength ranking (2023). Spending: World Bank / SIPRI military expenditure data (CC BY 4.0).

Burundi military spending 2012–2025

$5912'

$6113'

$6214'

$6615'

$6616'

$6417'

$6518'

$8519'

$6720'

$6821'

$10122'

$14523'

$17224'

$22725'

Military spending of Burundi grew by 284% between 2012 and 2025, from $59 million to $227 million (current US dollars), and stood at 3.2% of GDP in 2025.

Armed forces of Burundi

Branches and forces

Burundi National Defense Force (BNDF; Force de Defense Nationale du Burundi, FDNB): Land Force (Army), Naval Force, Air Force, Specialized Units Ministry of Interior, Community Development, and Public Security: Burundi National Police (Police Nationale du Burundi, PNB) (2024)

Personnel

limited available information; estimated 25-30,000 active-duty Defense Force troops (2025)

Service age and conscription

18 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women (2025)

Equipment and suppliers

the military has a mix of mostly older armaments typically of French, Russian, and Soviet origin, and a smaller selection of more modern equipment from such countries as China, Egypt, South Africa, and the US (2025)

Deployments abroad

770 Central African Republic (MINUSCA); up to 10,000 Democratic Republic of the Congo (2025)

Good to know

the National Defense Force (FDNB) is responsible for defending Burundi’s territorial integrity and protecting its sovereignty; it has an internal security role, including maintaining and restoring public order if required; the FDNB also participates in providing humanitarian/disaster assistance, countering terrorism, narcotics trafficking, piracy, and illegal arms trade, and protecting the country’s environment; the FDNB conducts limited training with foreign partners such as Russia and participates in regional peacekeeping missions, most recently in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Somalia; in recent years the FDNB has conducted operations against anti-government rebel groups based in the neighboring DRC that have carried out sporadic attacks in Burundi, such as the such as National Forces of Liberation (FNL), the Resistance for the Rule of Law-Tabara (aka RED Tabara), and Popular Forces of Burundi (FPB or FOREBU); Burundi has accused Rwanda of supporting the RED-Tabara the Arusha Accords that ended the 1993-2005 civil war created a unified military by balancing the predominantly Tutsi ex-Burundi Armed Forces (ex-FAB) and the largely Hutu dominated armed movements and requiring the military to have a 50/50 ethnic mix of Tutsis and Hutus (2025)

Military expenditure (% of GDP)

2024: 3.5% · 2023: 3% · 2022: 2.6% · 2021: 2% · 2020: 2.1%

Forces and service: CIA World Factbook (public domain).

Burundi compared with its neighbours

Country	Strength rank	Military spending
Burundi	—	$227 million
Tanzania	#101	$1.0 billion
Rwanda	—	$191 million
DR Congo	#72	$1.2 billion

Frequently asked questions about the Burundi military

How strong is the military of Burundi?

Burundi is not covered by the Global Firepower ranking. It spent $227 million on its military in 2025 (3.2% of GDP).

How much does Burundi spend on its military?

$227 million in 2025, or 3.2% of GDP. Since 2012 spending has risen by 284% in current US dollars.

Is there conscription in Burundi?

18 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women (2025)

How many soldiers does Burundi have?

limited available information; estimated 25-30,000 active-duty Defense Force troops (2025)

Military strength ranking Neighbouring countries of Burundi