Plugs and voltage
Burundi uses Types C and E sockets. Mains supply is 220 V at 50 Hz.
At 220 V, devices made only for 100–127 V (many American and Japanese hair dryers, curling irons and some shavers) will be damaged without a step-down converter. Chargers labelled “100–240V” work fine with just a plug adapter.
Money
BIF Burundian Franc BIF
Average in 2025: 1 USD = 2,943 BIF (World Bank). No daily reference rate is published for this currency by the ECB; check a live rate before exchanging.
Price level 46 (US = 100, 2025)
Everyday household prices in Burundi are about 46% of US prices when converted at market exchange rates: cheaper than the median country (50). All countries
Language
- Rundiofficial63%
- Frenchofficial59%
- Englishofficial<1%
Bars show the share of the population that speaks each language (CLDR estimates).
Time
Burundi is on UTC+2, with no daylight saving time.
Driving
Traffic in Burundi drives on the right, so the steering wheel is on the left.
Public holidays in the next 12 months
17 national public holidays from 2 November 2026. Banks, offices and many shops close; regional holidays are not shown. Dates marked “estimated” follow a lunar calendar and can move by a day.
November 2026
- All Saints' Day (observed)
December 2026
- Christmas Day
January 2027
- New Year's Day
February 2027
- Unity Day
March 2027
- Eid al-Fitr (estimated)
April 2027
- Commemoration of the Assassination of President Cyprien Ntaryamira
May 2027
- International Labor Day
- Ascension Day
- Eid al-Adha (estimated)
- Eid al-Adha (observed, estimated)
June 2027
- National Day of Patriotism and Commemoration of the Death of President Pierre Nkurunziza
July 2027
- Independence Day
August 2027
- Assumption Day
- Assumption Day (observed)
October 2027
- Commemoration of the Assassination of National Hero, Prince Louis Rwagasore
- Commemoration of the Assassination of President Melchior Ndadaye
November 2027
- All Saints' Day
Travel advisories
United States · State Department
Level 3 Reconsider travel
Read the full advisory. Checked 2026-11-02.
United Kingdom · FCDO
- FCDO advises against all travel to parts of the country
Updated 2026-05-21. Read the full advice. Checked 2026-11-02.
Advisories are written for each government's own citizens and change without notice: read the original before you travel.
Other practical facts
- Calling code
- +257
- Internet domain
- .bi
- Measurement
- Metric
- Paper size
- A4
- Week starts on
- Monday
- Read more
- Wikipedia
More in Eastern Africa
Flag: Flag of Burundi.svg, Public domain. Arms: Coat of arms of Burundi.svg, Public domain. Electricity: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), see methodology.
