digifyworld
🇧🇮
Languages

Languages of Burundi

BujumburaLocal time

Languages, writing systems and language context

Uburundi
COUNTRY LANGUAGE PROFILE
Ikirundi
Kirundi
Text direction: LTR

Kirundi is Burundi's national language. Under the law governing language status, Kirundi, French and English are official languages, while Kiswahili is treated as a regional communication language.

3
Core languages shown
Country-level reference set
Kirundi
First listed core language
Not a speaker-share estimate
1
Writing system represented
Across the core language set
LTR
Primary text direction
Additional directions noted below

Language Overview

KirundiFrenchEnglish

Read the Characters

Kirundi · 26 characters

Kirundi · 26 characters
A
a
B
b
C
c
D
d
E
e
F
f
G
g
H
h
I
i
J
j
K
k
L
l
M
m
N
n
O
o
P
p
Q
q
R
r
S
s
T
t
U
u
V
v
W
w
X
x
Y
y
Z
z

How to Read the Language Landscape

PolicyLegal and administrative language status may differ between national and subnational government.
Everyday useA language can be socially dominant without being the only language used at home, school, work or in media.
Community diversityIndigenous, minority, migrant and sign languages can remain important even when they are not part of a short national headline list.

Frequently Asked Questions

What languages are used in Burundi?

Kirundi is Burundi's national language. Under the law governing language status, Kirundi, French and English are official languages, while Kiswahili is treated as a regional communication language.

What writing systems are used in Burundi?

The represented writing system is Latin and the primary direction shown is left to right.

More about Burundi

Explore Burundi across the other DigifyWorld country-data sections.

Public HolidaysPublic holidays 2026 and 2027→Digital AdoptionInternet, payments and digital government→Population & DemographicsPopulation, age structure and projections→Economy SnapshotGDP, trade and economic structure→Currency & ExchangeCurrency, exchange rates and money→Human DevelopmentHDI and quality-of-life indicators→Geography & EnvironmentLand, climate and environment→Practical Country InfoTime, driving, electricity and codes→EducationSchool system and education data→

Sources & methodology

View sources used for this page
Burundi legal database: Law on the Status of Languages

Official Burundian legal database entry for the language-status law. The law identifies Kirundi as the national language and Kirundi, French and English as official languages.

Unicode CLDR: Country/Region Names

Localized country display-name reference. CLDR names are customary UI/display names, not claims about a state’s full constitutional long-form name.

Unicode: Supported Scripts

Reference for the writing-system/script families represented in the character component.

Unicode: Writing Direction and Bidirectional Text

Reference for left-to-right and right-to-left script direction and bidirectional text behavior.

Unicode Character Database: NamesList

Reference for Unicode character names used as small readout labels under selected character samples; these labels are not presented as a complete transliteration standard.