TITLE:
Gross Domestic Product and Economic Growth in Burundi (2005-2024): A Systematic Review of Determinants and Gaps
AUTHORS:
Joseph Ngendabanka, Emmanuel Kwizera, David Byamungu Banguwabo
KEYWORDS:
GDP, Economic Growth, Political Stability, FDI, Inflation, Systematic Review
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Financial Risk Management,
Vol.15 No.4,
October
28,
2026
ABSTRACT: Economic growth is among the most crucial and long-term challenges for Burundi, which remains encumbered by macroeconomic volatility, institutional fragility, and low structural transformation. This paper systematically reviews empirical evidence on the macroeconomic, political and structural determinants of the level of real GDP and its annual growth rate in Burundi following the PRISMA 2020 methodology. Web of Science, Springer Link, Wiley Online Library, Taylor & Francis Online and Google Scholar were searched for records published from January 2005 to December 2024 using terms related to Burundi. 113 records were retrieved, of which 94 remained after duplication and title/abstract screening, while 75 remained after full-text screening. 16 empirical studies were included in this review: Eight Burundi-specific studies form the main evidence base, while a further eight regional studies, in which Burundi appears in the sample, serve as contextual comparative evidence in light of the lack of Burundi-specific estimates. Empirical evidence consistently reports inflation, political instability and conflict as negative correlates of GDP growth, as well as foreign direct investment and trade openness as supporting growth, with the latter doing so mainly in contexts of institutional stability. Major gaps pertain to the informal economy, environment and climate change, digitalization and financial inclusion at the national level, as well as the dearth of non-linear and high-frequency post-2015 and post-COVID-19 period studies.