Burundi’s credit to private sector rose to 38.5% of GDP in 2025.

Neither way is good in itself. A higher ratio can mean that more households and firms have access to finance for investment and trade. It can also mean that debts are building up faster than incomes, so the direction alone settles little. The latest figure is 38.5% of GDP in 2025, up from 38.3% a year earlier, a rise of 0.29 percentage points. Since 2016 the low was 14.9% of GDP in 2017, and the 2025 reading is the highest in that span.

Why it matters. At 38.5% of GDP, private borrowing is a large part of the Burundian economy, so credit conditions affect how easily traders, farmers and small firms can fund stock, equipment or expansion. For households, a ratio at this level means loans are a more common tool than they were in 2017. Banks carry more exposure to private borrowers, so repayment trouble in firms or families would reach lenders sooner.