Health Record Rights Index · country brief · this country's data as of October 1, 2026
Who holds the health record in Burundi?
In 2026, Burundi scores 35 out of 100 for how much say a person has over their own health record. It is tied for 121st of 198 countries and territories, and could rank anywhere from 99th to 160th allowing for scoring error, in the Weak band (25 to 44). Who holds the keys: the government. Source: Health Record Rights Index, SuperTruth, this country's data as of October 1, 2026.
The government decides, with limited say for the person. Its strongest right, compared with the typical country, is your say over research use (50 out of 100, against 46 for the typical country). The furthest behind is doctors see it when treating you (22 out of 100, against 33 to 34 for the typical country).
Burundi passed its first data protection law in March 2026, but its regulator is not yet running and hospital records stay in separate systems.
Published · updated · this country's data as of October 1, 2026 · research tool, not legal advice
overall score · Weak band, 25 to 44
35/100
rank among 198 countries and territories; likely 99th to 160th, allowing for scoring error
In 2026, getting your full record scores 40 out of 100 in Burundi; the typical country scores 40 to 45. Since March 2026, Law 1/03 gives a free copy of your data within one month, but medical information goes only through a doctor you name. No national patient portal was found, and the data regulator does not exist yet, so the score sits at 40. Source: ARCT copy of signed text, March 10, 2026, and the other sources below.
Who controls health records in Burundi?
In 2026, the government holds the keys to your health record in Burundi. Control over who sees it scores 28 out of 100 in Burundi; the typical country scores 30. The 2026 law lets people object and withdraw consent, but there is no opt-out from sharing and no patient-visible access log. A February 2026 health deal commits Burundi to give the US any data access needed to audit facilities. Source: ARCT copy of signed text, March 10, 2026, and the other sources below.
How does Burundi compare?
In 2026, Burundi scores 35 out of 100, against 39 for the typical country. This brief compares it with Angola (35 out of 100), Burkina Faso (35 out of 100) and Djibouti (35 out of 100). Source: the ranking of all 198 countries and territories.
Eight rights, compared with Angola, Burkina Faso, Djibouti and the typical country
Scores out of 100, by right
Getting your full record20%
40
35 · 35 · 35
Control over who sees it20%
28
30 · 32 · 30
Privacy and security15%
45
52 · 48 · 45
One record across your care15%
30
22 · 25 · 30
Protection from sale and ads10%
40
50 · 45 · 50
Doctors see it when treating you10%
22
20 · 20 · 22
Your say over research use5%
50
50 · 49 · 50
Rules for AI in your care5%
20
28 · 30 · 22
Black dot: Burundi. Hollow dots: Angola, Burkina Faso, Djibouti (scores out of 100 on the right, same order). Gray line: the typical country of all 198. Overall: Burundi 35 out of 100. Scores move in steps of about 5 points, so read a rank with its likely range.
What would Burundi need to change to score higher?
Burundi sits in Weak (25 to 44); Mixed starts at 45. Its two weakest rights, compared with the typical country and weighted by how much each counts, are one record across your care (30 out of 100, against 38 for the typical country) and doctors see it when treating you (22 out of 100, against 33 to 34 for the typical country). Our scoring rules give more points for:
One record across your care: Family doctors, hospitals, labs, pharmacies, insurers and public health all linked to one record that is used across the country.
Doctors see it when treating you: Doctors who treat you able to see your full record from other providers, with your consent and emergency rules in place.
Which laws give health record rights in Burundi?
Loi n°1/03 du 10 mars 2026 portant protection des données à caractère personnel: First data protection law: health data sensitive, free copy in one month, 48-hour breach notice, new agency.
Loi n°1/10 du 16 mars 2022 portant prévention et répression de la cybercriminalité: Cybercrime law; the 2026 data law says its own penalties apply alongside it (Article 51).
Politique Nationale de Gouvernance des Données Sanitaires 2024-2027: Ministry rules on health data confidentiality, user accounts, national hosting, 20-year retention and anonymised sharing.
Doctors, waits and private care context, not part of the score
Doctors per 10,000
0.8 2024
Nurses and midwives per 10,000
7.9 2023
Private insurance + out-of-pocket
26.7% 2023
Record reaches private care?
unknown
Real cases
We found no real cases published in the last two years.
In 2026, Burundi scored 35 out of 100 for how much say a person has over their own health record, tied for 121st of 198 countries and territories (could be 99th to 160th), in the Weak band. Who holds the keys: the government. Source: Health Record Rights Index, SuperTruth, this country's data as of October 1, 2026, https://healthrecordrights.com/brief/burundi/
The 14 sources for Burundi
Each source appears once, under the first right it supports. Titles are shown as our research agents recorded them, usually in the page's own language; text in square brackets is our machine translation. Links were checked on the date shown.
Getting your full record (4 sources)
“Loi n°1/03 du 10 mars 2026 portant protection des données à caractère personnel” [Law No. 1/03 of 10 March 2026 on the protection of personal data] our machine translation
ARCT copy of signed text (law or regulation) · Title in French
Dated March 10, 2026 · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
Used for: Getting your full record; Control over who sees it; Privacy and security; Protection from sale and ads; Your say over research use
“Loi n°1/03 du 10 mars 2026 portant protection des données à caractère personnel” [Law No. 1/03 of 10 March 2026 on the protection of personal data] our machine translation
ARCT notice (regulator) · Title in French
Dated March 18, 2026 · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
“Politique Nationale de Gouvernance des Données Sanitaires au Burundi 2024-2027” [National Health Data Governance Policy in Burundi 2024-2027] our machine translation
Ministère de la Santé Publique [Ministry of Public Health] (government guidance) · Title in French
No date recorded · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
Used for: Getting your full record; Control over who sees it; One record across your care; Doctors see it when treating you; Your say over research use
“Assemblée nationale : analyse et adoption d'une loi portant protection des données à caractère personnel” [National Assembly: review and adoption of a law on the protection of personal data] our machine translation
Le Renouveau (news) · Title in French
Dated January 15, 2026 · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
“Santé numérique : Enabel renforce les capacités pour une intelligence artificielle responsable au Burundi” [Digital health: Enabel strengthens capacities for responsible artificial intelligence in Burundi] our machine translation
Enabel (government guidance) · Title in French
Dated July 10, 2026 · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
Used for: One record across your care; Rules for AI in your care
“Plan National de Développement de l'Informatique de Santé 2020-2024 (PNDIS II)” [National Health Informatics Development Plan 2020-2024 (PNDIS II)] our machine translation
Ministry of Public Health (international body) · Title in French
Dated 2019 · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
“Burundi : la digitalisation du système d'information hospitalier améliore la qualité des soins” [Burundi: the digitalisation of the hospital information system improves the quality of care] our machine translation
Enabel (government guidance) · Title in French
Dated February 16, 2023 · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
“Décret n°100/094 du 25 juin 2019 portant nomination des membres du Comité National d'Ethique” [Decree No. 100/094 of 25 June 2019 appointing the members of the National Ethics Committee] our machine translation
Présidence [Presidency] (government guidance) · Title in French
Dated July 2, 2019 · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
“Burundi : la Stratégie nationale de l'Intelligence artificielle validée” [Burundi: the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy approved] our machine translation
Digital Business Africa (news) · Title in French
Dated April 22, 2026 · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
“Intelligence artificielle : à Séoul, le Burundi présente ses ambitions” [Artificial intelligence: in Seoul, Burundi presents its ambitions] our machine translation
We Are Tech (news) · Title in French
Dated September 10, 2026 · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
SuperTruth Inc. · 24 S. 24th St., Philadelphia, PA 19103, USA · +1 215 918 4140 · supertruth.ai Something wrong? Tell us · Questions or a briefing: supertruth.ai/on-the-record#contact · Full index: healthrecordrights.com
OECD: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (38 mostly high-income countries). DTI™: the Data Trust Index, which grades the evidence behind each score. SuperTruth makes it and publishes this index. Everything here comes from public information: laws, government and regulator pages, court decisions, published news, WHO, OECD and World Bank data. Full sources: https://healthrecordrights.com/brief/burundi/#sources. SuperTruth built this index and sells health data verification products; no one paid to be included. Research tool, not legal advice. Our scores and our own words are CC BY 4.0; quoted law and source titles stay with their owners.
