Africa :: Burundi
page last updated on April 28, 2010
Flag of Burundi
Location of Burundi
 
Map of Burundi
Introduction ::Burundi
Burundi's first democratically elected president was assassinated in October 1993 after only 100 days in office, triggering widespread ethnic violence between Hutu and Tutsi factions. More than 200,000 Burundians perished during the conflict that spanned almost a dozen years. Hundreds of thousands of Burundians were internally displaced or became refugees in neighboring countries. An internationally brokered power-sharing agreement between the Tutsi-dominated government and the Hutu rebels in 2003 paved the way for a transition process that led to an integrated defense force, established a new constitution in 2005, and elected a majority Hutu government in 2005. The new government, led by President Pierre NKURUNZIZA, signed a South African brokered ceasefire with the country's last rebel group in September of 2006 but still faces many challenges.
Geography ::Burundi
Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo
3 30 S, 30 00 E
total: 27,830 sq km
country comparison to the world: 146
land: 25,680 sq km
water: 2,150 sq km
slightly smaller than Maryland
total: 974 km
border countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo 233 km, Rwanda 290 km, Tanzania 451 km
0 km (landlocked)
none (landlocked)
Current Weather
equatorial; high plateau with considerable altitude variation (772 m to 2,670 m above sea level); average annual temperature varies with altitude from 23 to 17 degrees centigrade but is generally moderate as the average altitude is about 1,700 m; average annual rainfall is about 150 cm; two wet seasons (February to May and September to November), and two dry seasons (June to August and December to January)
hilly and mountainous, dropping to a plateau in east, some plains
lowest point: Lake Tanganyika 772 m
highest point: Heha 2,670 m
nickel, uranium, rare earth oxides, peat, cobalt, copper, platinum, vanadium, arable land, hydropower, niobium, tantalum, gold, tin, tungsten, kaolin, limestone
arable land: 35.57%
permanent crops: 13.12%
other: 51.31% (2005)
210 sq km (2003)
3.6 cu km (1987)
total: 0.29 cu km/yr (17%/6%/77%)
per capita: 38 cu m/yr (2000)
flooding; landslides; drought
soil erosion as a result of overgrazing and the expansion of agriculture into marginal lands; deforestation (little forested land remains because of uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel); habitat loss threatens wildlife populations
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
landlocked; straddles crest of the Nile-Congo watershed; the Kagera, which drains into Lake Victoria, is the most remote headstream of the White Nile
People ::Burundi
9,863,117
country comparison to the world: 85
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2010 est.)
0-14 years: 46.1% (male 2,286,245/female 2,261,524)
15-64 years: 51.4% (male 2,498,996/female 2,570,851)
65 years and over: 2.5% (male 98,189/female 147,312) (2010 est.)
total: 16.8 years
male: 16.5 years
female: 17.2 years (2010 est.)
3.561% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 4
41.43 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 9
9.87 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 63
4.06 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 21
urban population: 10% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 6.8% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
total: 63.38 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 30
male: 68.02 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 58.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
total population: 58.29 years
country comparison to the world: 191
male: 56.65 years
female: 59.98 years (2010 est.)
6.25 children born/woman (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 5
2% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 32
110,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 44
11,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 31
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
animal contact disease: rabies (2009)
noun: Burundian(s)
adjective: Burundian
Hutu (Bantu) 85%, Tutsi (Hamitic) 14%, Twa (Pygmy) 1%, Europeans 3,000, South Asians 2,000
Christian 67% (Roman Catholic 62%, Protestant 5%), indigenous beliefs 23%, Muslim 10%
Kirundi (official), French (official), Swahili (along Lake Tanganyika and in the Bujumbura area)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 59.3%
male: 67.3%
female: 52.2% (2000 est.)
total: 7 years
male: 8 years
female: 7 years (2006)
5.1% of GDP (2005)
country comparison to the world: 68
Government ::Burundi
conventional long form: Republic of Burundi
conventional short form: Burundi
local long form: Republique du Burundi/Republika y'u Burundi
local short form: Burundi
former: Urundi
republic
name: Bujumbura
geographic coordinates: 3 22 S, 29 21 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
17 provinces; Bubanza, Bujumbura Mairie, Bujumbura Rural, Bururi, Cankuzo, Cibitoke, Gitega, Karuzi, Kayanza, Kirundo, Makamba, Muramvya, Muyinga, Mwaro, Ngozi, Rutana, Ruyigi
1 July 1962 (from UN trusteeship under Belgian administration)
Independence Day, 1 July (1962)
ratified by popular referendum 28 February 2005
based on German and Belgian civil codes and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
18 years of age; universal (adult)
chief of state: President Pierre NKURUNZIZA - Hutu (since 26 August 2005); First Vice President Yves SAVINGUVU - Tutsi (since 9 November 2007); Second Vice President Gabriel NTISEZERANA - Hutu (since 9 February 2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Pierre NKURUNZIZA - Hutu (since 26 August 2005); First Vice President Yves SAVINGUVU - Tutsi (since 9 November 2007); Second Vice President Gabriel NTISEZERANA - Hutu (since 9 February 2007)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by president
(For more information visit the World Leaders website Opens in New Window)
elections: the president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); note - the constitution adopted in February 2005 permits the post-transition president to be elected by a two-thirds majority of the parliament; next elections to be held on 28 June 2010; vice presidents nominated by the president, endorsed by parliament
election results: Pierre NKURUNZIZA was elected president by the parliament by a vote of 151 to 9
bicameral Parliament or Parlement, consists of a Senate (54 seats; 34 members elected by indirect vote to serve five-year terms, with remaining seats assigned to ethnic groups and former chiefs of state) and a National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (minimum 100 seats, 60% Hutu and 40% Tutsi with at least 30% being women; additional seats appointed by a National Independent Electoral Commission to ensure ethnic representation; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held on 29 July 2005 (next to be held on 23 July 2010); National Assembly - last held on 4 July 2005 (next to be held on 23 July 2010)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CNDD-FDD 30, FRODEBU 3, CNDD 1; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - CNDD-FDD 58.6%, FRODEBU 21.7%, UPRONA 7.2%, CNDD 4.1%, MRC-Rurenzangemero 2.1%, others 6.2%; seats by party - CNDD-FDD 59, FRODEBU 25, UPRONA 10, CNDD 4, MRC-Rurenzangemero 2
Supreme Court or Cour Supreme; Constitutional Court; High Court of Justice (composed of the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court)
governing parties: Burundi Democratic Front or FRODEBU [Leonce NGENDAKUMANA]; National Council for the Defense of Democracy - Front for the Defense of Democracy or CNDD-FDD [Jeremie NGENDAKUMANA]; Unity for National Progress or UPRONA [Bonaventure NIYOYANKANA]
note: a multiparty system was introduced after 1998, included are: National Council for the Defense of Democracy or CNDD [Leonard NYANGOMA]; National Resistance Movement for the Rehabilitation of the Citizen or MRC-Rurenzangemero [Epitace BANYAGANAKANDI]; Party for National Redress or PARENA [Jean-Baptiste BAGAZA]
Forum for the Strengthening of Civil Society or FORSC [Pacifique NININAHAZWE] (civil society umbrella organization); Observatoire de lutte contre la corruption et les malversations economiques or OLUCOME [Gabriel RUFYIRI] (anti-corruption pressure group)
other: Hutu and Tutsi militias (loosely organized)
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, CEPGL, COMESA, EAC, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (subscriber), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
chief of mission: Ambassador Angele NIYUHIRE
chancery: Suite 212, 2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone: [1] (202) 342-2574
FAX: [1] (202) 342-2578
chief of mission: Ambassador Pamela J. H. SLUTZ
embassy: Avenue des Etats-Unis, Bujumbura
mailing address: B. P. 1720, Bujumbura
telephone: [257] 223454
FAX: [257] 222926
divided by a white diagonal cross into red panels (top and bottom) and green panels (hoist side and fly side) with a white disk superimposed at the center bearing three red six-pointed stars outlined in green arranged in a triangular design (one star above, two stars below); green symbolizes hope and optimism, white purity and peace, and red the blood shed in the struggle for independence; the three stars in the disk represent the three major ethnic groups: Hutu, Twa, Tutsi, as well as the three elements in the national motto: unity, work, progress
Economy ::Burundi
Burundi is a landlocked, resource-poor country with an underdeveloped manufacturing sector. The economy is predominantly agricultural which accounts for about 35% of GDP and employs more than 90% of the population. Burundi's primary exports are coffee and tea, which account for 90% of foreign exchange earnings, though exports are a relatively small share of GDP. Burundi's export earning - and its ability to pay for imports - rests primarily on weather conditions and international coffee and tea prices. The Tutsi minority, 14% of the population, dominates the coffee trade. An ethnic-based war that lasted for over a decade resulted in more than 200,000 deaths, forced more than 48,000 refugees into Tanzania, and displaced 140,000 others internally. Only one in two children go to school, and approximately one in 15 adults has HIV/AIDS. Food, medicine, and electricity remain in short supply. Burundi's GDP grew around 4% annually in 2006-09. Political stability and the end of the civil war have improved aid flows and economic activity has increased, but underlying weaknesses - a high poverty rate, poor education rates, a weak legal system, and low administrative capacity - risk undermining planned economic reforms. Burundi will continue to remain heavily dependent on aid from bilateral and multilateral donors; the delay of funds after a corruption scandal cut off bilateral aid in 2007 reduced government's revenues and its ability to pay salaries. Burundi joined the East African Community, which should boost Burundi's regional trade ties. Burundi's main challenge to economic growth will be maintaining sufficient fiscal discipline and peace during the upcoming national elections scheduled for 2010.
$3.247 billion (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 171
$3.147 billion (2008 est.)
$3.011 billion (2007 est.)
note: data are in 2009 US dollars
$1.427 billion (2009 est.)
3.2% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 55
4.5% (2008 est.)
3.6% (2007 est.)
$300 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 226
$300 (2008 est.)
$300 (2007 est.)
note: data are in 2009 US dollars
agriculture: 33.3%
industry: 21%
services: 45.8% (2009 est.)
4.245 million (2007)
country comparison to the world: 85
agriculture: 93.6%
industry: 2.3%
services: 4.1% (2002 est.)
NA%
68% (2002 est.)
lowest 10%: 4.1%
highest 10%: 28% (2006)
42.4 (1998)
country comparison to the world: 52
11.3% of GDP (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 146
revenues: $342.2 million
expenditures: $385.7 million (2009 est.)
14.1% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 210
24.1% (2008 est.)
10.08% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 38
10.12% (31 December 2007)
16.52% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 36
16.84% (31 December 2007)
$261.6 million (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 112
$208.7 million (31 December 2007)
$189.9 million (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 124
$141 million (31 December 2007)
$370 million (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 125
$342 million (31 December 2007)
$NA
coffee, cotton, tea, corn, sorghum, sweet potatoes, bananas, manioc (tapioca); beef, milk, hides
light consumer goods such as blankets, shoes, soap; assembly of imported components; public works construction; food processing
3.5% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 32
92 million kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 191
125.6 million kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 186
0 kWh (2008 est.)
40 million kWh; note - supplied by the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2007 est.)
0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 202
3,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 176
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 206
2,495 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 173
0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 196
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 203
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 115
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 198
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 199
0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 198
-$144 million (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 81
-$182 million (2008 est.)
$79 million (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 198
$79 million (2008 est.)
coffee, tea, sugar, cotton, hides
Switzerland 27.9%, UK 11%, Pakistan 9.5%, Belgium 5.1%, Rwanda 5%, Egypt 4.7% (2008)
$318 million (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 193
$350 million (2008 est.)
capital goods, petroleum products, foodstuffs
Saudi Arabia 22.4%, Belgium 13.6%, Uganda 9.1%, Kenya 8%, China 6.4%, France 5.9%, Germany 5.3%, India 4.5%, Tanzania 4.4%, Japan 4.4% (2008)
$212 million (31 December 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 126
$266.7 million (31 December 2008 est.)
$1.2 billion (2003)
country comparison to the world: 144
Burundi francs (BIF) per US dollar - 1,227.75 (2009), 1,198 (2008), 1,065 (2007), 1,030 (2006), 1,138 (2005)
Communications ::Burundi
30,400 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 178
480,600 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 156
general assessment: sparse system of open-wire, radiotelephone communications, and low-capacity microwave radio relays
domestic: telephone density one of the lowest in the world; fixed-line connections stand at well less than 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular usage is increasing but remains at a meager 5 per 100 persons
international: country code - 257; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (2008)
AM 0, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2001)
1 (2001)
.bi
191 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 189
65,000 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 167
Transportation ::Burundi
8 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 161
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2009)
total: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 3 (2009)
1 (2009)
total: 12,322 km
country comparison to the world: 130
paved: 1,286 km
unpaved: 11,036 km (2004)
mainly on Lake Tanganyika (2008)
Bujumbura
Military ::Burundi
National Defense Force (Forces de Defense Nationale, FDN): Army (includes naval detachment and Air Wing), National Gendarmerie (2010)
military service is voluntary; the armed forces law of 31 December 2004 did not specify a minimum age for enlistment, but the government had previously said each recruit must have a primary school-leaving certificate (2010)
males age 16-49: 2,099,541
females age 16-49: 2,118,918 (2010 est.)
males age 16-49: 1,337,935
females age 16-49: 1,414,035 (2010 est.)
male: 111,829
female: 111,802 (2010 est.)
5.9% of GDP (2006 est.)
country comparison to the world: 11
Transnational Issues ::Burundi
Burundi and Rwanda dispute sections of border on the Akanyaru/Kanyaru and the Kagera/Nyabarongo rivers, which have changed course since the 1960s, when the boundary was delimited; cross-border conflicts among Tutsi, Hutu, other ethnic groups, associated political rebels, armed gangs, and various government forces persist in the Great Lakes region
refugees (country of origin): 9,849 (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
IDPs: 100,000 (armed conflict between government and rebels; most IDPs in northern and western Burundi) (2007)
current situation: Burundi is a source country for children trafficked for the purposes of child soldiering, domestic servitude, and commercial sexual exploitation; a small number of Burundian children may be trafficked internally for domestic servitude or commercial sexual exploitation; in early 2008, Burundian children were allegedly trafficked to Uganda, via Rwanda, for agricultural labor and commercial sexual exploitation
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Burundi is on the Tier 2 Watch List for the second consecutive year for its failure to provide sufficient evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in persons in 2007; the government's inability to provide adequate protective services to children accused of association with armed groups and to conduct anti-trafficking law enforcement activities continue to be causes for concern; Burundi has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)