Burundi: Fact file

Updated November 2010

Name République du Burundi (Republic of Burundi)
Area 27 834 sq km
Capital Bujumbura
Major town Giteg (Frame 2008, 171)
Boundaries Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania (Landlocked)
Population 8.519 million, 2010 est (UN Statistics Division 2009a)
Natural pop growth 2.9%, 2005-2010 est (UN Statistics Division 2009b)
Urbanisation 10.1%, 2007 est (UN Statistics Division undated)
Life expectancy Female 51.7 yrs, male 48.8 yrs; 2005-2010 est (UN Statistics Division 2009c, 2009d)
Infant mortality 98/1000, 2005-2010 est (UN Statistics Division 2009e)
HIV/AIDS prevalence 2%, 15-49 yr 2007 est (UN Statistics Division 2009f)
Adult literacy rate 59%; 2003-2008 est (UN Statistics Division 2010a)
Military expenditure 3.8% of GDP; 2008 (UN Statistics Division 2010b)
Health expenditure 8.7% of GDP; 2006 (UN Statistics Division 2008)
Legal system Mainly codified statutary law, some based on Belgian civil codes, customary law (Bizimana 2007)
Independence 1 July 1962 from Belgium
GDP US$1.162 billion, 2008 est (UN Statistics Division 2010c)
GDP per capita US$138, 2008 est (UN Statistics Division 2009g)
GDP growth rate 4.5%, 2008 est (UN Statistics Division 2010d)
Main exports Coffee, tea, minerals sugar (Frame 2008, 174)
Currency 1 Burundi Franc (BIF)= 100 centimes
Unemployment 35%, 2009 (AFDB/OECD 2010)
Inflation rate 24.5%, 2008 (UN Statistics Division 2010e)
External debt ratio 27.4% of GDP, 2009 (IMF 2010, 95)
Roads 12 322 km, very little tarred, lake transport crucial (Frame 2008, 170)
Rail None (Frame 2008, 170)
Airport 1, Bujumbura International (Frame 2008, 170)
Ethnic groups Hutu (85%, Tutsi 14%, Twa (Pygmy) 1% (Frame 2008, 152)
Languages French, Rundi and Swahili (Lewis 2010)
Religion Christian ±75% (Roman Catholic ±60%, Protestant ±15%), Traditional African ±20%, Muslim 2-5% (US Department of State 2010)

References

AFDB/OECD 2010 "Burundi" IN African Economic Outlook, [www] http://www.africaneconomicoutlook.org/en/countries/east-africa/burundi/ [opens new window] (accessed 22 Nov 2010).

BIZIMANA, S 2007 "The Burundi Legal System and Research" IN GlobaLex, Hauser School of Law Programme, [www] http://www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/Burundi.htm [opens new window] (accessed 18 Nov 2010).

FRAME, I 2008 (ed) Africa South of the Sahara 2008, Routledge.

IMF 2010 Regional Economic Outlook: Sub-Saharan Africa, October, [www] http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/reo/2010/AFR/eng/pdf/sreo1010.pdf, [PDF document, opens new window] (accessed 18 Nov 2010).

LEWIS, M P (ed) 2009 "Languages of Burundi" IN Ethnologue: Languages of the World, sixteenth edition, [www] http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=BI [opens new window] (accessed 18 Nov 2010).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2009a "Total population, both sexes combined" IN UNdata, 18 Jun, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=Population&d=PopDiv&f=variableID%3a12 [opens new window] (accessed 18 Nov 2010).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2009b "Population growth rate" IN UNdata, 18 Jun, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=Population&d=PopDiv&f=variableID%3a47 [opens new window] (accessed 18 Nov 2010).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2009c "Life expectancy at birth, females" IN UNdata, 18 Jun, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=Life+expectancy&d=PopDiv&f=variableID%3a67 [opens new window] (accessed 18 Nov 2010).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2009d "Life expectancy at birth, males" IN UNdata, 18 Jun, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=Life+expectancy&d=PopDiv&f=variableID%3a66 [opens new window] (accessed 18 Nov 2010).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2009e "Infant mortality rate" IN UNdata, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=MExico&d=PopDiv&f=variableID%3A77%3BcrID%3A484 [opens new window] (accessed 18 Nov 2010).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2009f "Adult HIV/AIDS prevalence rate" IN UNdata, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=HIV%2fAIDS+prevalence&d=SOWC&f=inID%3a73 [opens new window] (accessed 18 Nov 2010).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2009g "Per capita GDP at current prices" IN UNdata, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=GDP&d=SNAAMA&f=grID%3a101%3bcurrID%3aUSD%3bpcFlag%3a1 [opens new window] (accessed 18 Nov 2010).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2010a "Adult literacy rate" IN UNdata, 14 Ju, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=Adult+literacy&d=SOWC&f=inID%3a74 [opens new window] (accessed 18 Nov 2010).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2010b "Military expenditure" IN UNdata, 12 Feb, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=GDP&d=WDI&f=Indicator_Code%3AMS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS [opens new window] (accessed 18 Nov 2010).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2010c "GDP" IN UNdata, 12 Feb, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=GDP&d=WDI&f=Indicator_Code%3aNY.GDP.MKTP.CD [opens new window] (accessed 18 Nov 2010).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2010d "GDP growth" IN UNdata, 12 Feb, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=GDP&d=WDI&f=Indicator_Code%3aNY.GDP.MKTP.KD.ZG [opens new window] (accessed 18 Nov 2010).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2010e "Inflation, GDP deflator" IN UNdata, 12 Feb, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=Inflation&d=WDI&f=Indicator_Code%3aNY.GDP.DEFL.KD.ZG [opens new window] (accessed 18 Nov 2010).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2010f "Total expenditure on health as percentage of gross domestic product" IN UNdata, 19 Nov, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=health+expenditure&d=WHO&f=MEASURE_CODE%3aWHS7_143 [opens new window] (accessed 23 Nov 2010).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION UNDATED "Burundi", [www] http://data.un.org/CountryProfile.aspx?crName=Burundi [opens new window] (accessed 18 Nov 2010).

US DEPARTMENT OF STATE 2010 "Burundi" IN International Religious Freedom Report 2010, [www] http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2010/148667.htm [opens new window] (accessed 18 Nov 2010).