Burundi

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

The geography of Burundi is characterized by being flat as well as mountainous, with a plateau to its east. It borders three other states with Rwanda to its north, Tanzania to its east and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to its west.

Located in the heart of Africa, Burundi has had a tumultuous past. Before its colonization, it was inhabited by both the Hutus and the Tutsi tribes which are still the inhabitants of present-day Burundi. The population of these tribes is disproportionate with the Hutus representing around 85 percent of the population in the Tutsi the remaining 15 percent. During colonization, it became a part of German East Africa but after losing the first world war, it became a Belgian colony. After decolonization, Burundi gained its independence in 1962 and became a kingdom under a minority Tutsi ruler. This has led to an increase of tensions between the two tribes which started as a violent outburst and has led to a civil war in 1970. With the Tutsi’s holding onto power, civil onslaughts of Hutus continued until 1993 when democratic presidential elections took place and Burundi became officially known as the Republic of Burundi. This democratic election had elected its first Hutu leader. However, after the transfer of power, Tutsi citizens became targeted.

It has a total surface area of just under 28,000 square kilometers or 10,800 square miles. This makes Burundi the 142nd largest state in the world being slightly larger than Haiti and slightly smaller than Equatorial Guinea

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

The main source of water in Burundi is surface water which is supplied by high amounts of rainfall. Access to potable water has increased in recent decades and has become available for more than 80 percent of the population.

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

The average temperature in Burundi is around 20.4 degrees Celsius or 68.7 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperature fluctuation is fairly moderate between its highlands and its eastern plain. The climates of Burundi is characterized by four seasons. The seasons of Burundi are characterized by two wet seasons and two dry seasons.

Temperature

The average high temperature occurs during the dry season and has an average temperature of 25.2 degrees Celsius or 77.4 degrees Fahrenheit which makes Burundi the 110th warmest state in the world.

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

Its average low temperature is around 15 degrees Celsius or 59 degrees Fahrenheit.

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

Burundi has two rainy seasons which span from February to May and from September to November. During these periods, Burundi receives most of the 123 centimeters or 48.5 inches of rainfall that it receives annually. This makes Burundi the 73rd state with the highest precipitation in the world.

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

The capital of Burundi, Gitega, has a population of around 135,000 people. The capital that is closest located to Gitega is Kigali, Rwanda with a distance of 167 kilometers or 104 miles. The capital that is furthest removed from Gitega is Apia Samoa with a distance of 17,000 kilometers or 10,500 miles.

Because Burundi is a landlocked state, it has no axes to international waters. This means that Burundi is largely dependent on the development of neighboring states as well as its own resources. The resources in Burundi are limited and the majority of the population is employed in the agricultural sector which is mostly destined for the national market. The remaining agricultural products represent around 30 percent of its GDP with its main export products being tea gold and coffee which is largely exported to the Democratic Republic of the Congo the United States and Germany. Due to civil unrest within Burundi, the economic growth has taken a slow pace. As a result, the economy of Burundi is highly dependent on foreign aid which represents more than 40 percent of its national income.

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

Burundi is a member of 10 international economic organizations which makes it the 151st most economically interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Alliance for Financial Inclusion
African development Bank
International Monetary Fund
World Bank Group
World Customs Organization
World Trade Organization
International Bamboo and Rattan Organization

Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States
International Solar Alliance
Group of 77

Below, you will find the graph that displays the states and their amount of memberships

The total GDP of Burundi is around US$3 billion which ranks the economy of Burundi as the 166 highest GDP in the world.

The GDP per capita is around US$275. This places the income of the citizens of Burundi is the second lowest in the world.

The absolute earnings (GDP per capita) has shown that the average Afghani earns $517.54 per year. The figure below displays the average amount that inhabitant of other states earn for every 1$ that an average Afghan citizen makes.

Its GDP per square kilometer is around US$110,000 and around US$285,000 per square mile. This places Burundi as the 143rd highest surface GDP in the world.

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

The purchasing power parity of the Burundi citizens is also the second lowest in the world with a purchasing power of US$789 per year.

The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of Afghanistan with the rest of the world.

The graph on the left displays the purchasing power parity of the rest of the world in relation to the purchasing power of 1$ in Burundi.

Languages that are largely spoken are Kirundi and French which are recognized as the official languages of Burundi. The Hutus and the Tutsi’s make up the majority of the population. With the Hutus representing more than 85 percent of the population and the Tutsi’s just under 15 percent. The Twa are also present in Burundi, but represent less than one percent of the total population of just over 11 million people.

Population

Population density

Brunei is the 24th most densely populated state in the world with a population density of over 1000 people per square mile or 398 people per square kilometer.

Emigration

Just over 5.5 percent of the total population has emigrated to other states which corresponds to roughly 625,000 people or around 0.25 percent of total global emigration.

Immigration

Immigration accounts for roughly 2.6 percent of the total population, or around 290,000 people.

Literacy

The literacy rate in Burundi is the 142nd highest in the world with the percentage of 79.3. This is largely due to the fact that the Burundian Civil War has prevented the education of children and after the Civil War, many school buildings were destroyed which further enhanced the illiteracy rate.

Health

Health in Burundi is also in need of further development. Aside from low health standards, the citizens of Burundi are also subject to communicable diseases such as mosquito borne diseases, HIV and diseases from contaminated drinking water. This, in combination with low accessibility to professional healthcare has led to a high mortality rate and has placed Burundi as the 159th state with the highest life expectancy in the world. The life expectancy is estimated to be around 62.7 years with women averaging around 64.5 years and men averaging around 60.8 years.

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

Even though Burundi is characterized by being a secular state, it celebrates many national holidays that are related to Christianity. Religion in Burundi is unevenly represented between the local groups with Christianity being represented by the vast majority of its citizens.

Christianity was first introduced during the colonial period when, in the period between colonization and independence, more than 500 churches were erected. It is estimated that around 88.7 percent of the population of Burundi adheres to the Christian faith with the Catholic denomination representing the largest share of Christians. During the time of German colonization, many Protestant churches were placed, but after losing this territory after the second world war and becoming a part of the Belgian colonial Africa, Catholicism was largely spread out under Belgian rule.

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

With around 7.6 percent of the population, Islam is a minority religion. Sunni Islam is followed by the majority of Muslims in Burundi and Shiites represent a large part of the remaining Muslims. Most Muslims are located near larger cities and stem from both the Hutu as well as the Tutsi tribe.

There are no known Buddhist organizations in Burundi.

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Hinduism is not known to exist in Burundi.

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

Judaism is not known to exist in Burundi

Other religions (share of the total population)

Other religions are largely represented by the tribes that were not affected by colonization. These tribes had their indigenous beliefs that largely honor cattle as well as their dead ancestors.

Non-religious (share of the total population)

Around 0.03 percent of the population in Burundi is estimated to not adhere to any faith.

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

In total, around US$65 million is spent on the military which is around two percent of its GDP.

Even though Burundi is a landlocked state, its Army consists of three military branches namely the land forces, air forces and the naval forces. The naval forces are active because of its location to Lake Tanganyika, one of the largest lakes in Africa. During colonial rule, the Army of Burundi has a dual role as an army as well as the role of the military police. After independence, Burundi had switched to a fully professional army which is equipped with Soviet equipment.

Military membership

Burundi is a member of three international military organizations which ranks it as the 151st most militarily interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
International Atomic Energy Agency
Non-Aligned Movement

Military membership

International wars

Even though the largest amount of war casualties in Burundi are the result of civil wars, Burundi has also taken part in two international wars. These are:

First Congo War 1996-1997
Second Congo War 1998-2003

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

It is a member of nine international political organizations which ranks it as the 151st most politically interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Member state of the United Nations
International Labour Organization
African Union
East African Community
Member states of the Organization internationale de la Francophonie
Interpol
Association of World Election Bodies
South Centre (organization)
World Organization for Animal Health

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

Even though the current political system provides democratic representation, due to its tumultuous past and uncertain future, it is far from sure but that Burundi will stay a democratic state. One of the issues that the democratic system of Burundi is facing is the centralization of power by the president of Burundi which in the past had changed the Constitution in order to remain in power for more than 15 years. This places Burundi as the 164th most democratic state in the world.

Democracy/Dictatorship

At present, the political system of Burundi is represented by a democratically elected constitutional republic with the president of Burundi being head of state as well as head of government.