Country Name: Burundi

Capital: Gitega

Official Visa & Travel Information: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Burundi (Visa Information)

Government Type: presidential republic

Background: Established in the 1600s, the Burundi Kingdom has had borders similar to those of modern Burundi since the 1800s. Burundi’s two major ethnic groups, the majority Hutu and minority Tutsi, share a common language and culture and largely lived in peaceful cohabitation under Tutsi monarchs in pre-colonial Burundi. Regional, class, and clan distinctions contributed to social status in the Burundi Kingdom, yielding a complex class structure. German colonial rule in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and Belgian rule after World War I preserved Burundi’s monarchy. Seeking to simplify administration, Belgian colonial officials reduced the number of chiefdoms and eliminated most Hutu chiefs from positions of power. In 1961, the Burundian Tutsi king’s oldest son, Louis RWAGASORE was murdered by a competing political faction shortly before he was set to become prime minister, triggering increased political competition that contributed to later instability. Burundi gained its independence from Belgium in 1962 as the Kingdom of Burundi.

Revolution in neighboring Rwanda stoked ethnic polarization as the Tutsi increasingly feared violence and loss of political power. A failed Hutu-led coup in 1965 triggered a purge of Hutu officials and set the stage for Tutsi officers to overthrow the monarchy in 1966 and establish a Tutsi-dominated republic. A Hutu rebellion in 1972 that resulted in the death of several thousand Tutsi civilians sparked a brutal crackdown on Hutu civilians by the Tutsi-led military, which ultimately killed 100,000-200,000 people. International pressure led to a new constitution in 1992 and democratic elections in June 1993. Burundi's first democratically elected president, Hutu Melchior NDADAYE, was assassinated in October 1993 after only 100 days in office by Tutsi military officers fearing Hutu domination, sparking a civil war. His successor, Cyprien NTARYAMIRA, died when the Rwandan president’s plane he was traveling on was shot down in April 1994, which triggered the Rwandan genocide and further entrenched ethnic conflict in Burundi. The internationally brokered Arusha Agreement, signed in 2000, and subsequent cease-fire agreements with armed movements ended the 1993-2005 civil war. Burundi’s second democratic elections were held in 2005, resulting in the election of Pierre NKURUNZIZA as president. He was reelected in 2010 and again in 2015 after a controversial court decision allowed him to circumvent a term limit. President Evariste NDAYISHIMIYE - from NKURUNZIZA’s ruling party - was elected in 2020.

Continent: Africa

Population: 13,162,952 (2023 est.)

Ethnic Groups: Hutu, Tutsi, Twa, South Asian

Languages: Kirundi (official), French (official), English (official, least spoken), Swahili (2008 est.)

Religions: Christian 93.9% (Roman Catholic 58.6%, Protestant 35.3% [includes Adventist 2.7% and other Protestant religions 32.6%]), Muslim 3.4%, other 1.3%, none 1.3% (2016-17 est.)

Economic Overview: highly agrarian, low-income Sub-Saharan economy; declining foreign assistance; increasing fiscal insolvencies; dense and still growing population; COVID-19 weakened economic recovery and flipped two years of deflation

Currency: Burundian Franc (BIF)

Reserves of Foreign Exchange & Gold: $163.238 million (2022 est.) note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars

Real GDP (Purchasing Power Parity): $9.128 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2017 dollars

Real GDP Growth Rate: 1.85% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real GDP per Capita: $700 (2022 est.) note: data in 2017 dollars

Exports: 

• $285.105 million (2018 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

• Comparison Ranking: 197

Export Commodities: gold, coffee, tea, raw earth metal ores, beer (2021); note: rare earth metal ores include zirconium, vanadium, tantalum, and niobium

Export Partners: United Arab Emirates 50%, Democratic Republic of the Congo 7% (2019)

Imports: 

• $905.294 million (2018 est.) note: data are in current year dollars; note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

• Comparison Ranking: 191

Import Commodities: refined petroleum, packaged medicines, cement, raw sugar, cars (2019)

Import Partners: China 14%, Saudi Arabia 14%, India 9%, Kenya 7%, United Arab Emirates 7%, Tanzania 5%, Zambia 5% (2019)

Natural Resources: nickel, uranium, rare earth oxides, peat, cobalt, copper, platinum, vanadium, arable land, hydropower, niobium, tantalum, gold, tin, tungsten, kaolin, limestone

Agricultural Products: cassava, bananas, sweet potatoes, plantains, beans, vegetables, potatoes, cashew nuts, maize, taro

Industries: light consumer goods (sugar, shoes, soap, beer); cement, assembly of imported components; public works construction; food processing (fruits)

Industrial Production Growth Rate: 

• 3.16% (2022 est.) note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

• Comparison Ranking: 114

Labor Force: 5.511 million (2022 est.)

Unemployment Rate: 0.91% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Natural Hazards: flooding; landslides; drought

Geography:

• Total: 27,830 sq km

• Land: 25,680 sq km

• Water: 2,150 sq km

(Country Summary, The World Factbook, CIA.gov)

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