Burundi (Republic of Burundi)

Burundi Republic of Burundi
Status	Independent State
Capital	Bujumbura
Land Area	25 680km21
Location	Africa
Population	8.7m (2011)2
Life Expectancy	57.12yrs (2017)3
GNI	$0 691 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 Codes	BI, BDI, 1085
Internet Domain	.bi6
Currency	Franc (BIF)7
Telephone	+2578

1. Overview
2. Burundi National and Social Development
3. Population and Demographics
4. Politics and Freedom
5. Gender Equality
6. Religion and Beliefs
7. The Internet
8. Public Health Issues
9. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries
10. Links

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1. Overview

#rwanda

“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 government of President Pierre NKURUNZIZA, who was reelected in 2010, continues to face many political and economic challenges.”

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“A pint-sized country with a traumatic past but a forward-looking and welcoming people, Burundi is emerging from the fog of its civil war. Tiny Burundi is an incongruous mix of soaring mountains, languid lakeside communities and a tragic past blighted by ethnic conflict. While similar Hutu-Tutsi conflicts have been soothed in Rwanda by removing historical tribal labels, Burundi has chosen a different path, one of open dialogue and good-hearted debate.

Now the word is out that the war is over, Burundi is receiving a trickle of travellers and the country is safer now than it has been for years. Its steamy capital, Bujumbura, has a lovely location on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, and just outside the city are some of the finest inland beaches on the continent. For those inclined to adventure, its jungle-clad volcanoes offer lung-busting escapades tracking chimpanzees.

Burundians also have an irrepressible joie de vivre, and their smiles are as infectious as a rhythm laid down by any of the Les Tambourinaires drummers for which the country is famous.”

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Burundi National and Social Development

#human_development

UN HDI (2016)11
Pos.		Lower is better Rank11
1	Norway	1
2	Australia	2
3	Switzerland	2
	...
181	Mozambique	181
182	S. Sudan	181
183	Guinea	183
184	Burundi	184
185	Burkina Faso	185
186	Chad	186
187	Niger	187
188	Central African Rep.	188
	World Avg	94.3
q=188.

Social & Moral Development Index12
Pos.		Higher is better Points12
1	Denmark	84.2
2	Sweden	83.7
3	Finland	83.5
	...
185	Niger	38.0
186	Sudan	37.9
187	Syria	35.7
188	Burundi	35.6
189	Marshall Islands	35.4
190	Equatorial Guinea	34.3
191	Afghanistan	34.2
192	Central African Rep.	34.2
	World Avg	54.1
q=198.

The United Nations produces an annual Human Development Report which includes the Human Development Index. The factors taken into account include life expectancy, education and schooling and Gross National Income (GNI) amongst many others..

The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: What is the Best Country in the World? An Index of Morality, Conscience and Good Life.

3. Population and Demographics

#Burundi #demographics #health #immigration #life_expectancy #overpopulation #population

Old-Age Dependency Ratio (2016)13
Pos.		Lower is better Per 10013
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3	Chad	04.7
	...
21	Niger	05.8
22	Congo, DR	05.8
23	Benin	05.8
24	Burundi	05.9
25	Liberia	05.9
26	Iraq	06.0
27	Guinea	06.1
28	Guinea-Bissau	06.1
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Emigrants (2010)14
Pos.		%14
1	Dominica	104.8
2	Palestine	68.4
3	Samoa	67.3
	...
122	Korea, S.	4.3
123	Belgium	4.2
124	Syria	4.2
125	Burundi	4.2
126	Panama	4.0
127	Norway	3.8
128	Bahrain	3.7
129	Gambia	3.7
	World Avg	11.5
q=192.

Fertility Rate (2013)15
Pos.		2.0 is best15
1	Korea, N.	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
	...
141	Ethiopia	3.91
142	Ghana	4.03
143	Solomon Islands	4.08
144	Burundi	4.10
145	Ivory Coast	4.27
146	Eritrea	4.28
147	Palestine	4.31
148	Cameroon	4.33
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Immigrants (2010)14
Pos.		%14
1	Qatar	86.5
2	Monaco	71.6
3	UAE	70.0
	...
152	Cameroon	1.0
153	Tonga	0.8
154	Bosnia & Herzegovina	0.7
155	Burundi	0.7
156	Nigeria	0.7
157	Nicaragua	0.7
158	Algeria	0.7
159	Bangladesh	0.7
	World Avg	9.2
q=192.

Life Expectancy (2015)16
Pos.		Higher is better Years16
1	Hong Kong	84.16
2	Japan	83.68
3	Italy	83.34
	...
174	Mali	58.47
175	Equatorial Guinea	57.91
176	S. Africa	57.66
177	Burundi	57.12
178	S. Sudan	56.13
179	Cameroon	55.96
180	Somalia	55.71
181	Guinea-Bissau	55.49
	World Avg	71.27
q=190.

Population (2012)17
Pos.		The Overpopulation of the Earth17
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.3b
3	USA	315.8m
	...
89	Sweden	9.5m
90	Azerbaijan	9.4m
91	Benin	9.4m
92	Burundi	8.7m
93	Austria	8.4m
94	UAE	8.1m
95	Honduras	7.9m
96	Switzerland	7.7m
	World Avg	36.0m
q=195.

Burundi's population is predicted to rise to 11.44 million by 2030. These millions of extra people will all need space to live, food to eat, energy to consume, and will increase the burden on the planet's resources. This country has a fertility rate of 4.10. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population is growing, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity, i.e., the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate, which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1.

• The Overpopulation of the Earth
• Abortion, Birth Control and Contraception

4. Politics and Freedom

#Burundi #corruption #eritrea #france #freedom #human_development #human_rights #indonesia #mass_media #peace #politics #slavery

Corruption (2012-2016)18
Pos.		Higher is better Avg Score18
1	Denmark	90.8
2	New Zealand	90.6
3	Finland	89.4
	...
157	Zimbabwe	21.0
158	Cambodia	21.0
159	Chad	20.4
160	Burundi	20.2
161	Eritrea	19.8
162	Angola	19.4
163	Guinea-Bissau	19.2
164	Syria	18.8
	World Avg	43.05
q=176.

Global Peace Index (2012)19
Pos.		Lower is better19
1	Iceland	1.11
2	New Zealand	1.24
3	Denmark	1.24
	...
134	Mexico	2.45
135	Lebanon	2.46
136	Ethiopia	2.50
137	Burundi	2.52
138	Myanmar (Burma)	2.53
139	Zimbabwe	2.54
140	Georgia	2.54
141	India	2.55
	World Avg	2.02
q=157.

Nominal Commitment to HR (2009)20
Pos.		Higher is better Treaties20
1	Argentina	24
2	Chile	23
3	Costa Rica	23
	...
92	Latvia	16
93	Yemen	16
94	Congo, DR	16
95	Burundi	16
96	Nigeria	16
97	Benin	16
98	Gabon	16
99	San Marino	16
	World Avg	15.1
q=194.

Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom (2014)21
Pos.		Lower is better Rank21
1	Hong Kong	1
2	Switzerland	2
3	New Zealand	3
	...
119	Guinea-Bissau	118
120	Oman	120
121	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	120
122	Burundi	122
123	Tunisia	123
124	Mali	124
125	Gambia	125
126	Cameroon	126
	World Avg	79.7
q=159.

Press Freedom (2013)22
Pos.		Lower is better22
1	Finland	638
2	Netherlands	648
3	Norway	652
	...
128	Colombia	3748
129	Angola	3780
130	Libya	3786
131	Burundi	3802
132	Zimbabwe	3812
133	Jordan	3847
134	Thailand	3860
135	Morocco	3904
	World Avg	3249
q=178.

Slavery (2018)23
Pos.		Lower is better % Victims23
1	Japan	0.03
2	Canada	0.05
3	Taiwan	0.05
	...
160	Pakistan	1.68
161	S. Sudan	2.05
162	Mauritania	2.14
163	Afghanistan	2.22
164	Central African Rep.	2.23
165	Burundi	4.00
166	Eritrea	9.30
167	Korea, N.	10.46
	World Avg	0.65
q=167.

The taking of slaves has been an unwholesome feature of Human cultures since prehistory₂₄. Private households and national endeavours have frequently been augmented with the use of slaves. The Egyptian and Roman empires both thrived on them for both purposes. Aside from labourers they are often abused sexually by their owners and their owners' friends₂₅. The era of colonialism and the beginnings of globalisation changed nothing: the imprisonment and forced movements of labour continued to destroy many lives except that new justifications were invented based on Christian doctrine and the effort to convert non-Christians. By 1786 over 12 million slaves had been extracted from Africa and sent to colonial labour camps, with a truly atrocious condition of life₂₆. But they were not the only ones to blame; in Africa internal nations such as the Asantes sold and bought tens of thousands of slaves₂₇.

The abolition of the slave trade was a long and slow process. Until a relatively modern time, even philosophers, religious leaders and those concerned with ethics justified, or ignored, the problem of slavery₂₈. The first abolitionists were always the slaves themselves. Their protests and rebellions caused the industry to become too expensive to continue. After that, it was the economic costs of maintain slave colonies that led the British to reject and then oppose the slave trade globally. Finally, the enlightenment-era thinkers of France encouraged moral and ethical thinking including the declaration of the inherent value of human life and human dignity₂₉. A long-overdue wave of compassionate and conscientious movements swept across the West, eliminating public support for slavery, until the industries and churches that supported it had no choice but to back down.

'Modern slavery' includes forced labour (often of the under-age), debt bondage (especially generational), sexual slavery, chattel slavery and other forms of abuse, some of which can be surprisingly difficult to detect, but often target those fleeing from warzones and the vulnerable.₃₀. Some industries (diamond, clothing, coal) from some countries (Burundi₂₃, Eritrea₂₃, Indonesia₃₁) are a particular concern. The Walk Free Foundation, say that in 2016, 40.3 million people were living in modern slavery₃₂.

Burundi has an issue with slavery but with the state itself being highly involved in forced labour practices, this problem seems unlikely to go away any time soon₃₃.

5. Gender Equality

#Burundi #gender #misogyny #politics #women

Gender Inequality (2015)34
Pos.		Lower is better34
1	Switzerland	0.04
2	Denmark	0.04
3	Netherlands	0.04
	...
106	Laos	0.47
107	Dominican Rep.	0.47
108	Namibia	0.47
109	Burundi	0.47
110	Bhutan	0.48
111	Jordan	0.48
112	Cambodia	0.48
113	Morocco	0.49
	World Avg	0.36
q=159.

Year Women Can Vote35
Pos.		Lower is better Year35
1	New Zealand	1893
2	Australia	1902
3	Finland	1906
	...
128	El Salvador	1961
129	Rwanda	1961
130	Mauritania	1961
131	Burundi	1961
132	Malawi	1961
133	Paraguay	1961
134	Sierra Leone	1961
135	Zambia	1962
	World Avg	1930
q=189.

Gender inequality is not a necessary part of early human development. Although a separation of roles is almost universal due to different strengths between the genders, this does not have to mean that women are subdued, and, such patriarchialism is not universal in ancient history. Those cultures and peoples who shed, or never developed, the idea that mankind ought to dominate womankind, are better cultures and peoples than those who, even today, cling violently to those mores.

Burundi is an unequal country, with male rights dominating those of women.

See:

• "Religion Versus Womankind" by Vexen Crabtree (2007)

6. Religion and Beliefs

#belief #buddhism #christianity #god #hinduism #islam #judaism #religion

Religiosity (2009)36
Pos.		Lower is better %36
1	Estonia	16
2	Sweden	17
3	Denmark	19
	...
105	Mauritania	98
106	Djibouti	98
107	Somaliland	98
108	Burundi	98
109	Sri Lanka	99
110	Malawi	99
111	Yemen	99
112	Indonesia	99
	World Avg	75.1
q=114.

Disbelief In God (2007)37
Pos.		Higher is better37
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
	...
86	Panama	1
87	Somalia	0
88	Sri Lanka	0
89	Burundi	0
90	Burkina Faso	0
91	Brunei	0
92	Botswana	0
93	Syria	0
	World Avg	9.9
q=137.

Data from the Pew Forum, a professional polling outfit, states that in 2010 the religious makeup of this country was as follows in the table below₃₈:

Christian	91.5%
Muslim	2.8%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	0.1%
Folk Religion	5.7%
Jew	0.1%
Unaffiliated	0.1%

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Christian 82.8% (Roman Catholic 61.4%, Protestant 21.4%), Muslim 2.5%, Adventist 2.3%, other 6.5%, unknown 5.9% (2008 census)₃₉.

Links:

• A List of All Religions and Belief Systems
• Secularisation Theory: Will Modern Society Reject Religion? What is Secularism?

7. The Internet

#Burundi #internet #the_internet

Internet Users (2016)40
Pos.		Higher is better40
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
194	Myanmar (Burma)	3%
195	Sierra Leone	2%
196	Niger	2%
197	Guinea	2%
198	Somalia	2%
199	Burundi	2%
200	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	1%
201	Eritrea	1%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

Internet access has become an essential research tool. It facilitates an endless list of life improvements, from the ability to network and socialize without constraint, to access to a seemingly infinite repository of technical and procedural information on pretty much any task. The universal availability of data has sped up industrial development and personal learning at the national and personal level. Individuals can read any topic they wish regardless of the locality of expert teachers, and, entire nations can develop their technology and understanding of the world simply because they are now exposed to advanced societies and moral discourses online. Like every communications medium, the Internet has issues and causes a small range of problems, but these are insignificant compared to the advantages of having an online populace.

8. Public Health Issues

#alcohol #Burundi #health #parenting #population #smoking #vaccines

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015)34
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100034
1	Korea, N.	0.5
2	Korea, S.	1.6
3	Switzerland	2.9
	...
77	Iran	26.7
78	Turkey	27.6
79	Kazakhstan	27.9
80	Burundi	28.3
81	Mauritius	28.5
82	Bahamas	29.6
83	UAE	29.7
84	Grenada	30.5
	World Avg	47.9
q=185.

Alcohol Consumption (2010)41
Pos.		Lower is better Per Capita41
1	Libya	0.1
2	Pakistan	0.1
3	Kuwait	0.1
	...
142	USA	9.2
143	Sweden	9.2
144	Cyprus	9.2
145	Burundi	9.3
146	Argentina	9.3
147	Chile	9.6
148	Rwanda	9.8
149	Uganda	9.8
	World Avg	6.2
q=191.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance (2017)42
Pos.		Lower is better Rank42
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
	...
71	Liberia	71
72	Kazakhstan	72
73	Egypt	73
74	Burundi	74
75	Cameroon	74
76	Malta	76
77	Guatemala	77
78	Sri Lanka	78
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 (2015)43
Pos.		Higher is better Avg %43
1	Hungary	99.0
2	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
90	Serbia	93.5
91	Egypt	93.4
92	Cape Verde	93.4
93	Burundi	93.3
94	Chile	93.3
95	Georgia	93.1
96	New Zealand	92.9
97	Nauru	92.9
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

Smoking Rates (2014)44
Pos.		Lower is better44
1	Guinea	15
2	Solomon Islands	26
3	Kiribati	28
	...
16	Afghanistan	84
17	Lesotho	88
18	Trinidad & Tobago	97
19	Burundi	98
20	Tanzania	101
21	Liberia	104
22	Niger	105
23	Sao Tome & Principe	111
	World Avg	819
q=182.

9. More Charts and Comparisons to Other Countries