The Human Truth Foundation

Burundi (Republic of Burundi)

http://www.humantruth.info/burundi.html

By Vexen Crabtree 2013

#burundi

Burundi
Republic of Burundi
StatusIndependent State
Social and Moral Index181st best
CapitalBujumbura
Land Area 25 680km21
LocationAfrica
Population11.2m2
Life Expectancy61.66yrs (2017)3
GNI$0 732 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 CodesBI, BDI, 1085
Internet Domain.bi6
CurrencyFranc (BIF)7
Telephone+2578

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

Book CoverA 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

#economics #human_development #wealth

UN HDI (2021)11
Pos.Higher is better
Value11
1Switzerland0.962
2Norway0.961
3Iceland0.959
4Hong Kong0.952
5Australia0.951
...
184Burkina Faso0.449
185Mozambique0.446
186Mali0.428
187Burundi0.426
188Central African Rep.0.404
189Niger0.400
Africa Avg0.56
World Avg0.72
q=191.
Gross National Income Per-Capita (2021)11
Pos.Higher is better
PPP $11
1Liechtenstein$146 830
2Singapore$90 919
3Qatar$87 134
4Luxembourg$84 649
5Ireland$76 169
...
188Mozambique$1 198
189Congo, DR$1 076
190Somalia$1 018
191Central African Rep.$0 966
192S. Sudan$0 768
193Burundi$0 732
Africa Avg$5 339
World Avg$20 136
q=193.
Social & Moral
Development Index
12,13
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank12,13
1Taiwan28.6
2Norway29.4
3Denmark31.2
4Sweden32.2
5Finland32.6
...
178Papua New Guinea120.7
179Sudan121.2
180Solomon Islands121.3
181Burundi121.8
182Mauritania121.9
183Comoros123.6
Africa Avg108.3
World Avg86.1
q=195.

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: Which are the Best Countries in the World? The Social and Moral Development Index.

3. Burundi's Demographics and Migration

#birth_control #demographics #health #immigration #life_expectancy #longevity #migration #overpopulation #population

Population:

Burundi's population is predicted to rise to 11.44 million by 2030. 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.

Population (2018)2
Pos.
Population2
1China1.4b
2India1.4b
3USA327.1m
4Indonesia267.7m
5Pakistan212.2m
...
78Belgium11.5m
79Bolivia11.4m
80Cuba11.3m
81Burundi11.2m
82Haiti11.1m
83S. Sudan11.0m
World Avg39.0m
q=195.
Life Expectancy (2021)11
Pos.Higher is better
Years11
1Monaco85.9
2Hong Kong85.5
3Japan84.8
4Australia84.5
5Switzerland84.0
...
165Djibouti62.3
166Gambia62.1
167Afghanistan62.0
168Burundi61.7
169Angola61.6
170Togo61.6
World Avg71.28
q=195.
Fertility Rate (2013)14
Pos.2.0 is best14
1N. Korea2.00
2Brunei1.99
3St Vincent & Grenadines2.01
4France1.99
5Turkey2.04
...
141Ethiopia3.91
142Ghana4.03
143Solomon Islands4.08
144Burundi4.10
145Ivory Coast4.27
146Eritrea4.28
World Avg2.81
q=180.
Old-Age Dependency Ratio (2016)15
Pos.Lower is better
Per 10015
1Uganda04.3
2Mali04.5
3Chad04.7
4Burkina Faso04.7
5Sierra Leone04.8
...
21Niger05.8
22Congo, DR05.8
23Benin05.8
24Burundi05.9
25Liberia05.9
26Iraq06.0
World Avg18.3
q=185.

Migration:

Immigrants (2017)16
Pos.
%16
1UAE88.4%
2Kuwait75.5%
3Qatar65.2%
4Liechtenstein65.1%
5Monaco54.9%
...
106Chad3.3%
107Tajikistan3.1%
108Cape Verde2.8%
109Burundi2.8%
110Chile2.7%
111Micronesia2.6%
World Avg9.4%
q=195.
Emigrants (2010)17
Pos.
%17
1Dominica104.8%
2Palestine68.4%
3Samoa67.3%
4Grenada65.5%
5St Kitts & Nevis61.1%
...
122S. Korea4.3%
123Belgium4.2%
124Syria4.2%
125Burundi4.2%
126Panama4.0%
127Norway3.8%
World Avg11.5%
q=192.

4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#Burundi #equality #freedom #gender_equality #human_rights #morals #politics #prejudice #tolerance

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2020)18,19
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank18,19
1Sweden9.2
2Norway14.7
3Denmark14.7
4Netherlands15.8
5New Zealand17.5
...
164Yemen123.6
165Sao Tome & Principe123.8
166Iraq124.5
167Burundi126.3
168Congo, DR126.9
169Malaysia127.3
Africa Avg108.4
World Avg87.7
q=199.

Burundi is amongst the worst places in the world at ensuring human rights and freedom, and it has severe cultural issues when it comes to tolerance and equality. Burundi does better than average when it comes to its nominal commitment to Human Rights20. But that's it. Burundi has problems. It does worse than average in terms of opposing gender inequality21 (still good for Africa), speed of uptake of HR treaties22, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms23, supporting press freedom24, freethought25 and in LGBT equality26. And finally, it sits amongst the bottom 20 in commentary in Human Rights Watch reports27 (amongst the worst in Africa). In 2017, government forces persecuted political opponents, and they and the Imbonerakure "were responsible for numerous killings, disappearances, ab-ductions, acts of torture, rapes, and arbitrary arrests"28 and a Human Rights Council affiliated body stated that it beliefs crimes against humanity have been committed in Burundi since April 201528

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

5. Burundi's Health

#alcohol #birth_control #Burundi #demographics #health #life_expectancy #longevity #obesity #overpopulation #parenting #population #smoking #vaccines

Compared to Africa (2020)29,30
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank29,30
1Mauritius64.5
2Morocco73.1
3Eritrea77.0
4Tunisia80.1
5Algeria87.3
6Burundi87.4
7Libya90.5
8Sudan91.2
9Rwanda91.9
10Ethiopia93.3
11Sao Tome & Principe93.6
12Djibouti95.7
13Cape Verde97.3
Africa Avg108.2
q=54.
Health (2020)29,30
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank29,30
1Monaco13.0
2Hong Kong18.3
3Maldives41.0
4Singapore42.6
5Japan51.0
...
75Kiribati87.0
76Algeria87.3
77Ireland87.4
78Burundi87.4
79Nicaragua87.5
80Guyana87.5
81Pakistan88.5
World Avg93.5
q=196.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Monaco, Hong Kong and The Maldives29. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are The Marshall Islands, S. Sudan and Palau29.

The data sets used to calculate points for each country are its average life expectancy, its alcohol consumption rate, its fertility rate, its smoking rate, its suicide rate, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance, the prevalence of overweight adults, its adolescent birth rate and its immunizations take-up. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Asia and The Mediterranean29, whereas the worst are Micronesia, Australasia and Africa29.

For more, see:

Health:

Burundi has some poor policies and cultural issues which cause some public health problems. Burundi comes in the best 20 in its smoking rate31. It does better than average in terms of its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance32, its adolescent birth rate21 and in its immunizations take-up33. But, things could still be better. Burundi does worse than average in its alcohol consumption rate34, its fertility rate14 (still good for Africa) and in its average life expectancy11. The number of overweight adults has increased by 14% between 1976 and 2016.

Life Expectancy (2021)11
Pos.Higher is better
Years11
1Monaco85.9
2Hong Kong85.5
3Japan84.8
4Australia84.5
5Switzerland84.0
...
165Djibouti62.3
166Gambia62.1
167Afghanistan62.0
168Burundi61.7
169Angola61.6
170Togo61.6
Africa Avg62.79
World Avg71.28
q=195.
Alcohol Consumption (2016)34
Pos.Lower is better
Per Capita34
1Bangladesh0.0
2Kuwait0.0
3Libya0.0
4Mauritania0.0
5Somalia0.0
...
108Paraguay7.2
109Mongolia7.4
110Albania7.5
111Burundi7.5
112Italy7.5
113Norway7.5
Africa Avg4.8
World Avg6.2
q=189.
Fertility Rate (2013)14
Pos.2.0 is best14
1N. Korea2.00
2Brunei1.99
3St Vincent & Grenadines2.01
4France1.99
5Turkey2.04
...
141Ethiopia3.91
142Ghana4.03
143Solomon Islands4.08
144Burundi4.10
145Ivory Coast4.27
146Eritrea4.28
Africa Avg4.31
World Avg2.81
q=180.
Smoking Rates (2014)31
Pos.Higher is worse31
182Montenegro4 125
181Belarus3 831
180Lebanon3 023
179Macedonia2 732
178Russia2 690
...
22Niger 105
21Liberia 104
20Tanzania 101
19Burundi 98
18Trinidad & Tobago 97
17Lesotho 88
Africa Avg 340
World Avg 819
q=182.
Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance (2017)32
Pos.Lower is better
Rank32
1Sweden1
2Ireland2
3Denmark3
4UK4
5Norway5
...
71Liberia71
72Kazakhstan72
73Egypt73
74Burundi74
75Cameroon74
76Malta76
Africa Avg117.0
World Avg82.0
q=163.
Overweight Adults (2016)35
Pos.Lower is better
%35
1Vietnam18.3
2India19.7
3Bangladesh20.0
4Ethiopia20.9
5Nepal21.0
6Timor-Leste (E. Timor)21.6
7Cambodia21.7
8Niger22.0
9Eritrea22.0
10Burundi22.2
11Uganda22.4
12Afghanistan23.0
Africa Avg33.3
World Avg49.0
q=191.

Children's Health:

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015)21
Pos.Lower is better
Per 100021
1N. Korea0.5
2S. Korea1.6
3Switzerland2.9
4Hong Kong3.2
5Slovenia3.8
...
77Iran26.7
78Turkey27.6
79Kazakhstan27.9
80Burundi28.3
81Mauritius28.5
82Bahamas29.6
Africa Avg87.5
World Avg47.9
q=185.
Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 (2015)33
Pos.Higher is better
Avg %33
1Hungary99.0
2China99.0
3Uzbekistan98.9
4Niue98.8
5Mongolia98.7
...
90Serbia93.5
91Egypt93.4
92Cape Verde93.4
93Burundi93.3
94Chile93.3
95Georgia93.1
Africa Avg81.7
World Avg88.3
q=194.

6. Burundi's Modernity and Learning

#education #intelligence #modernity #religion #religiosity #research #science #secularisation #technology #the_internet

Compared to Africa (2020)19
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank19
1S. Africa52.8
2Egypt70.4
3Tunisia73.4
4Kenya79.8
5Seychelles81.3
...
38Mauritania134.7
39Lesotho137.2
40Congo, (Brazzaville)137.4
41Burundi139.0
42Madagascar142.5
43Benin143.3
44Gambia144.0
Africa Avg120.7
q=53.
Modernity and Learning (2020)19
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank19
1Finland8.4
2Taiwan10.0
3Switzerland15.1
4Estonia15.8
5Denmark16.0
...
184Afghanistan136.7
185Lesotho137.2
186Congo, (Brazzaville)137.4
187Burundi139.0
188Madagascar142.5
189Kiribati143.0
190Benin143.3
World Avg83.2
q=205.

Modernity and Education:

Research and Development (2016)
Pos.Higher is better
% RDP PPP
1S. Korea4.2936
2Israel4.1136
3Japan3.5836
4Finland3.1736
5Sweden3.1636
...
103Georgia0.1337
104Gambia0.1338
105Tajikistan0.1239
106Burundi0.1238
107Madagascar0.1138
108Philippines0.1140
Africa Avg0.36
World Avg0.84
q=126.
Secondary Education (2018)41
Pos.Higher is better41
1Luxembourg100.0%
2Estonia100.0%
3Austria100.0%
4Canada100.0%
5Finland100.0%
...
163Papua New Guinea12.5%
164Bhutan12.0%
165Guinea11.7%
166Burundi9.3%
167Burkina Faso8.8%
168Niger6.6%
Africa Avg34.4%
World Avg63.0%
q=169.
Length of Schooling (2021)42
Pos.Higher is better
Years42
1Australia21.1
2New Zealand20.3
3Greece20.0
4Belgium19.6
5Sweden19.4
...
151Myanmar (Burma)10.9
152N. Korea10.8
153Benin10.8
154Burundi10.7
155Kenya10.7
156Ivory Coast10.7
Africa Avg11.0
World Avg13.5
q=193.
Intellectual Endeavours (2017)32
Pos.Lower is better
Rank32
1Ukraine1
2Czechia2
3Hungary3
4Denmark4
5UK5
...
68Lebanon68
69Senegal69
70China70
71Burundi71
72Tunisia72
73Timor-Leste (E. Timor)73
Africa Avg106.4
World Avg82.0
q=163.
Religiosity (2018)43
Pos.Lower is better
%43
1China3
2Estonia6
3Czechia7
4Switzerland9
5Denmark9
6Germany10
7UK10
8Sweden10
9Japan10
10Finland10
11Latvia11
12France11
Africa Avg87.0
World Avg54.3
q=106.
IQ (2006)44
Pos.Higher is better44
1Hong Kong108
2Singapore108
3S. Korea106
4Japan105
5Taiwan105
...
118Malawi69
119Niger69
120Mali69
121Burundi69
122Nigeria69
123Chad68
Africa Avg70.6
World Avg85.6
q=138.

Technology and Information:

Internet Users (2016)45
Pos.Higher is better45
1Iceland100%
2Faroe Islands99%
3Norway98%
4Bermuda97%
5Andorra97%
...
196Niger2%
197Guinea2%
198Somalia2%
199Burundi2%
200Timor-Leste (E. Timor)1%
201Eritrea1%
Africa Avg18.4%
World Avg48.1%
q=201.

7. National Culture

#charity #corruption #happiness #morals #politics

Burundi has a consistently awful long-term record on corruption, one of the worst in the world.

World Giving Index (2013-2021)46
Pos.Lower is better46
1Myanmar (Burma)2.7
2New Zealand4.0
3USA4.7
4Australia4.9
5Indonesia9.0
...
155Lithuania125.6
156Greece127.1
157China131.4
158Palestine136.2
159Yemen138.0
160Burundi145.0
Africa Avg78.0
World Avg67.9
q=160.
Corruption (2022)47
Pos.Higher is better
Points47
1Denmark90.0
2Finland87.0
3New Zealand87.0
4Norway84.0
5Singapore83.0
...
172N. Korea17.0
173Libya17.0
174Haiti17.0
175Burundi17.0
176Yemen16.0
177Venezuela14.0
Africa Avg32.31
World Avg42.98
q=180.
Happiness (2018)48
Pos.Higher is better48
1Finland7.6
2Norway7.6
3Denmark7.6
4Iceland7.5
5Switzerland7.5
...
151Rwanda3.4
152Yemen3.4
153Tanzania3.3
154S. Sudan3.3
155Central African Rep.3.1
156Burundi2.9
Africa Avg4.29
World Avg5.38
q=156.
Creativity and Culture (2017)32
Pos.Lower is better
Rank32
1Belgium1
2Netherlands2
3Estonia3
4Switzerland4
5Sweden5
...
157Iran157
158Gabon158
159Central African Rep.159
160Burundi160
161Rwanda161
162Congo, DR162
Africa Avg117.8
World Avg82.0
q=163.
Open Trading, Aid and Development (2017)32
Pos.Lower is better
Rank32
1Ireland1
2Denmark2
3Sweden3
4Netherlands4
5Switzerland5
...
89Central African Rep.89
90Botswana90
91Guinea-Bissau91
92Burundi92
93Mozambique93
94Guinea94
Africa Avg96.7
World Avg82.0
q=163.

8. Peace Versus Instability

#extremism #human_development #peace #politics #religious_violence #terrorism

Global Peace Index (2021)49
Pos.Lower is better49
1Iceland1.10
2New Zealand1.25
3Denmark1.26
4Portugal1.27
5Slovenia1.32
...
126Egypt2.40
127Philippines2.42
128Brazil2.43
129Burundi2.43
130Nicaragua2.45
131Myanmar (Burma)2.46
Africa Avg2.29
World Avg2.08
q=163.
Peacekeeping and Security (2017)32
Pos.Lower is better
Rank32
1Samoa1
2S. Africa2
3Tunisia3
4Egypt4
5Nigeria5
...
122Guinea122
123Israel123
124Malta124
125Burundi125
126Barbados126
127Chad127
Africa Avg83.6
World Avg82.0
q=163.
Refugees and UN Treaties (2017)32
Pos.Lower is better
Rank32
1Austria1
2Germany2
3Netherlands3
4Sweden4
5Malta5
...
147El Salvador147
148Bahamas148
149Marshall Islands149
150Burundi150
151Zimbabwe151
152Grenada152
Africa Avg104.5
World Avg82.0
q=163.
Impact of Terrorism (2019)50
Pos.Lower is better
Score50
1Togo0.00
2Mongolia0.00
3Swaziland0.00
4Equatorial Guinea0.00
5Cambodia0.00
...
115France5.01
116Indonesia5.07
117Nepal5.09
118Burundi5.10
119Palestine5.18
120Bangladesh5.21
Africa Avg3.41
World Avg2.78
q=150.

9. The Natural Environment

#biodiversity #climate_change #deforestation #over-exploitation #the_environment

Forest Area Change 1990-2015 (2015)51
Pos.Higher is better
%51
1Iceland+205.6
2Bahrain+144.4
3Uruguay+131.3
4Kuwait+81.2
5Dominican Rep.+79.5
...
118Sao Tome & Principe-04.3
119Bangladesh-04.4
120Ecuador-04.4
121Burundi-04.5
122Antigua & Barbuda-04.9
123Congo, DR-04.9
Africa Avg-08.0
World Avg+02.8
q=184.
Environmental Performance (2018)52
Pos.Higher is better52
1Switzerland87.4
2France84.0
3Denmark81.6
4Malta80.9
5Sweden80.5
...
175Madagascar33.7
176Nepal31.4
177India30.6
178Congo, DR30.4
179Bangladesh29.6
180Burundi27.4
Africa Avg46.4
World Avg56.4
q=180.
Convention on Biological Diversity
Pos.Earlier is better
Signed
1China1993 Dec 29
2Guinea1993 Dec 29
3Cook Islands1993 Dec 29
4Vanuatu1993 Dec 29
5Papua New Guinea1993 Dec 29
...
166Dominican Rep.1997 Feb 23
167Turkey1997 May 15
168Gabon1997 Jun 12
169Burundi1997 Jul 14
170Tajikistan1998 Jan 27
171Liechtenstein1998 Feb 17
Africa Avg1899 Dec 30
World Avg1899 Dec 30
q=197.
Rational Beliefs on the Environment (2011)53
Pos.Higher is better
%53
1Argentina78.3%
2Greece77.6%
3Brazil77.1%
4Trinidad & Tobago74.5%
5Costa Rica74.2%
...
56Yemen43.2%
57Sri Lanka43.1%
58Djibouti42.8%
59Burundi42.0%
60Zambia41.9%
61Singapore41.6%
Africa Avg38.3%
World Avg39.9%
q=145.

10. Economic Inequality and Poverty

#capitalism #economics #health #inequality #life_expectancy #poverty #social_development

Inequality in Life Expectancy (2019)54
Pos.Higher is worse54
184Chad40.90
183Central African Rep.40.10
182Sierra Leone39.00
181Somalia38.90
180Nigeria37.10
...
162Mozambique29.80
161Liberia29.80
160Comoros28.90
159Burundi28.50
158Gambia28.50
157Afghanistan28.30
Africa Avg26.10
World Avg14.59
q=184.
Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) (2017)55
Pos.Lower is better
%55
1Ukraine25.0
2Belarus25.4
3Slovenia25.4
4Czechia25.9
5Moldova25.9
...
86Indonesia38.1
87Myanmar (Burma)38.1
88Maldives38.4
89Burundi38.6
90China38.6
91Samoa38.7
Africa Avg42.6
World Avg38.1
q=152.
Multidimensional Poverty (2018)56
Pos.Lower is better
Severity56
1Armenia.001
2Ukraine.001
3Serbia.001
4Turkmenistan.001
5Jordan.002
...
89Benin.368
90Guinea-Bissau.372
91Congo, DR.389
92Burundi.403
93Mozambique.411
94Madagascar.453
Africa Avg.264
World Avg.154
q=101.

11. Religion and Beliefs

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

Religiosity (2018)43
Pos.Lower is better
%43
1China3
2Estonia6
3Czechia7
4Switzerland9
5Denmark9
6Germany10
7UK10
8Sweden10
9Japan10
10Finland10
11Latvia11
12France11
World Avg54.3
q=106.
Disbelief In God (2007)57
Pos.Higher is better
%57
1Vietnam81
2Japan65
3Sweden64
4Czechia61
5Estonia49
...
86Panama1
87Somalia0
88Sri Lanka0
89Burundi0
90Burkina Faso0
91Brunei0
World Avg9.9
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 below58:

Christian91.5%
Muslim2.8%
Hindu0.1%
Buddhist0.1%
Folk Religion5.7%
Jew0.1%
Unaffiliated0.1%

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)59.

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