Burundi (Republic of Burundi)

By Vexen Crabtree 2013

Comments:
FB, LJ

Burundi Republic of Burundi
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	185th best
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

#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

#economics #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.

Gross National Income Per-Capita (2011)₁₂
Pos.		Higher is better PPP $₁₂
1	Qatar	$129 916
2	Singapore	$78 162
3	Kuwait	$76 075
	...
186	Malawi	$1 073
187	Guinea	$1 058
188	Niger	$0 889
189	Burundi	$0 691
190	Liberia	$0 683
191	Congo, DR	$0 680
192	Central African Rep.	$0 587
193	Somalia	$0 294
	World Avg	$17 240
q=193.

Social & Moral Development Index₁₃_,₁₄
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₃_,₁₄
1	Denmark	28.3
2	Norway	29.1
3	Finland	29.7
	...
179	Guinea-Bissau	123.0
180	Mauritania	123.0
181	Sudan	124.0
182	Burundi	124.6
183	Congo, (Brazzaville)	125.6
184	Equatorial Guinea	127.1
185	Eritrea	127.1
186	Congo, DR	128.2
	World Avg	86.9
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

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

Population:

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.

Population (2012)₁₅
Pos.		Population₁₅
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.

Life Expectancy (2015)₁₂
Pos.		Higher is better Years₁₂
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.

Fertility Rate (2013)₁₆
Pos.		2.0 is best₁₆
1	N. Korea	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.

Old-Age Dependency Ratio (2016)₁₇
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100₁₇
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.

Migration:

Immigrants (2010)₁₈
Pos.		%₁₈
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.

Emigrants (2010)₁₈
Pos.		%₁₈
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
122	S. Korea	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.

4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#Burundi #equality #freedom #human_rights #politics #tolerance

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 for its nominal commitment to Human Rights₁₉. However Burundi performs less well in most areas. It does worse than average in terms of opposing gender inequality₂₀ (still good for Africa), supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms₂₁, the year from which women could participate in democracy and in supporting press freedom₂₂. And finally, it sits amongst the bottom 20 for commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₂₃ (one of the lowest in Africa) and in eliminating modern slavery₂₄ (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"₂₅ and a Human Rights Council affiliated body stated that it beliefs crimes against humanity have been committed in Burundi since April 2015₂₅

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

Human Rights and Freedom in Burundi

5. Burundi's Health

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

Health (2020)₂₆_,₂₇
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₂₆_,₂₇
1	Hong Kong	18.0
2	Singapore	41.5
3	Maldives	43.3
	...
79	Ecuador	88.0
80	Pakistan	88.1
81	New Zealand	88.3
82	Burundi	88.5
83	El Salvador	89.1
84	Dominica	89.2
85	St Kitts & Nevis	89.3
86	Algeria	89.5
87	Kyrgyzstan	90.0
	World Avg	92.3
q=187.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Hong Kong, Singapore and The Maldives₂₆. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are S. Sudan, Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea₂₆.

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 Europe, whereas the worst are Africa, Micronesia and Polynesia.

Health:

Burundi has some poor policies and cultural issues which cause some public health problems. Burundi comes in the best 20 for its smoking rate₂₈. It does better than average for its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₂₉, its adolescent birth rate₂₀ and in its immunizations take-up₃₀. Burundi does not succeed in everything, however. It does worse than average in its alcohol consumption rate₃₁ and in its fertility rate₁₆ (still good for Africa). And finally, it falls into the worst-performing 20 in its average life expectancy₁₂. The number of overweight adults has increased by 14% between 1976 and 2016.

Life Expectancy (2015)₁₂
Pos.		Higher is better Years₁₂
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.

Alcohol Consumption (2016)₃₁
Pos.		Lower is better Per Capita₃₁
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
108	Paraguay	7.2
109	Mongolia	7.4
110	Albania	7.5
111	Burundi	7.5
112	Italy	7.5
113	Norway	7.5
114	Kazakhstan	7.7
115	Congo, (Brazzaville)	7.8
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

Fertility Rate (2013)₁₆
Pos.		2.0 is best₁₆
1	N. Korea	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.

Smoking Rates (2014)₂₈
Pos.		Higher is worse₂₈
182	Montenegro	4 125
181	Belarus	3 831
180	Lebanon	3 023
	...
22	Niger	105
21	Liberia	104
20	Tanzania	101
19	Burundi	98
18	Trinidad & Tobago	97
17	Lesotho	88
16	Afghanistan	84
15	Nepal	83
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance (2017)₂₉
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₂₉
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.

Overweight Adults (2016)₃₂
Pos.		Lower is better %₃₂
1	Vietnam	18.3
2	India	19.7
3	Bangladesh	20.0
	...
7	Cambodia	21.7
8	Niger	22.0
9	Eritrea	22.0
10	Burundi	22.2
11	Uganda	22.4
12	Afghanistan	23.0
13	Chad	23.1
14	Burkina Faso	23.2
	World Avg	49.0
q=191.

Children's Health:

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015)₂₀
Pos.		Lower is better Per 1000₂₀
1	N. Korea	0.5
2	S. Korea	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.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 (2015)₃₀
Pos.		Higher is better Avg %₃₀
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.

6. Burundi's Modernity and Learning

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

Modernity and Learning (2020)₃₃
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₃
1	Finland	8.0
2	Belgium	9.1
3	Denmark	10.0
	...
149	Swaziland	100.4
150	Angola	101.3
151	Myanmar (Burma)	103.8
152	Burundi	104.2
153	Turkmenistan	104.4
154	Bangladesh	104.4
155	Tanzania	105.3
156	Honduras	105.3
157	Yemen	105.7
	World Avg	69.0
q=180.

Modernity and Education:

Research and Development (2016)
Pos.		Higher is better % RDP PPP
1	S. Korea	4.29₃₄
2	Israel	4.11₃₄
3	Japan	3.58₃₄
	...
103	Georgia	0.13₃₅
104	Gambia	0.13₃₆
105	Tajikistan	0.12₃₇
106	Burundi	0.12₃₆
107	Madagascar	0.11₃₆
108	Philippines	0.11₃₈
109	Myanmar (Burma)	0.11₃₉
110	Peru	0.10₄₀
	World Avg	0.84
q=126.

Secondary Education (2018)₄₁
Pos.		Higher is better₄₁
1	Luxembourg	100.0%
2	Estonia	100.0%
3	Austria	100.0%
	...
162	Mali	13.1%
163	Papua New Guinea	12.5%
164	Bhutan	12.0%
165	Guinea	11.7%
166	Burundi	9.3%
167	Burkina Faso	8.8%
168	Niger	6.6%
169	Chad	6.0%
	World Avg	63.0%
q=169.

Length of Schooling (2018)₄₂
Pos.		Higher is better Years₄₂
1	Australia	22.1
2	Belgium	19.7
3	Finland	19.3
	...
142	Tajikistan	11.4
143	Swaziland	11.4
144	Cambodia	11.3
145	Burundi	11.3
146	Lebanon	11.3
147	Nauru	11.3
148	Uganda	11.2
149	Comoros	11.2
	World Avg	13.2
q=193.

Intellectual Endeavours (2017)₂₉
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₂₉
1	Ukraine	1
2	Czechia	2
3	Hungary	3
	...
68	Lebanon	68
69	Senegal	69
70	China	70
71	Burundi	71
72	Tunisia	72
73	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	73
74	Chile	74
75	Argentina	75
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Religiosity (2009)₄₃
Pos.		Lower is better %₄₃
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.

IQ (2006)₄₄
Pos.		Higher is better₄₄
1	Hong Kong	108
2	Singapore	108
3	S. Korea	106
	...
118	Malawi	69
119	Niger	69
120	Mali	69
121	Burundi	69
122	Nigeria	69
123	Chad	68
124	Burkina Faso	68
125	Somalia	68
	World Avg	85.6
q=138.

Technology and Information:

Internet Users (2016)₄₅
Pos.		Higher is better₄₅
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.

7. National Culture

#charity #corruption #happiness #morals #politics

Personal Charitability (World Position, 2013-2016)₄₆
Pos.		Lower is better₄₆
1	Myanmar (Burma)	1.25
2	USA	1.5
3	New Zealand	3.5
	...
149	Armenia	126.25
150	Congo, DR	126.5
151	Turkey	128
152	Greece	133
153	Palestine	135
154	Yemen	136.25
155	China	136.25
156	Burundi	145
	World Avg	68.1185897435897
q=156.

Life Satisfaction (2011)₄₇
Pos.		Higher is better₄₇
1	Denmark	7.8
2	Norway	7.6
3	Netherlands	7.6
	...
140	Senegal	3.8
141	Nepal	3.8
142	Haiti	3.8
143	Burundi	3.8
144	Afghanistan	3.8
145	Yemen	3.7
146	Chad	3.7
147	Benin	3.7
	World Avg	5.4
q=150.

Corruption (2012-2016)₄₈
Pos.		Higher is better Avg Score₄₈
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.

Happiness (2018)₄₉
Pos.		Higher is better₄₉
1	Finland	7.6
2	Norway	7.6
3	Denmark	7.6
	...
149	Liberia	3.5
150	Syria	3.5
151	Rwanda	3.4
152	Yemen	3.4
153	Tanzania	3.3
154	S. Sudan	3.3
155	Central African Rep.	3.1
156	Burundi	2.9
	World Avg	5.38
q=156.

Creativity and Culture (2017)₂₉
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₂₉
1	Belgium	1
2	Netherlands	2
3	Estonia	3
	...
156	Iraq	156
157	Iran	157
158	Gabon	158
159	Central African Rep.	159
160	Burundi	160
161	Rwanda	161
162	Congo, DR	162
163	Libya	163
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Open Trading, Aid and Development (2017)₂₉
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₂₉
1	Ireland	1
2	Denmark	2
3	Sweden	3
	...
89	Central African Rep.	89
90	Botswana	90
91	Guinea-Bissau	91
92	Burundi	92
93	Mozambique	93
94	Guinea	94
95	Ivory Coast	95
96	Peru	96
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

8. Peace Versus Instability

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

Global Peace Index (2012)₅₀
Pos.		Lower is better₅₀
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.

Peacekeeping and Security (2017)₂₉
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₂₉
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
	...
122	Guinea	122
123	Israel	123
124	Malta	124
125	Burundi	125
126	Barbados	126
127	Chad	127
128	Montenegro	128
129	Dominican Rep.	129
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Refugees and UN Treaties (2017)₂₉
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₂₉
1	Austria	1
2	Germany	2
3	Netherlands	3
	...
147	El Salvador	147
148	Bahamas	148
149	Marshall Islands	149
150	Burundi	150
151	Zimbabwe	151
152	Grenada	152
153	Angola	153
154	Guyana	154
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Impact of Terrorism (2019)₅₁
Pos.		Lower is better Score₅₁
1	Togo	0.00
2	Mongolia	0.00
3	Swaziland	0.00
	...
115	France	5.01
116	Indonesia	5.07
117	Nepal	5.09
118	Burundi	5.10
119	Palestine	5.18
120	Bangladesh	5.21
121	Saudi Arabia	5.24
122	Ethiopia	5.35
	World Avg	2.78
q=150.

9. The Natural Environment

#biodiversity #climate_change #over-exploitation #the_environment

Forest Area Change 1990-2015 (2015)₅₂
Pos.		Higher is better %₅₂
1	Iceland	205.6
2	Bahrain	144.4
3	Uruguay	131.3
	...
118	Sao Tome & Principe	-04.3
119	Bangladesh	-04.4
120	Ecuador	-04.4
121	Burundi	-04.5
122	Antigua & Barbuda	-04.9
123	Congo, DR	-04.9
124	Peru	-05.1
125	Angola	-05.1
	World Avg	02.8
q=184.

Environmental Performance (2018)₅₃
Pos.		Higher is better₅₃
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
	...
173	Lesotho	33.8
174	Haiti	33.7
175	Madagascar	33.7
176	Nepal	31.4
177	India	30.6
178	Congo, DR	30.4
179	Bangladesh	29.6
180	Burundi	27.4
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

Convention on Biological Diversity
Pos.		Earlier is better Signed
1	China	1993 Dec 29
2	Guinea	1993 Dec 29
3	Cook Islands	1993 Dec 29
	...
166	Dominican Rep.	1997 Feb 23
167	Turkey	1997 May 15
168	Gabon	1997 Jun 12
169	Burundi	1997 Jul 14
170	Tajikistan	1998 Jan 27
171	Liechtenstein	1998 Feb 17
172	Macedonia	1998 Mar 02
173	Angola	1998 Jun 30
	World Avg	1899 Dec 30
q=197.

10. Religion and Beliefs

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

Religiosity (2009)₄₃
Pos.		Lower is better %₄₃
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)₅₄
Pos.		Higher is better %₅₄
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 below₅₅:

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)₅₆.

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