Burundi
Type of Government: Republic
Independence: 1962 from Belgium
Head of State: President Pierre Nkurunziza (since August 26, 2005)
2007/2008 UN Development Index ranking (out of 177 countries): 167
2007 TI Corruption Perception Index (out of 179): 131
Political Development: Burundi has been desecrated by bloody battles, civil unrest, and mass murdering since it gained independence. The Hutus constitute 85 percent of the population, but have historically been dominated by the minority Tutsis. The first genocide of Tutsis against Hutu occurred in 1972 with 100,000 killed. The country’s first democratically elected president was assassinated in October 1993 after only 100 days in office, triggering more ethnic violence between Hutu and Tutsi factions. More than 200,000 Burundians perished during the conflict that spanned almost a dozen years. In recent years things have improved and the UN officially closed down its peacekeeping mission in the country in February 2007.
Adult HIV Rate: 6%
Life Expectancy: 51.29
GDP: $785.5 million
Inflation: 2.8%
Poverty: 68%
Petroleum: N/A
Leading Export Partner: Switzerland (33.7%)
Economic Note: The economy is predominantly agricultural with more than 90% of the population dependent on subsistence agriculture. Economic growth depends on coffee and tea exports, which account for 90% of foreign exchange earnings. The Tutsi minority, 14% of the population, dominates the government and the coffee trade at the expense of the Hutu majority, 85% of the population.
