Burundi, one of the world's poorest nations, is emerging from a 12-year, ethnic-based civil war. Since independence in July 1962 (from UN trusteeship under Belgian administration), Burundi has been plagued by tension between the dominant Tutsi minority and the Hutu majority, and has been the scene of one of Africa's most intractable conflicts. The country has 17 provinces and three major languages are spoken - Kirundi (an official language), French (an official language), and Swahili.

Leader: President Pierre Nkurunziza
Capital city: Bujumbura

Economic profile

Monetary unit: Burundi francGDP per capita: $300 (2010) (IMF)
GDP composition by sector:
Agriculture: 31.6% of GDP (2010) (CIA)
Industry: 21.4% of GDP (2010) (CIA)
Services: 47% of GDP (2010) (CIA)
GDP growth rate: 3.9% (2010) (CIA)
Budget:
Government revenue, excluding grants: $386.3-million (2010) (IMF)
Government expenditure: $476.2-million (2010) (IMF)
Consumer price inflation: 9.8% (2010) CIA)
Industries: Light consumer goods such as blankets, shoes, soap; assembly of Imported components: public works construction; and food processing.
Exports of goods and services: $71-million (2010) (CIA)
Imports of goods and services: $336-million (2010) (CIA)
Export commodities: Coffee, tea, sugar, cotton, and hides.
Import commodities: Capital goods, petroleum products, and foodstuffs.
Trade balance: -22,8% of GDP (2007) (IMF)
Reserves: $320-million (2010) (CIA)
Total investment: 25.1% of GDP (2010) (CIA)

Social profile

Population: 8.3-million (2010) (World Bank)
Population growth: 2.8% (2010) (World Bank)
Life expectancy at birth: 50.9 years (2010) (CIA)
Adult literacy: 67% (2009) (World Bank)
School enrolment primary: 147% (2009) (World Bank)
School enrolment secondary: 21% (2009) (World Bank)
School enrolment tertiary: 3% (2009) (World Bank)
Number of people living with HIV/Aids: 180 000 (2007) (Unicef)

Election profile

Pre-election report