Economy - overview:
Burundi is a landlocked, resource-poor country with an underdeveloped manufacturing sector. 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 ability to pay for imports rests primarily on weather conditions and international coffee and tea prices. The Tutsi minority, 14% of the population, dominates the coffee trade. An ethnic-based war that lasted for over a decade resulted in more than 200,000 deaths, forced more than 48,000 refugees into Tanzania, and displaced 140,000 others internally. Only one in two children go to school, and approximately one in 15 adults has HIV/AIDS. Food, medicine, and electricity remain in short supply. Burundi's GDP grew around 5% annually in 2006-07, before increasing to 6% in 2008. Political stability and the end of the civil war have improved aid flows and economic activity has increased, but underlying weaknesses - a high poverty rate, poor education rates, a weak legal system, and low administrative capacity - risk undermining planned economic reforms. Burundi will continue to remain heavily dependent on aid from bilateral and multilateral donors; the delay of funds after a corruption scandal cut off bilateral aid in 2007 reduced government's revenues and its ability to pay salaries.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$3.103 billion (2008 est.)
$2.969 billion (2007)
$2.866 billion (2006)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars

GDP (official exchange rate):
$903 million (2008 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
4.5% (2008 est.)
3.6% (2007 est.)
5.1% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita:
$400 (2008 est.)
$400 (2007 est.)
$400 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 32.9%
industry: 21.3%
services: 45.8% (2008 est.)

Labor force:
2.99 million (2002)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 93.6%
industry: 2.3%
services: 4.1% (2002 est.)

Unemployment rate:
NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.7%
highest 10%: 32.8% (1998)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
42.4 (1998)

Investment (gross fixed):
28.4% of GDP (2008 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $292.2 million
expenditures: $351.3 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2008 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
12% (2008 est.)

Central bank discount rate:
10.12% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
16.84% (31 December 2007)

Stock of money:
$208.7 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:
$141 million (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:
$342 million (31 December 2007)

Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA

Agriculture - products:
coffee, cotton, tea, corn, sorghum, sweet potatoes, bananas, manioc (tapioca); beef, milk, hides

Industries:
light consumer goods such as blankets, shoes, soap; assembly of imported components; public works construction; food processing

Industrial production growth rate:
8% (2008 est.)

Electricity - production:
87 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:
120.9 million kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:
40 million kWh; note - supplied by the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2007 est.)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:
2,956 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:
2,635 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:
-$120 million (2008 est.)

Exports:
$47 million f.o.b. (2008 est.)

Exports - commodities:
coffee, tea, sugar, cotton, hides

Exports - partners:
Germany 31.3%, Pakistan 6.8%, Belgium 5.8%, Sweden 4.3%, Rwanda 4.3%, France 4.2%, Sudan 4% (2007)

Imports:
$307 million f.o.b. (2008 est.)

Imports - commodities:
capital goods, petroleum products, foodstuffs

Imports - partners:
Saudi Arabia 17%, Kenya 11.4%, Belgium 8.7%, France 6.1%, Uganda 5.4%, Germany 5.4%, India 4.8%, Pakistan 4.2% (2007)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$134 million (31 December 2008 est.)

Debt - external:
$1.2 billion (2003)