Burundi Economy 1997

Economy - overview Burundi is a landlocked, resource-poor country in an early stage ofeconomic development. The economy is predominately agricultural with roughly90% of the population dependent on subsistence agriculture. Its economic healthdepends on the coffee crop, which accounts for 80% of foreign exchange earnings.The ability to pay for imports therefore rests largely on the vagaries ofthe climate and the international coffee market. As part of its economic reformagenda, launched in February 1991 with IMF and World Bank support, Burundiis trying to diversify its agricultural exports, attract foreign investmentin industry, and modernize government budgetary practices. Since October 1993the nation has suffered from massive ethnic-based violence which has resultedin the death of perhaps 100,000 persons and the displacement of a millionothers. Production continued to fall in 1996; foods, medicines, and electricityare in extremely short supply. An impoverished and disorganized governmentcan hardly implement the needed reform programs.

GDP purchasing power parity - $4 billion (1995 est.)

GDP - real growth rate -3.7% (1995 est.)

GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $600 (1995 est.)

GDP - composition by sector
agriculture: 56%
industry: 18%
services: 26% (1995 est.)

Inflation rate - consumer price index 40% (1996 est.)

Labor force
total: 1.9 million
by occupation: agriculture 93.0%, government 4.0%, industry and commerce 1.5%, services1.5% (1983 est.)

Unemployment rate NA%

Budget
revenues: $222 million
expenditures: $258 million, including capital expenditures of $92 million (1995 est.)

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

Industrial production growth rate NA%

Electricity - capacity 55,000 kW (1991)

Electricity - production 105 million kWh (1991)
note: imports some electricity from Democratic Republic of the Congo

Electricity - consumption per capita 18 kWh (1991 est.)

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

Exports
total value: $117 million (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
commodities: coffee 81%, tea, cotton, hides
partners : EU 60%, US 7%, Asia 1%

Imports
total value: $234 million (c.i.f., 1995 est.)
commodities: capital goods 26%, petroleum products, foodstuffs, consumer goods
partners: EU 47%, Asia 25%, US 6%

Debt - external $1.1 billion (1995 est.)

Economic aid
recipient: ODA, $NA

Currency 1 Burundi franc (FBu) = 100 centimes

Exchange rates Burundi francs (FBu) per US$1 - 268.13 (November 1995), 249.76 (1995),252.66 (1994), 242.78 (1993), 208.30 (1992), 181.51 (1991)

Fiscal year calendar year

NOTE: The information regarding Burundi on this page is re-published from the 1997 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Burundi Economy 1997 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Burundi Economy 1997 should be addressed to the CIA.