Country explorer: Burundi

Burundi's economy has been characterized by a modest GDP per capita growth, considerable population segments living under various poverty thresholds despite a slight improvement in unemployment rates, and fluctuating inflation rates that suggest economic volatility and challenges in maintaining consistent price stability, a scenario reflective of the broader economic vulnerability typical among low-income countries in the region.

Burundi has experienced a notable demographic transformation characterized by a steadily increasing population despite fluctuations in net migration, a significant decrease in fertility rates from high levels, and a gradual but consistent improvement in life expectancy, aligning with trends observed in many low-income countries but also underscored by its unique post-conflict recovery and high population density.

Burundi has seen minimal growth in access to clean cooking fuels and a slow but steady increase in electricity access, underscoring the nation's ongoing struggle with basic infrastructure development in contrast to its East African peers.

Burundi has witnessed modest improvements in human development as evidenced by gradual increases in the Human Development Index, reductions in child mortality rates, fluctuations in literacy rates, and slight progress in learning-adjusted years of schooling, reflecting incremental but steady advancements in health, education, and living standards similar to patterns seen in other low-income countries.

Burundi has experienced notable environmental changes, reflected in its reduced per capita CO₂ emissions, considerable efforts in increasing electricity production from renewable sources, decreasing freshwater resources per capita, but showing a positive trend in expanding its forest area, illustrating both challenges and proactive steps towards sustainable environmental management.

Burundi has experienced a gradual but noticeably slow growth in technology and innovation metrics, such as internet usage and mobile phone subscriptions, indicative of its challenges and paralleling trends among low-income countries, yet showing a distinctive lag in R&D investment and scientific output compared to its regional peers like Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda.

Burundi has demonstrated resilience in cultural and societal domains, characterized by a gradual improvement in gender equality, a stable yet moderate sense of life satisfaction amidst economic challenges, a significant dependency ratio reflecting its young and aging populations, and a low but slightly fluctuating proportion of the population born abroad, highlighting both its similarity to regional trends and its unique sociodemographic dynamics.

Burundi has experienced a marked decline in governance, as indicated by sharp deteriorations in rule of law, increases in corruption perception, decreases in political civil liberties, and worsened press freedom, positioning it distinctively from regional peers with these accelerating governance challenges.