Population (2019, millions)¹	11.531
Population Projections (2030, millions)¹	15.77
Capital	Bujumbura
Surface Area (km²)²	27,830
Weather¹¹	Average annual temperature, 24°C; driest months, June-September; wettest months, February-May; average monthly rainfall, 65 mm
Languages³	Official: Kirundi and French Others: Swahili, English and others
Main Religions³	Main: Catholic and Protestant - Others: Muslim and others
Time⁴	Central Africa Time (CAT) +0200 UTC
Driving Orientation⁵	Right Side
Internet Country Code⁶	.bi
Country Calling Code	+257
Plug, Socket and Voltage⁷	Type C and E - 220V/50Hz
Currency	Burundi Franc (BIF)
Exchange Rate (As of 28 January 2019, per USD)	1,928 (buy rate)
GDP at Market Prices (2018, current, billions of USD)⁹	3.078
GDP Growth (2018, annual %)⁹	1.6
Average GDP Growth (2014-2018, annual %)⁹	0.36
GDP per Capita, PPP (2018, current international $)⁹	742.8

Sources:
¹United Nations Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
²COMESA Statistics, COMESTAT Data Hub.
³CIA World Factbook.
⁴Time and Date Portal.
⁵Chartsbin Portal, "Worldwide Driving Orientation by Country".
⁶Wikipedia, "List of Internet top-level domains"; and, Internet Assigned Numbers Authority, Root Zone Database.
⁷International Electrotechnical Commission, World Plugs.
⁹World Bank, World Development Indicators 2019.
¹¹Economist Intelligence Unit.
12AFDB Socioeconomic Database

Population Projections (millions)

Population (2019)	11.53
Population Projections (2030)	15.77

Source: United Nations Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

Population Residing in Urban Areas (%)

Population Projections (2019)	13.36
Percentage of Population Residing in Urban Areas (2030)	17.59

Source: United Nations Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

GDP

	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018
GDP at Market Prices (current, billions of USD)	4.2	(3.9)	(0.6)	0.5	1.6
GDP Growth (annual %)	4.59	4.66	3.92	0.57	0.52

Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators 2019.

Value Added by Sector (% of GDP)

	2018	2019
Agriculture	48.78	48.38
Manufacturing	14.03	13.99
Industry	19.59	19.38
Services	50.64	51.23
Construction	4.18	4.04
Electricity, gas and water	0.92	0.92
Mining and quarrying	0.45	0.43
Education	7.81	7.79
Finance, real estate and business services	5.60	5.88
Public administration and Defense	8.71	8.83
Health and Social Work	3.98	4.04
Other services	3.36	3.56
Transport, storage and communication	5.09	5.36
Wholesale and retail trade, hotels and restaurants	21.21	21.20

Source: AFDB Socio Economic Database

Import Partners (Imported Value, thousands, USD)

Exporters	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018
World	672,579	560,585	625,328	783,299	793,512
Saudi Arabia	73,452	35,530	18,299	73,718	136,098
China	72,488	70,541	103,602	108,051	102,931
United Arab Emirates	28,273	27,744	41,978	56,771	69,849
India	75,161	67,146	88,399	109,594	55,969
Tanzania, United Republic of	56,298	44,027	51,584	59,237	49,810

Source: International Trade Centre COMTRADE Statistics.

Export Partners (Exported Value, thousands, USD)

Importers	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018
World	141,501	113,791	123,056	149,406	169,071
United Arab Emirates	24,944	14,492	16,063	38,268	50,216
Congo, Democratic Republic of the	28,400	28,272	27,471	26,648	18,904
Pakistan	-	-	-	13,812	13,145
Belgium	5,863	4,261	7,295	8,093	12,148
Switzerland	23,471	22,516	21,991	8,833	9,468

Source: International Trade Centre COMTRADE Statistics.

FDI Inflows (millions of USD)

Year	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018
FDI Inflows	47.06	7.36	0.06	0.32	0.98

Source: United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, World Investment Report 2019

FDI Inward Stock (millions of USD)

Year	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018
FDI Inward Stock	212	252	241	242	243

Source: United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, World Investment Report 2019

FDI Inflows Main Source Countries (in terms of number of projects)

Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Netherlands, South Africa, Switzerland, UK, United States, Vietnam and Egypt.

Source: Financial Times, fDi Markets, 2018.

FDI Inflows Main Sectors (in terms of number of projects)

Financial Services, Communications, Business Services, Building and Construction Materials, Metals, Rubber, Renewable Energy, Food and Tobacco, Healthcare, Tourism.

Source: Financial Times, fDi Markets, 2018.

FDI Inflows Main Companies (in terms of number of projects)

Diamond Trust Bank, Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB), Rainbow Rare Earths, Viettel Burundi, CityBlue Hotels, PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Ecobank Transnational, Viettel, SEW-Eurodrive, Equity Bank.

Source: Financial Times, fDi Markets, 2018.

Overall Doing Business Ranking

2020	166/190
2019	168/190

Source: World Bank, Doing Business, 2020

Starting a Business

2020 Rank	44/190
Procedures (number)	4
Time (days)	5
Cost (% of income per capita*)	12.3
Paid-in Minimum Capital (% of income per capita*)	0.0

*GNI per capita used: USD 280
Source: World Bank, Doing Business, 2020

Paying Taxes

2020 Rank	140/190
Payments (number per year)	24
Time (hours per year)	232
Total Tax Rate (% of profit)	41.2
Profit Tax (% of profit)	28.5
Labour Tax and Contributions (% of profit)	10.2
Other Taxes (% of profit)	2.5

Source: World Bank, Doing Business, 2020

Trading Across Borders

2020 Rank	169/190
Time to Export: Border Compliance (hours)	59
Cost to Export: Border Compliance (USD)	109
Time to Export: Documentary Compliance (hours)	120
Cost to Export: Documentary Compliance (USD)	150
Time to Import: Border Compliance (hours)	154
Cost to Import: Border Compliance (USD)	444
Time to Import: Documentary Compliance (hours)	180
Cost to Import: Documentary Compliance (USD)	1025

Assumptions:
• It is assumed that shipment travels from a warehouse in the largest business city of the exporting economy to a warehouse in the largest business city of the importing economy.
• It is assumed that each economy imports a standardized shipment of 15 metric tons of containerized auto parts (HS 8708) from its natural import partner—the economy from which it imports the largest value (price times quantity) of auto parts. It is assumed that each economy exports the product of its comparative advantage (defined by the largest export value) to its natural export partner—the economy that is the largest purchaser of this product.
• A shipment is a unit of trade. Export shipments do not necessarily need to be containerized, while import shipments of auto parts are assumed to be containerized.
• Shipping cost based on weight is assumed to be greater than shipping cost based on volume.
• If government fees are determined by the value of the shipment, the value is assumed to be $50,000.
• The mode of transport is the one most widely used for the chosen export or import product and the trading partner, as is the seaport, airport or land border crossing.
• Time is measured in hours, and 1 day is 24 hours.
• Costs do not include tariffs.
Source: World Bank, Doing Business, 2020

Legal Framework

Investment Code – Law N. 1/24 of the 10^th of September 2008
Key guarantees in terms of investment protection include:

• Protection against expropriation or nationalization of investments
• Free transfer of foreign capital and income after taxes as well as the return on capital as dividends of companies with foreign or mixed capital
• For dispute settlement, investors can choose between using an internal institutional arbitrage or institutional arbitration under the rules established by the ICSID

Source: United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, iGuide Burundi.

Investment Incentives

• Acquisition of buildings and plots, essential for the achievement of the exploitation is exempted from transfer taxes.
• A quota of 37% of the amount of depreciable assets invested in the enterprise is deductible as tax credit. The assets have to be used for at least 5 years in the enterprise.
• If the business profit results in a loss in a tax period, the loss may be deducted from the business profit in the next five (5) tax periods, earlier losses being deducted before later losses.

• Tax discount and exemption – A registered investment entity that operates in a Free Trade Zone (FTZ), and foreign companies that have their headquarters in Burundi, that fulfil the requirements stipulated in the Burundian Law on Investment Promotion, is entitled to:
• Exemption from CIT for 10 years of business.
• 15% CIT from year-11 and upwards.
• 10% CIT if the investor employs more than 100
• Burundians.
• Exemption from 15% WHT on dividends.
• Tax-free repatriation of profits.
• Free transfer on purchase or sale of buildings.

• A registered investor shall be entitled to a profit tax discount of:

• (2%) if the investor employs between 50 and 200 Burundians; and
• (5%) if the investor employs more than 200 Burundians.
• The workers taken into account are those having a taxable remuneration.

Source: KPMG, Burundi Fiscal Guide 2018 and Deloitte, Guide to Fiscal Information, Key Economies in Africa 2018