Practise IB Economics HL 4.1.4 by calculating trade quantities and values and interpreting related data using marked exam evidence.
Burundi is a landlocked country in Central Africa. Its economy is heavily reliant on the agricultural sector, which employs 92 % of the labour force but contributes only 40 % of gross domestic product (GDP). Most of the 11.5 million population live in poverty, especially in rural areas. The level of food insecurity (people without access to enough food) is almost twice as high as the average for sub-Saharan African countries with more than 60 % of the population living below the poverty line.
Infrastructure in Burundi is poor. There are no railroads and only three major routes through the country, two of which involve water transport, across Lake Tanganyika. Access to clean water is low, while fewer than 5 % of the population have access to electricity. The literacy rate for those aged 15 and over is 61.6 %, while only 1 % of secondary schools have access to the internet.
Table 1: Labour market data for Burundi (2019)
Gender inequality in Burundi
Table 3 illustrates selected indicators of gender inequality in Burundi compared with Mexico and Sweden.
Table 3
Using the information in Figure 1, calculate the change in the value of Burundi's gold exports resulting from the increase in the price of gold from US$1500 per oz to US$1800 per oz.
Government finance
The budget deficit of Burundi increased in 2019, partly due to an inefficient system for collection of taxes. Tax rates in Burundi are given in Table 2.
Table 2
* Top rates of personal income tax in other countries are often much higher, such as 57.2 % in Sweden and 35 % in Mexico.