Many of Burkina Faso’s ethnic groups arrived in the region between the 12th and 15th centuries. The Gurma and Mossi peoples established several of the largest kingdoms in the area and used horse-mounted warriors in military campaigns. Of the various Mossi kingdoms, the most powerful were Ouagadougou and Yatenga. In the late 19th century, European states competed for control of the region. France eventually conquered the area and established it as a French protectorate.
land: 273,800 sq km
water: 400 sq km
border countries (6): Benin 386 km; Cote d’Ivoire 545 km; Ghana 602 km; Mali 1325 km; Niger 622 km; Togo 131 km
lowest point: Mouhoun (Black Volta) River 200 m
mean elevation: 297 m
arable land: 22% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 37% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 21.93% (2018 est.)
forest: 19.3% (2018 est.)
other: 36.5% (2018 est.)
22,489,126 (2023 est.)
noun: Burkinabe (singular and plural)
adjective: Burkinabe
Mossi 52%, Fulani (Peuhl) 8.4%, Gurma 7%, Bobo 4.9%, Gurunsi 4.6%, Senufo 4.5%, Bissa 3.7%, Lobi 2.4%, Dagara 2.4%, Tuareg/Bella 1.9%, Dyula 0.8%, unspecified/no answer 0.3%, other 7.2% (2010 est.)
Mossi 52.9%, Fula 7.8%, Gourmantche 6.8%, Dyula 5.7%, Bissa 3.3%, Gurunsi 3.2%, French (official) 2.2%, Bwamu 2%, Dagara 2%, San 1.7%, Marka 1.6%, Bobo 1.5%, Senufo 1.5%, Lobi 1.2%, other 6.6% (2019 est.)
Muslim 63.8%, Roman Catholic 20.1%, Animiste 9%, Protestant 6.2%, other 0.2%, none 0.7% (2019 est.)
Burkina Faso has a young age structure – the result of declining mortality combined with steady high fertility – and continues to experience rapid population growth, which is putting increasing pressure on the country’s limited arable land. Almost 65% of the population is under the age of 25 as of 2020, and the population is growing at 2.5% annually. Mortality rates, especially those of infants and children, have decreased because of improved health care, hygiene, and sanitation, but women continue to have an average of more than 4 children. Even if fertility were substantially reduced, today’s large cohort entering their reproductive years would sustain high population growth for the foreseeable future. Only about a third of the population is literate and unemployment is widespread, dampening the economic prospects of Burkina Faso’s large working-age population.Migration has traditionally been a way of life for Burkinabe, with seasonal migration being replaced by stints of up to two years abroad. Cote d’Ivoire remains the top destination, although it has experienced periods of internal conflict. Under French colonization, Burkina Faso became a main labor source for agricultural and factory work in Cote d’Ivoire. Burkinabe also migrated to Ghana, Mali, and Senegal for work between the world wars. Burkina Faso attracts migrants from Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Mali, who often share common ethnic backgrounds with the Burkinabe. Despite its food shortages and high poverty rate, Burkina Faso has become a destination for refugees in recent years and hosts about 33,600 Malian refugees as of October 2022.
0-14 years: 42.19% (male 4,813,760/female 4,674,649)
15-64 years: 54.62% (male 5,899,774/female 6,383,134)
65 years and over: 3.19% (2023 est.) (male 305,233/female 412,576)
total dependency ratio: 87.4
youth dependency ratio: 82.6
elderly dependency ratio: 4.8
potential support ratio: 20.9 (2021 est.)
total: 18.5 years (2023 est.)
male: 17.7 years
female: 19.3 years
2.46% (2023 est.)
32.7 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
7.5 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
-0.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Most of the population is located in the center and south. Nearly one-third of the population lives in cities. The capital and largest city is Ouagadougou (Ouaga), with a population of 1.8 million as shown in this
urban population: 32.5% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 4.75% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
3.204 million OUAGADOUGOU (capital), 1.129 million Bobo-Dioulasso (2023)
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
20.1 years (2021 est.)
note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49
264 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
total: 48.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
male: 52.4 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 43.8 deaths/1,000 live births
total population: 63.8 years (2023 est.)
male: 62 years
female: 65.7 years
4.14 children born/woman (2023 est.)
2.04 (2023 est.)
35.3% (2020/21)
improved: urban: 94.7% of population
rural: 71.3% of population
total: 78.5% of population
unimproved: urban: 5.3% of population
rural: 28.7% of population
total: 21.5% of population (2020 est.)
6.7% of GDP (2020)
0.09 physicians/1,000 population (2019)
0.4 beds/1,000 population
improved: urban: 90.8% of population
rural: 37.7% of population
total: 54% of population
unimproved: urban: 9.2% of population
rural: 62.3% of population
total: 46% of population (2020 est.)
degree of risk: very high (2023)
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria
water contact diseases: schistosomiasis
animal contact diseases: rabies
respiratory diseases: meningococcal meningitis
note: on 31 August 2023, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Travel Alert for polio in Africa; Burkina Faso is currently considered a high risk to travelers for circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPV); vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) is a strain of the weakened poliovirus that was initially included in oral polio vaccine (OPV) and that has changed over time and behaves more like the wild or naturally occurring virus; this means it can be spread more easily to people who are unvaccinated against polio and who come in contact with the stool or respiratory secretions, such as from a sneeze, of an “infected” person who received oral polio vaccine; the CDC recommends that before any international travel, anyone unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or with an unknown polio vaccination status should complete the routine polio vaccine series; before travel to any high-risk destination, the CDC recommends that adults who previously completed the full, routine polio vaccine series receive a single, lifetime booster dose of polio vaccine
5.6% (2016)
total: 7.28 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
beer: 1 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 0.08 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits: 0.31 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols: 5.88 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
total: 14.3% (2020 est.)
male: 22.1% (2020 est.)
female: 6.4% (2020 est.)
17.5% (2021)
73.5% (2023)
5.5% of GDP (2020 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 46%
male: 54.5%
female: 37.8% (2021)
total: 9 years
male: 9 years
female: 9 years (2020)
recent droughts and desertification severely affecting agricultural activities, population distribution, and the economy; overgrazing; soil degradation; deforestation (2019)
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Nuclear Test Ban
three climate zones including a hot tropical savanna with a short rainy season in the southern half, a tropical hot semi-arid steppe climate typical of the Sahel region in the northern half, and small area of hot desert in the very north of the country bordering the Sahara Desert
agricultural land: 44.2% (2018 est.)
arable land: 22% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 37% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 21.93% (2018 est.)
forest: 19.3% (2018 est.)
other: 36.5% (2018 est.)
urban population: 32.5% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 4.75% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
severe localized food insecurity: due to civil insecurity in the north and high food prices - according to the latest analysis, about 3.53 million people are projected to face acute food insecurity during the June to August 2023 lean season period; this would be a slight increase compared to the preceding year; food insecurity is primarily underpinned by worsening insecurity in Centre-Nord and Sahel regions, which, as of December 2022 (the latest data available), had displaced about 1.88 million people; high food prices further aggravate conditions of the most vulnerable households (2023)
4.54% of GDP (2018 est.)
0% of GDP (2018 est.)
particulate matter emissions: 40.74 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
carbon dioxide emissions: 3.42 megatons (2016 est.)
methane emissions: 12.85 megatons (2020 est.)
municipal solid waste generated annually: 2,575,251 tons (2015 est.)
municipal solid waste recycled annually: 309,030 tons (2005 est.)
percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 12% (2005 est.)
Volta river source (shared with Ghana [m]) - 1,600 km
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Atlantic Ocean drainage: Niger (2,261,741 sq km), Volta (410,991 sq km)
municipal: 380 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
industrial: 20 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
agricultural: 420 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
13.5 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
highly agrarian, low-income economy; limited natural resources; widespread poverty; terrorism disrupting potential economic activity; improving trade balance via increases in gold exports; economy inflating after prior deflation; growing public debt but still manageable
$48.175 billion (2021 est.)
$45.063 billion (2020 est.)
$44.209 billion (2019 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
6.91% (2021 est.)
1.93% (2020 est.)
5.69% (2019 est.)
$2,200 (2021 est.)
$2,100 (2020 est.)
$2,100 (2019 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
$14.271 billion (2018 est.)
3.65% (2021 est.)
1.88% (2020 est.)
-3.23% (2019 est.)
Standard & Poors rating: B (2017)
note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.
agriculture: 31% (2017 est.)
industry: 23.9% (2017 est.)
services: 44.9% (2017 est.)comparison rankings:
household consumption: 56.5% (2017 est.)
government consumption: 23.9% (2017 est.)
investment in fixed capital: 24.6% (2017 est.)
investment in inventories: 1% (2017 est.)
exports of goods and services: 28.4% (2017 est.)
imports of goods and services: -34.4% (2017 est.)
sorghum, maize, millet, cotton, cow peas, sugar cane, groundnuts, rice, sesame seed, vegetables
cotton lint, beverages, agricultural processing, soap, cigarettes, textiles, gold
8.73% (2021 est.)
8.016 million (2021 est.)
note: a large part of the male labor force migrates annually to neighboring countries for seasonal employment
4.76% (2021 est.)
4.89% (2020 est.)
4.69% (2019 est.)
total: 7.7% (2021 est.)
male: 7.5%
female: 8%
41.4% (2018 est.)
47.3 (2018 est.)
lowest 10%: 2.9%
highest 10%: 32.2% (2009 est.)
revenues: $3.212 billion (2019 est.)
expenditures: $3.757 billion (2019 est.)
-7.9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
72.53% of GDP (2020 est.)
46.64% of GDP (2019 est.)
45.57% of GDP (2018 est.)
13.28% (of GDP) (2020 est.)
calendar year
$743.232 million (2020 est.)
-$523.837 million (2019 est.)
-$664.797 million (2018 est.)
$5.356 billion (2020 est.)
$4.468 billion (2019 est.)
$4.511 billion (2018 est.)
note: Data are in current year dollars and do not include illicit exports or re-exports.
Switzerland 59%, India 21% (2019)
gold, cotton, zinc, cashews, sesame seeds (2021)
$4.779 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$5.023 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$5.167 billion (2018 est.)
Cote d’Ivoire 15%, China 9%, Ghana 8%, France 8%, India 6%, United States 5% (2019)
refined petroleum, delivery trucks, packaged medicines, electricity, aircraft (2019)
$49 million (31 December 2017 est.)
$50.9 million (31 December 2016 est.)
$3.056 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$2.88 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar -
Exchange rates:
554.531 (2021 est.)
575.586 (2020 est.)
585.911 (2019 est.)
555.446 (2018 est.)
580.657 (2017 est.)
population without electricity: 16 million (2020)
electrification - total population: 18.9% (2021)
electrification - urban areas: 67.6% (2021)
electrification - rural areas: 4.7% (2014)
installed generating capacity: 392,000 kW (2020 est.)
consumption: 2,033,520,000 kWh (2019 est.)
exports: 0 kWh (2019 est.)
imports: 600 million kWh (2019 est.)
transmission/distribution losses: 248 million kWh (2019 est.)comparison rankings:
fossil fuels: 89.4% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
solar: 3.3% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
wind: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
hydroelectricity: 6.9% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
biomass and waste: 0.4% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
production: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
consumption: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
imports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)
total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2021 est.)
refined petroleum consumption: 30,800 bbl/day (2019 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate imports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil estimated reserves: 0 barrels (2021 est.)
0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
23,580 bbl/day (2015 est.)
production: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
consumption: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
imports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
proven reserves: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
4.444 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from coal and metallurgical coke: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids: 4.444 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from consumed natural gas: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
3.23 million Btu/person (2019 est.)
number of registered air carriers: 1 (2020)
inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 3
annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 151,531 (2018)
annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 100,000 (2018) mt-km
XT
23 (2021)
2
note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
21
note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control
total: 622 km (2014)
narrow gauge: 622 km (2014) 1.000-m gauge
note: another 660 km of this railway extends into Cote d’Ivoire
total: 15,304 km (2014)
paved: 3,642 km (2014)
unpaved: 11,662 km (2014)
manyapis