Burkina Faso
Country in Africa
CountryScope
In brief
Population: 24.1M (2025). World rank 59 of 216; in Africa, 20 of 54. Area: 272,967 km². World rank 76 of 249; in Africa, 29 of 59. Life expectancy: 61.3 years (2024). World rank 207 of 216 (1 = best); in Africa, 45 of 54. From 2015 to 2025: population 18.8M → 24.1M, GDP $11.8B → $27.6B, and GDP per person $630 → $1,148.
State
- Official name
- Burkina Faso
- Local name
- Burkina Faso
- Capital
- Ouagadougou
- Region
- Africa
- Form of government
- Presidential republic
- UN member
- Yes
- Head of state
- Ibrahim Traoré
- Head of government
- Apollinaire Joachim Kyélem de Tambèla
- Independence
- August 5, 1960
- Women in parliament
- 18.3% 2025
Key figures
- Population
- 24,074,580 2025
- Area
- 272,967 km²
- GDP
- $27.6B 2025
- GDP per person
- $1,148 2025
- Life expectancy
- 61.3 years 2024
Practical information
- Languages
- French
- Currency
- West African CFA Franc (XOF)
- Time zones
- UTC
- Calling code
- +226
- Emergency numbers
- 17, 18, 112
- Driving side
- Right
- Plug types
- C, E
- Mains voltage
- 220 V
Territory
- Sea access
- Landlocked
- Coastline, km
- 0
- Neighbours
- Benin, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Togo
- Agricultural land
- 62.6% 2024
Elevation
- Highest point
- Mount Tenakourou, 749 m
- Lowest point
- Mouhoun River, 200 m
- Mean elevation, m
- 297
Climate
- Average temperature in the capital, °C
- 28
- Warmest month in the capital
- April, 32°C
- Coldest month in the capital
- January, 23°C
- Precipitation, mm per year
- 748 2022
Population and migration
- Population density
- 88.2 per km² 2025
- Population growth per year
- +2.2% 2025
- Living in cities
- 28.9% 2025
- Net migration per year
- -27.1K 2025
- Born in another country
- 3.1% 2024
Age and life expectancy
- Aged 0–14
- 41.2% 2025
- Aged 15–64
- 56.2% 2025
- Aged 65 and over
- 2.7% 2025
- Life expectancy, women
- 63.4 years 2024
- Life expectancy, men
- 59.1 years 2024
Births and deaths
- Children per woman
- 4.1 2024
- Births per 1,000 people
- 31.3 2024
- Deaths per 1,000 people
- 7.9 2024
Society
- Religions
- Muslim 63.8%, Catholic 20.1%, folk religions 9%, and Protestant 6.2% (2019)
Quality of governance (100 = best)
- Rule of law, score 0–100
- 43.5 2025
- Control of corruption, score 0–100
- 43.5 2025
- Government effectiveness, score 0–100
- 36.2 2025
- Regulatory quality, score 0–100
- 44.6 2025
- Voice and accountability, score 0–100
- 35.6 2025
Size and growth
- GDP per person at purchasing power parity
- $3,072 2025
- GDP growth per year
- +5.3% 2025
Income and prices
- Income level (World Bank)
- Low income
- Gross national income per person
- $980 2025
- Inflation
- -0.6% 2025
- Price level, USA = 100
- 37 2025
Structure and jobs
- Agriculture, share of GDP
- 19.9% 2025
- Industry, share of GDP
- 30.1% 2025
- Services, share of GDP
- 41.5% 2025
- Unemployment
- 3.5% 2025
- Youth unemployment, ages 15–24
- 6.4% 2025
- Women in work or seeking work
- 64.1% 2025
Trade and finance
- Exports, share of GDP
- 35% 2025
- Imports, share of GDP
- 30% 2025
- Current account balance, share of GDP
- -4% 2024
- Foreign direct investment, share of GDP
- +1.1% 2025
- Remittances received, share of GDP
- 2.6% 2024
- Tax revenue, share of GDP
- 18.7% 2024
Poverty and inequality
- Gini index (0 = full equality)
- 37.4 2021
- Living on under $3 a day
- 42.1% 2021
Education
- Adult literacy
- 41.6% 2023
- Primary school enrolment
- 77.2% 2024
- Secondary school enrolment
- 30% 2024
- Higher education enrolment
- 10% 2024
- Public spending on education, share of GDP
- 5.3% 2023
Healthcare
- Health spending, share of GDP
- 7.8% 2023
- Health spending per person
- $72 2023
- Out-of-pocket health spending, share of total
- 43.8% 2023
- Doctors per 1,000 people
- 0.2 2022
- Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people
- 1 2023
- Hospital beds per 1,000 people
- 0.2 2020
- Children vaccinated against measles
- 88% 2024
Public health
- Infant deaths per 1,000 births
- 43.6 2024
- Deaths under age 5 per 1,000 births
- 74.9 2024
- Maternal deaths per 100,000 births
- 242 2023
- HIV prevalence, ages 15–49
- 0.5% 2024
- Diabetes prevalence, ages 20–79
- 4.5% 2024
- Overweight adults
- 21.7% 2022
- Adults who use tobacco
- 11.6% 2024
Living conditions
- Access to safe drinking water
- 50% 2024
- Access to basic sanitation
- 31.8% 2024
- Access to clean cooking fuels
- 18% 2024
Safety
- Homicides per 100,000 people
- 1.3 2017
- Road deaths per 100,000 people
- 31 2019
- Suicides per 100,000 people
- 8.5 2021
- Political stability and absence of violence, score 0–100
- 34.1 2025
- Natural hazards
- droughts
Air and emissions
- Air pollution PM2.5, µg/m³
- 37.3 2023
- CO₂ emissions, tonnes per person
- 0.3 2024
- All greenhouse gases, tonnes CO₂e per person
- 1.5 2024
Nature and water
- Forest cover
- 12.3% 2024
- Protected areas
- 16.8% 2025
- Renewable fresh water, m³ per person
- 555 2022
- Water stress, share of fresh water withdrawn
- 7.8% 2022
Internet and communications
- Using the internet
- 28.3% 2024
- Mobile subscriptions per 100 people
- 117 2024
- Home broadband per 100 people
- 0.9 2024
- Internet domain
- .bf
Energy
- Access to electricity
- 34% 2024
- Electricity use, kWh per person
- 145 2024
- Renewable share of energy use
- 71.4% 2022
- Electricity from renewables
- 13.9% 2021
- Electricity from fossil fuels
- 78% 2024
Transport
- Air passengers per year
- 103,592 2023
- Airports
- 49 2025
- Railways, km
- 622 2014
Science and innovation
- Research spending, share of GDP
- 0.1% 2024
- Researchers per million people
- 47 2010
- Scientific articles per year
- 520 2023
- Patent applications by residents
- 2 2010
- High-tech share of manufactured exports
- 1.7% 2024