World Factbook
Burkina Faso
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Literacy
male
48.4% (2023 est.)
female
35.7% (2023 est.)
total population
41.4% (2023 est.)
Languages
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.)
Religions
Muslim 63.8%, Roman Catholic 20.1%, Animiste 9%, Protestant 6.2%, other 0.2%, none 0.7% (2019 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years
1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years
0.93 male(s)/female
total population
0.96 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
65 years and over
0.73 male(s)/female
Birth rate
31.74 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate
7.24 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Median age
male
17.9 years
total
19 years (2025 est.)
female
19.5 years
Population
male
11,529,979
total
23,490,300 (2025 est.)
female
11,960,321
Nationality
noun
Burkinabe (singular and plural)
adjective
Burkinabe
Tobacco use
male
20.4% (2025 est.)
total
12.4% (2025 est.)
female
4.6% (2025 est.)
Urbanization
urban population
32.5% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization
4.75% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years
41.6% (male 4,868,488/female 4,727,316)
15-64 years
55.1% (male 6,116,674/female 6,590,775)
65 years and over
3.2% (2024 est.) (male 312,587/female 426,359)
Ethnic groups
Mossi 53.7%, Fulani (Peuhl) 6.8%, Gurunsi 5.9%, Bissa 5.4%, Gurma 5.2%, Bobo 3.4%, Senufo 2.2%, Bissa 1.5%, Lobi 1.5%, Tuareg/Bella 0.1%, other 12.8%, foreign 0.7% (2021 est.)
Child marriage
men married by age 18
1.6% (2015)
women married by age 15
8.9% (2015)
women married by age 18
51.3% (2015)
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio
79 (2025 est.)
youth dependency ratio
73.2 (2025 est.)
potential support ratio
17.3 (2025 est.)
elderly dependency ratio
5.8 (2025 est.)
Physician density
0.15 physicians/1,000 population (2022)
Health expenditure
Health expenditure (as % of GDP)
6.4% of GDP (2021)
Health expenditure (as % of national budget)
8.4% of national budget (2022 est.)
Net migration rate
-0.57 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Hospital bed density
0.2 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)
Total fertility rate
4.02 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Drinking water source
improved: rural
rural: 34.8% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total
total: 49.5% of population (2022 est.)
improved: urban
urban: 80.9% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural
rural: 65.2% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 50.5% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban
urban: 19.1% of population (2022 est.)
Education expenditure
Education expenditure (% GDP)
5.3% of GDP (2023 est.)
Education expenditure (% national budget)
20.3% national budget (2023 est.)
Infant mortality rate
male
51.1 deaths/1,000 live births
total
48 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
female
42.7 deaths/1,000 live births
Population growth rate
2.39% (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
1.98 (2025 est.)
Population distribution
most of the population is located in the center and south; nearly one third lives in cities, including the capital city of Ouagadougou (Ouaga), as shown in this population distribution map (2019)
Life expectancy at birth
male
62.3 years
female
66.1 years
total population
64.2 years (2024 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio
242 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Sanitation facility access
improved: rural
rural: 42.6% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total
total: 58.1% of population (2022 est.)
improved: urban
urban: 91.2% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural
rural: 57.4% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 41.9% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban
urban: 8.8% of population (2022 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
beer
1 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine
0.08 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
total
7.28 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.)
Major urban areas - population
3.204 million OUAGADOUGOU (capital), 1.129 million Bobo-Dioulasso (2023)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
5.6% (2016)
Mother's mean age at first birth
20.1 years (2021 est.)
note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
74.3% (2021 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
16.9% (2021 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
male
7 years (2023 est.)
total
7 years (2023 est.)
female
7 years (2023 est.)