Table of Contents
Overview
Burkina Faso is located in Africa, south of the Sahara. Burkina Faso comprises the regions of de Boucle du Mouhoun, Cascades, Centre, Centre-Est, Centre-Nord, Centre-Ouest, Centre-Sud, Est, Hauts-Bassins, Nord, Plateau-Central, Sahel, and Sud-Ouest. It remains one of the least developed countries in the world, with a GDP of $16.226 billion in 2022. Approximately 63.8% of its population practices Islam, while 26.3% practices Christianity.
Agriculture
Burkina Faso’s agricultural accounts for 18.6% of GDP and employing over 80% of the workforce. Key crops include maize, sorghum, fruits, vegetables, millet, cowpeas, cotton, groundnuts, sugarcane, and rice, with cotton as the main export crop.
Northern drylands favor sorghum and millet, while southern regions produce cocoa and fruits amid recurring droughts. Challenges include climate variability, soil degradation, and insecurity that disrupt production. Although gold has surpassed cotton in revenue, agriculture remains essential for food security in this landlocked nation facing high population growth.
Crime
Burkina Faso’s 2017 crime rate was 1.25 per 100,000 people, according to Macrotrends. The country has faced serious security threats, including homicides and terrorism from al-Qa’ida and ISIS affiliates since 2016. As of March 2023, government data reported over 2 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), reflecting the ongoing impact of insecurity and violence on civilian populations.
Demographics
Burkina Faso’s population is estimated at around 23.5 million in 2025, ranking 59th globally, with a 2.39% growth rate and a median age of 19 years. The ethnic groups are diverse, with Mossi at 53.7% and Fulani at 6.8%, while Gurunsi, Bissa, Gurma, and others make up the minority. French is the official language, but Mossi, Fula, and more than 60 indigenous languages are also spoken.
Urbanization is 32.5%, primarily in central and southern cities such as Ouagadougou. The sex ratio is 0.96 males per female, with high fertility rates of 4.02 children per woman, driven by poverty and limited healthcare.
Economy
Burkina Faso recorded a GDP (PPP) of $60 billion in 2024, up 5% despite its reliance on gold and agriculture.In this country that uses the CFA franc, per capita income is $2,500, and 43.2% of the population lives in poverty. The unemployment rate stands at 5.2%, though underemployment remains common. Inflation is at 4.2%, following recent subsidy reforms.
The economy is divided among agriculture (18.6%), industry (29.7%), and services (40.2%). The country exports gold to Switzerland and the UAE and imports petroleum from Côte d’Ivoire and China.
Education
Burkina Faso allocates 5.3% of GDP to education, accounting for 20.3% of the budget. Literacy remains at 41.4%, with a gender gap: 48.4% for males and 35.7% for females.
Geography
Burkina Faso covers 274,200 square kilometers in Western Africa. With coordinates 13 00 N, 2 00 W, it is landlocked and borders Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Niger, and Togo. The terrain features flat plains, dissected savannas, and hills in the west and southeast, with Tena Kourou, the highest point, reaching 749 meters.
Key resources include gold, manganese, zinc, limestone, and salt. Land use is about 53.4% agriculture and 12.7% forest.
Health
Health metrics in Burkina Faso indicate a life expectancy of 64.2 years, infant mortality at 48 per 1,000, and maternal mortality at 242 per 100,000. Underweight children under 5 account for 16.9%. Water access is at 49.5%, and sanitation at 58.1%. Health spending is 6.4% of GDP, with malaria and HIV prevalence at 0.7%, and obesity at 5.6% ongoing concerns.
Military
Burkina Faso’s armed forces have around 20,000 active personnel in the army, air force, and gendarmerie, with approximately 50,000 Volunteers for Homeland Defense. Defense expenditures account for 4.5% of GDP, sourcing equipment from China, France, Russia, and Türkiye. While military service age ranges from 18 to 35 years of age for voluntary service of men and women, citizens aged 18 to 77 years can volunteer for Homeland Defense
Miscellaneous
Burkina Faso has made remarkable progress in the fight against HIV. In 1997, the HIV prevalence rate was 7.17%, dropping to 0.6% in 2023, according to the UNAIDS 2024 report. This dramatic decline is the result of a multisectoral response, strong political commitment, and unprecedented community mobilization.
Religion
Muslims make up 63.8% of Burkina Faso’s population, mainly in the northern regions where Sufi influences are strong. Christians account for 26.3%, with Roman Catholics representing 20.1% and Protestants 6.2%. They are mainly concentrated in the south. Animists, comprising 9%, mix traditional beliefs with larger faiths. Other or no religious affiliations make up 0.9%.
Weather
Burkina Faso has diverse climates across its zones. It has a hot desert in the north near the Sahara, with little rain; a semi-arid Sahel in the center; and a tropical savanna in the south, with a short rainy season. Temperatures range from 25 to 35°C, with higher temperatures in the north. Typical hazards include droughts that threaten food security and occasional floods in the south.
The rainy season lasts from May to October, with dry harmattan winds from December to February bringing dust.