Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male was 48.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in Burkina Faso, 1975–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in Burkina Faso stood at 48.7%.
That represents a change of down 2.2% on the previous year and up 9.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in Burkina Faso peaked at 49.8% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 14.5%, in 1975.
That places Burkina Faso 85th out of 88 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in Burkina Faso, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 14.5% | — |
| 1991 | 19.6% | +35.1% |
| 1996 | 18.5% | -5.7% |
| 2003 | 29.4% | +58.5% |
| 2005 | 31.4% | +6.8% |
| 2006 | 29.7% | -5.3% |
| 2007 | 36.6% | +23.3% |
| 2014 | 44.4% | +21.2% |
| 2018 | 49.2% | +10.8% |
| 2019 | 35.4% | -28.0% |
| 2021 | 44.1% | +24.6% |
| 2022 | 49.8% | +12.8% |
| 2023 | 48.7% | -2.2% |
Burkina Faso compared with similar countries
- Burkina Faso's 48.7% is below the median for low income countries, which is 71.0%, 69% of the median. (13 countries reporting)
- Burkina Faso's 48.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 79.2%, 61% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 14.5% | 14.5% | 14.5% | 1 |
| 1990s | 19.1% | 18.5% | 19.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 31.8% | 29.4% | 36.6% | 4 |
| 2010s | 43.0% | 35.4% | 49.2% | 3 |
| 2020s | 47.5% | 44.1% | 49.8% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Burkina Faso
More education data for Burkina Faso
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 68,557 (2024)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 105,439 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 78,072 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 75,598 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.19 million (2024)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 3.07 million (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 8.2 % change on previous year (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1303 units per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in Burkina Faso?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male in Burkina Faso was 48.7% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The highest recorded value was 49.8% in 2022.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.5% in 1975.
- How does Burkina Faso rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male?
- Burkina Faso ranks 85th out of 88 countries with data for 2023.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male rising or falling in Burkina Faso?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Burkina Faso data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, male (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release