Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes was 63.3% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Burkina Faso, 1991–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Burkina Faso is 63.3%, measured in 2022.
That represents a change of up 3.7% on the previous year and down 1.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Burkina Faso peaked at 69.9% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 40.9%, in 1996.
That places Burkina Faso 56th out of 57 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 11 years of available data.
Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Burkina Faso, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 44.4% | — |
| 1996 | 40.9% | -7.9% |
| 2003 | 56.3% | +37.6% |
| 2005 | 59.0% | +4.8% |
| 2006 | 53.2% | -9.8% |
| 2007 | 62.4% | +17.4% |
| 2014 | 64.2% | +2.8% |
| 2018 | 69.9% | +8.9% |
| 2019 | 55.6% | -20.4% |
| 2021 | 61.1% | +9.8% |
| 2022 | 63.3% | +3.7% |
Burkina Faso compared with similar countries
- Burkina Faso's 63.3% is below the median for low income countries, which is 80.0%, 79% of the median. (7 countries reporting)
- Burkina Faso's 63.3% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 81.1%, 78% of the median. (12 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 42.6% | 40.9% | 44.4% | 2 |
| 2000s | 57.7% | 53.2% | 62.4% | 4 |
| 2010s | 63.2% | 55.6% | 69.9% | 3 |
| 2020s | 62.2% | 61.1% | 63.3% | 2 |
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, urban, both sexes in Burkina Faso?
- Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes in Burkina Faso was 63.3% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The highest recorded value was 69.9% in 2018.
- What is the lowest adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The lowest recorded value was 40.9% in 1996.
- How does Burkina Faso rank for adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes?
- Burkina Faso ranks 56th out of 57 countries with data for 2022.
- Is adult literacy rate, population 15+ years, urban, both sexes rising or falling in Burkina Faso?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.3%. 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, urban, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release