Children out of school in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: Children out of school was 34.3% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Children out of school in Burkina Faso, 1971–2024
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of primary school age.
Analysis
In 2024, children out of school in Burkina Faso stood at 34.3%.
That represents a change of down 18.3% on the previous year and up 1.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, children out of school in Burkina Faso peaked at 89.7% in 1971 and was at its lowest, 24.4%, in 2018.
Burkina Faso ranks 12th of 196 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 47 years of available data.
Children out of school in Burkina Faso, year by year
| Year | % of primary school age | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 89.7% | — |
| 1972 | 89.3% | -0.4% |
| 1977 | 87.4% | -2.2% |
| 1978 | 86.9% | -0.6% |
| 1979 | 86.4% | -0.6% |
| 1980 | 85.6% | -0.9% |
| 1981 | 84.7% | -1.1% |
| 1982 | 83.3% | -1.6% |
| 1983 | 82.1% | -1.4% |
| 1984 | 80.8% | -1.6% |
| 1985 | 78.8% | -2.4% |
| 1986 | 77.0% | -2.3% |
| 1987 | 75.5% | -1.9% |
| 1988 | 75.2% | -0.5% |
| 1989 | 74.9% | -0.3% |
| 1991 | 74.0% | -1.3% |
| 1992 | 73.6% | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 72.7% | -1.2% |
| 1994 | 71.6% | -1.5% |
| 1995 | 70.1% | -2.0% |
| 1998 | 67.0% | -4.4% |
| 1999 | 66.4% | -0.9% |
| 2000 | 65.0% | -2.0% |
| 2001 | 63.9% | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 64.8% | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 62.4% | -3.7% |
| 2004 | 60.1% | -3.5% |
| 2005 | 55.3% | -8.0% |
| 2006 | 51.7% | -6.5% |
| 2007 | 46.5% | -10.1% |
| 2008 | 40.5% | -12.8% |
| 2009 | 37.6% | -7.2% |
| 2010 | 41.0% | +9.1% |
| 2011 | 36.5% | -11.1% |
| 2012 | 35.6% | -2.5% |
| 2013 | 34.7% | -2.5% |
| 2014 | 33.8% | -2.7% |
| 2015 | 32.5% | -3.7% |
| 2016 | 27.2% | -16.2% |
| 2017 | 26.4% | -3.1% |
| 2018 | 24.4% | -7.4% |
| 2019 | 25.8% | +5.5% |
| 2020 | 28.5% | +10.5% |
| 2021 | 29.1% | +1.9% |
| 2022 | 32.2% | +11.0% |
| 2023 | 42.0% | +30.1% |
| 2024 | 34.3% | -18.3% |
Burkina Faso compared with similar countries
- Burkina Faso's 34.3% is above the median for low income countries, which is 30.5%, 1.1× the median. (21 countries reporting)
- Burkina Faso's 34.3% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 16.9%, 2.0× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Children out of school in Burkina Faso changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | +30.1% | 32.2% | 42.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 87.9% | 86.4% | 89.7% | 5 |
| 1980s | 79.8% | 74.9% | 85.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 70.8% | 66.4% | 74.0% | 7 |
| 2000s | 54.8% | 37.6% | 65.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 31.8% | 24.4% | 41.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 33.2% | 28.5% | 42.0% | 5 |
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 children out of school in Burkina Faso?
- Children out of school in Burkina Faso was 34.3% in 2024, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest children out of school recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The highest recorded value was 89.7% in 1971.
- What is the lowest children out of school recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.4% in 2018.
- How does Burkina Faso rank for children out of school?
- Burkina Faso ranks 12th out of 196 countries with data for 2024.
- Is children out of school rising or falling in Burkina Faso?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Burkina Faso data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Children out of school (% of primary school age). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Children out of school are the percentage of primary-school-age children who are not enrolled in primary or secondary school. Children in the official primary age group that are in preprimary education should be considered out of school.