Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government was 20.3% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Burkina Faso, 1983–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in UIS calculation.
Analysis
The most recent figure for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Burkina Faso is 20.3%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 7.6% on the previous year and up 25.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Burkina Faso peaked at 22.7% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1983.
Burkina Faso ranks 17th of 197 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.
Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Burkina Faso, year by year
| Year | UIS calculation | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 0.0% | — |
| 1985 | 0.0% | — |
| 1988 | 7.2% | — |
| 1994 | 19.9% | +176.6% |
| 1996 | 7.3% | -63.2% |
| 2005 | 19.5% | +165.6% |
| 2006 | 18.2% | -6.6% |
| 2007 | 17.9% | -1.9% |
| 2010 | 16.2% | -9.5% |
| 2011 | 19.5% | +20.6% |
| 2012 | 15.9% | -18.5% |
| 2013 | 16.2% | +1.7% |
| 2014 | 19.4% | +19.8% |
| 2015 | 18.0% | -6.9% |
| 2017 | 21.4% | +19.0% |
| 2018 | 22.7% | +5.7% |
| 2019 | 21.7% | -4.4% |
| 2020 | 21.0% | -3.1% |
| 2021 | 21.4% | +1.9% |
| 2022 | 22.0% | +2.6% |
| 2023 | 20.3% | -7.6% |
Burkina Faso compared with similar countries
- Burkina Faso's 20.3% is above the median for low income countries, which is 14.4%, 1.4× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Burkina Faso's 20.3% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.2%, 1.4× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | +176.6% | 7.2% | 19.9% |
| 2005 | +165.6% | 7.3% | 19.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 2.4% | 0.0% | 7.2% | 3 |
| 1990s | 13.6% | 7.3% | 19.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 18.5% | 17.9% | 19.5% | 3 |
| 2010s | 19.0% | 15.9% | 22.7% | 9 |
| 2020s | 21.2% | 20.3% | 22.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Burkina Faso
- 14 Sierra Leone 20.5% compare
- 15 Mozambique 20.4% compare
- 16 Costa Rica 20.4% compare
- 18 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 20.2% compare
- 19 Kiribati 20.1% compare
- 20 Kyrgyzstan 19.6% compare
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 expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Burkina Faso?
- Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government in Burkina Faso was 20.3% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The highest recorded value was 22.7% in 2018.
- What is the lowest expenditure on education as a percentage of total government recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1983.
- How does Burkina Faso rank for expenditure on education as a percentage of total government?
- Burkina Faso ranks 17th out of 197 countries with data for 2023.
- Is expenditure on education as a percentage of total government rising or falling in Burkina Faso?
- Over the last ten years it is up 25.6%. 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 Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government expenditure (%) (UIS calculation). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release