Girls and boys who are out of school in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: Girls and boys who are out of school was 659,756 girls in 2024. ▲ Rising
Girls and boys who are out of school in Burkina Faso, 1971–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in girls.
Analysis
Burkina Faso recorded 659,756 girls for girls and boys who are out of school in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 17.5% on the previous year and up 23.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, girls and boys who are out of school in Burkina Faso peaked at 799,663 girls in 2023 and was at its lowest, 389,391 girls, in 1971.
That places Burkina Faso 13th out of 180 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 47 years of available data.
Girls and boys who are out of school in Burkina Faso, year by year
| Year | girls | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 389,391 girls | — |
| 1972 | 397,620 girls | +2.1% |
| 1977 | 445,230 girls | +12.0% |
| 1978 | 454,783 girls | +2.1% |
| 1979 | 464,062 girls | +2.0% |
| 1980 | 472,263 girls | +1.8% |
| 1981 | 481,794 girls | +2.0% |
| 1982 | 490,294 girls | +1.8% |
| 1983 | 499,377 girls | +1.9% |
| 1984 | 511,121 girls | +2.4% |
| 1985 | 520,981 girls | +1.9% |
| 1986 | 531,864 girls | +2.1% |
| 1987 | 546,526 girls | +2.8% |
| 1988 | 564,996 girls | +3.4% |
| 1989 | 583,796 girls | +3.3% |
| 1991 | 615,485 girls | +5.4% |
| 1992 | 632,446 girls | +2.8% |
| 1993 | 646,036 girls | +2.1% |
| 1994 | 658,163 girls | +1.9% |
| 1995 | 666,874 girls | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 689,701 girls | +3.4% |
| 1999 | 697,750 girls | +1.2% |
| 2000 | 699,156 girls | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 701,906 girls | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 721,578 girls | +2.8% |
| 2003 | 714,186 girls | -1.0% |
| 2004 | 705,697 girls | -1.2% |
| 2005 | 671,354 girls | -4.9% |
| 2006 | 647,199 girls | -3.6% |
| 2007 | 603,476 girls | -6.8% |
| 2008 | 544,598 girls | -9.8% |
| 2009 | 517,592 girls | -5.0% |
| 2010 | 577,583 girls | +11.6% |
| 2011 | 528,618 girls | -8.5% |
| 2012 | 527,864 girls | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 527,902 girls | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 533,023 girls | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 530,932 girls | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 461,561 girls | -13.1% |
| 2017 | 459,926 girls | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 440,020 girls | -4.3% |
| 2019 | 470,347 girls | +6.9% |
| 2020 | 522,928 girls | +11.2% |
| 2021 | 539,690 girls | +3.2% |
| 2022 | 606,933 girls | +12.5% |
| 2023 | 799,663 girls | +31.8% |
| 2024 | 659,756 girls | -17.5% |
Burkina Faso compared with similar countries
- Burkina Faso's 659,756 girls is above the median for low income countries, which is 294,476 girls, 2.2× the median. (20 countries reporting)
- Burkina Faso's 659,756 girls is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 136,564 girls, 4.8× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Girls and boys who are 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 | +31.8% | 606,933 girls | 799,663 girls |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 430,217 girls | 389,391 girls | 464,062 girls | 5 |
| 1980s | 520,301 girls | 472,263 girls | 583,796 girls | 10 |
| 1990s | 658,065 girls | 615,485 girls | 697,750 girls | 7 |
| 2000s | 652,674 girls | 517,592 girls | 721,578 girls | 10 |
| 2010s | 505,778 girls | 440,020 girls | 577,583 girls | 10 |
| 2020s | 625,794 girls | 522,928 girls | 799,663 girls | 5 |
Countries ranked near Burkina Faso
- 10 Philippines 872,062 girls compare
- 11 Yemen 863,289 girls compare
- 12 Tanzania, United Republic of 822,227 girls compare
- 14 Mali 653,474 girls compare
- 15 Chad 519,892 girls compare
- 16 United States of America 448,218 girls 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 girls and boys who are out of school in Burkina Faso?
- Girls and boys who are out of school in Burkina Faso was 659,756 girls in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest girls and boys who are out of school recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The highest recorded value was 799,663 girls in 2023.
- What is the lowest girls and boys who are out of school recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The lowest recorded value was 389,391 girls in 1971.
- How does Burkina Faso rank for girls and boys who are out of school?
- Burkina Faso ranks 13th out of 180 countries with data for 2024.
- Is girls and boys who are out of school rising or falling in Burkina Faso?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.8%. 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 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Girls and boys who are out of school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 47 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Girls in the official primary school age range who are not enrolled in either primary or secondary education.