Government expenditure on education, total in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: Government expenditure on education, total was 20.3% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Government expenditure on education, total in Burkina Faso, 1983–2023
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of government expenditure.
Analysis
Burkina Faso recorded 20.3% for government expenditure on education, total in 2023.
The figure is down 7.6% on the previous year and up 25.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government expenditure on education, total in Burkina Faso peaked at 22.7% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1983.
That places Burkina Faso 17th out of 193 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.
Government expenditure on education, total in Burkina Faso, year by year
| Year | % of government expenditure | 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 Government expenditure on education, total 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 government expenditure on education, total in Burkina Faso?
- Government expenditure on education, total in Burkina Faso was 20.3% in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest government expenditure on education, total recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The highest recorded value was 22.7% in 2018.
- What is the lowest government expenditure on education, total recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1983.
- How does Burkina Faso rank for government expenditure on education, total?
- Burkina Faso ranks 17th out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government expenditure on education, total 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 Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Government expenditure on education, total (% of government expenditure). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
General government expenditure on education (current, capital, and transfers) is expressed as a percentage of total general government expenditure on all sectors (including health, education, social services, etc.). It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.