Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP was 4.9% in 2018. ▲ Rising
Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Burkina Faso, 1978–2018
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Burkina Faso is 4.9%, measured in 2018.
The figure is down 4.0% on the previous year and up 59.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Burkina Faso peaked at 5.1% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 1.4%, in 1988.
Burkina Faso ranks 50th of 185 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 18 years of available data.
Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP in Burkina Faso, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 1.7% | — |
| 1980 | 2.0% | +16.8% |
| 1983 | 1.8% | -10.6% |
| 1985 | 1.8% | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 1.4% | -19.2% |
| 1994 | 3.5% | +142.0% |
| 1996 | 1.4% | -58.3% |
| 2005 | 3.9% | +173.6% |
| 2006 | 4.0% | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 3.1% | -22.5% |
| 2010 | 3.8% | +21.8% |
| 2011 | 3.3% | -12.1% |
| 2012 | 3.4% | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 3.9% | +16.1% |
| 2014 | 4.0% | +3.4% |
| 2015 | 3.6% | -9.5% |
| 2017 | 5.1% | +40.9% |
| 2018 | 4.9% | -4.0% |
Burkina Faso compared with similar countries
- Burkina Faso's 4.9% is above the median for low income countries, which is 2.5%, 2.0× the median. (21 countries reporting)
- Burkina Faso's 4.9% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.5%, 1.4× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | +173.6% | 1.4% | 3.9% |
| 1994 | +142.0% | 1.4% | 3.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.7% | 1.7% | 1.7% | 1 |
| 1980s | 1.7% | 1.4% | 2.0% | 4 |
| 1990s | 2.4% | 1.4% | 3.5% | 2 |
| 2000s | 3.7% | 3.1% | 4.0% | 3 |
| 2010s | 4.0% | 3.3% | 5.1% | 8 |
Countries ranked near Burkina Faso
- 47 Belarus 5.0% compare
- 48 Argentina 5.0% compare
- 49 Brunei Darussalam 5.0% compare
- 51 Syrian Arab Republic 4.9% compare
- 52 Chile 4.9% compare
- 53 Sierra Leone 4.9% 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 initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Burkina Faso?
- Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp in Burkina Faso was 4.9% in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The highest recorded value was 5.1% in 2017.
- What is the lowest initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.4% in 1988.
- How does Burkina Faso rank for initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp?
- Burkina Faso ranks 50th out of 185 countries with data for 2018.
- Is initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of gdp rising or falling in Burkina Faso?
- Over the last ten years it is up 59.8%. 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, published as part of Initial government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release