Literacy rate, adult male in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: Literacy rate, adult male was 48.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, adult male in Burkina Faso, 1975–2023
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of males ages 15 and above.
Analysis
The most recent figure for literacy rate, adult male in Burkina Faso is 48.7%, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 2.2% on the previous year and up 9.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult male in Burkina Faso peaked at 49.8% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 14.5%, in 1975.
Burkina Faso ranks 85th of 88 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Literacy rate, adult male in Burkina Faso, year by year
| Year | % of males ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 14.5% | — |
| 1991 | 19.6% | +35.1% |
| 1996 | 18.5% | -5.7% |
| 2003 | 29.4% | +58.5% |
| 2005 | 31.4% | +6.8% |
| 2006 | 29.7% | -5.3% |
| 2007 | 36.6% | +23.3% |
| 2014 | 44.4% | +21.2% |
| 2018 | 49.2% | +10.8% |
| 2019 | 35.4% | -28.0% |
| 2021 | 44.1% | +24.6% |
| 2022 | 49.8% | +12.8% |
| 2023 | 48.7% | -2.2% |
Burkina Faso compared with similar countries
- Burkina Faso's 48.7% is below the median for low income countries, which is 71.0%, 69% of the median. (13 countries reporting)
- Burkina Faso's 48.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 79.2%, 61% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 14.5% | 14.5% | 14.5% | 1 |
| 1990s | 19.1% | 18.5% | 19.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 31.8% | 29.4% | 36.6% | 4 |
| 2010s | 43.0% | 35.4% | 49.2% | 3 |
| 2020s | 47.5% | 44.1% | 49.8% | 3 |
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 literacy rate, adult male in Burkina Faso?
- Literacy rate, adult male in Burkina Faso was 48.7% in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, adult male recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The highest recorded value was 49.8% in 2022.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult male recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.5% in 1975.
- How does Burkina Faso rank for literacy rate, adult male?
- Burkina Faso ranks 85th out of 88 countries with data for 2023.
- Is literacy rate, adult male rising or falling in Burkina Faso?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.7%. 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 Literacy rate, adult male (% of males ages 15 and above). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.