Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes was 29.8% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Burkina Faso, 1975–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Burkina Faso stood at 29.8%.
The figure is down 7.7% on the previous year and up 3.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Burkina Faso peaked at 32.3% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 6.6%, in 1975.
Burkina Faso ranks 84th of 87 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, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Burkina Faso, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 6.6% | — |
| 1991 | 11.1% | +66.7% |
| 1996 | 10.2% | -7.4% |
| 2003 | 18.0% | +75.3% |
| 2005 | 20.0% | +11.5% |
| 2006 | 18.3% | -8.8% |
| 2007 | 25.0% | +36.8% |
| 2014 | 28.8% | +15.3% |
| 2018 | 32.0% | +10.9% |
| 2019 | 22.1% | -31.1% |
| 2021 | 28.1% | +27.2% |
| 2022 | 32.3% | +15.1% |
| 2023 | 29.8% | -7.7% |
Burkina Faso compared with similar countries
- Burkina Faso's 29.8% is below the median for low income countries, which is 51.1%, 58% of the median. (13 countries reporting)
- Burkina Faso's 29.8% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 66.6%, 45% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6.6% | 6.6% | 6.6% | 1 |
| 1990s | 10.7% | 10.2% | 11.1% | 2 |
| 2000s | 20.3% | 18.0% | 25.0% | 4 |
| 2010s | 27.6% | 22.1% | 32.0% | 3 |
| 2020s | 30.1% | 28.1% | 32.3% | 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, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Burkina Faso?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes in Burkina Faso was 29.8% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The highest recorded value was 32.3% in 2022.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.6% in 1975.
- How does Burkina Faso rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes?
- Burkina Faso ranks 84th out of 87 countries with data for 2023.
- Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes rising or falling in Burkina Faso?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.4%. 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 Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release