Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, rural, both sexes in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, rural, both sexes was 22.3% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, rural, both sexes in Burkina Faso, 1991–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, rural, both sexes in Burkina Faso stood at 22.3%. That is the highest value across all 11 years on record.
The figure is up 40.1% on the previous year and up 25.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, rural, both sexes in Burkina Faso peaked at 22.3% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 5.4%, in 1996.
That places Burkina Faso 52nd out of 53 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 11 years of available data.
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, rural, both sexes in Burkina Faso, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 6.1% | — |
| 1996 | 5.4% | -12.0% |
| 2003 | 9.9% | +84.7% |
| 2005 | 11.6% | +16.7% |
| 2006 | 8.4% | -27.4% |
| 2007 | 16.7% | +98.1% |
| 2014 | 17.7% | +6.4% |
| 2018 | 17.1% | -3.8% |
| 2019 | 10.5% | -38.3% |
| 2021 | 15.9% | +51.1% |
| 2022 | 22.3% | +40.1% |
Burkina Faso compared with similar countries
- Burkina Faso's 22.3% is below the median for low income countries, which is 41.6%, 54% of the median. (7 countries reporting)
- Burkina Faso's 22.3% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 42.2%, 53% of the median. (12 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.7% | 5.4% | 6.1% | 2 |
| 2000s | 11.6% | 8.4% | 16.7% | 4 |
| 2010s | 15.1% | 10.5% | 17.7% | 3 |
| 2020s | 19.1% | 15.9% | 22.3% | 2 |
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, rural, both sexes in Burkina Faso?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, rural, both sexes in Burkina Faso was 22.3% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, rural, both sexes recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The highest recorded value was 22.3% in 2022.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, rural, both sexes recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.4% in 1996.
- How does Burkina Faso rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, rural, both sexes?
- Burkina Faso ranks 52nd out of 53 countries with data for 2022.
- Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, rural, both sexes rising or falling in Burkina Faso?
- Over the last ten years it is up 25.7%. 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, rural, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release