Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, urban, both sexes in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, urban, both sexes was 56.4% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, urban, both sexes in Burkina Faso, 1991–2022
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2022, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, urban, both sexes in Burkina Faso stood at 56.4%.
That represents a change of up 3.8% on the previous year and down 4.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, urban, both sexes in Burkina Faso peaked at 65.1% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 34.1%, in 1996.
That places Burkina Faso 56th out of 57 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, urban, both sexes in Burkina Faso, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 37.0% | — |
| 1996 | 34.1% | -7.8% |
| 2003 | 48.8% | +43.1% |
| 2005 | 54.0% | +10.7% |
| 2006 | 46.5% | -13.8% |
| 2007 | 57.3% | +23.1% |
| 2014 | 58.9% | +2.8% |
| 2018 | 65.1% | +10.5% |
| 2019 | 48.4% | -25.8% |
| 2021 | 54.3% | +12.3% |
| 2022 | 56.4% | +3.8% |
Burkina Faso compared with similar countries
- Burkina Faso's 56.4% is below the median for low income countries, which is 77.8%, 72% of the median. (7 countries reporting)
- Burkina Faso's 56.4% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 78.1%, 72% of the median. (12 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 35.5% | 34.1% | 37.0% | 2 |
| 2000s | 51.7% | 46.5% | 57.3% | 4 |
| 2010s | 57.5% | 48.4% | 65.1% | 3 |
| 2020s | 55.3% | 54.3% | 56.4% | 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, urban, both sexes in Burkina Faso?
- Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, urban, both sexes in Burkina Faso was 56.4% in 2022, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, urban, both sexes recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The highest recorded value was 65.1% in 2018.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, urban, both sexes recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The lowest recorded value was 34.1% in 1996.
- How does Burkina Faso rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, urban, both sexes?
- Burkina Faso ranks 56th out of 57 countries with data for 2022.
- Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, urban, both sexes rising or falling in Burkina Faso?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.3%. 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, urban, both sexes (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release