Literacy rate vs. average years of schooling in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: Literacy rate vs. average years of schooling was 41.6% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate vs. average years of schooling in Burkina Faso, 1975–2023
Source: UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, literacy rate vs. average years of schooling in Burkina Faso stood at 41.6%. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.
The figure is up 1.6% on the previous year and up 20.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate vs. average years of schooling in Burkina Faso peaked at 41.6% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 8.8%, in 1975.
Burkina Faso ranks 123rd of 128 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 vs. average years of schooling in Burkina Faso, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 8.8% | — |
| 1991 | 13.6% | +53.7% |
| 1996 | 12.8% | -5.3% |
| 2003 | 21.8% | +69.8% |
| 2005 | 23.5% | +7.8% |
| 2006 | 22.5% | -4.5% |
| 2007 | 27.9% | +24.1% |
| 2014 | 34.6% | +24.1% |
| 2018 | 39.4% | +13.7% |
| 2019 | 29.7% | -24.6% |
| 2021 | 37.0% | +24.6% |
| 2022 | 40.9% | +10.7% |
| 2023 | 41.6% | +1.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 8.8% | 8.8% | 8.8% | 1 |
| 1990s | 13.2% | 12.8% | 13.6% | 2 |
| 2000s | 23.9% | 21.8% | 27.9% | 4 |
| 2010s | 34.5% | 29.7% | 39.4% | 3 |
| 2020s | 39.8% | 37.0% | 41.6% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Burkina Faso
- 120 Côte d'Ivoire 50.0% compare
- 121 Sierra Leone 43.6% compare
- 122 Central African Republic 42.4% compare
- 124 Guinea 39.6% compare
- 125 Afghanistan 37.3% compare
- 126 Niger 35.6% compare
More education data for Burkina Faso
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number) 2.62 % change on previous year (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, female (number), gaps filled 45,944 (2024)
- Teachers in primary education, male (number), gaps filled 45,820 (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 94,982 (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, female (number) 8.35 % change on previous year (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number), gaps 130,920 (2024)
- Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, male (number) -1.16 % change on previous year (2024)
- Theoretical duration of primary education (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate vs. average years of schooling in Burkina Faso?
- Literacy rate vs. average years of schooling in Burkina Faso was 41.6% in 2023, according to UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy rate vs. average years of schooling recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The highest recorded value was 41.6% in 2023.
- What is the lowest literacy rate vs. average years of schooling recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.8% in 1975.
- How does Burkina Faso rank for literacy rate vs. average years of schooling?
- Burkina Faso ranks 123rd out of 128 countries with data for 2023.
- Is literacy rate vs. average years of schooling rising or falling in Burkina Faso?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Burkina Faso data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy rate vs. average years of schooling. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of adults who can read and write a simple statement about their everyday life.