Literacy rates among adults in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: Literacy rates among adults was 41.6% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Literacy rates among adults in Burkina Faso, 1975–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for literacy rates among adults in Burkina Faso is 41.6%, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.6% on the previous year and up 20.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rates among adults in Burkina Faso peaked at 41.6% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 8.8%, in 1975.
That places Burkina Faso 84th out of 89 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Literacy rates among adults 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% |
Burkina Faso compared with similar countries
- Burkina Faso's 41.6% is below the median for low income countries, which is 60.5%, 69% of the median. (13 countries reporting)
- Burkina Faso's 41.6% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 70.9%, 59% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
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
- 81 Senegal 50.4% compare
- 82 Cote d'Ivoire 50.0% compare
- 83 Sierra Leone 43.6% compare
- 85 Guinea 39.6% compare
- 86 Afghanistan 37.3% compare
- 87 Mali 35.6% compare
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 rates among adults in Burkina Faso?
- Literacy rates among adults in Burkina Faso was 41.6% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy rates among adults recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The highest recorded value was 41.6% in 2023.
- What is the lowest literacy rates among adults recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.8% in 1975.
- How does Burkina Faso rank for literacy rates among adults?
- Burkina Faso ranks 84th out of 89 countries with data for 2023.
- Is literacy rates among adults 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 Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy rates among adults. 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 the population aged 15 years and older who can read and write.