Primary, secondary and tertiary … Primary, secondary, tertiary in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: Primary, secondary and tertiary … Primary, secondary, tertiary was 77.2% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Burkina Faso, 1971–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Burkina Faso recorded 77.2% for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in 2024.
That represents a change of up 6.8% on the previous year and down 8.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Burkina Faso peaked at 91.5% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 12.5%, in 1971.
That places Burkina Faso 208th out of 217 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Primary, secondary and tertiary … Primary, secondary, tertiary in Burkina Faso, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 12.5% | — |
| 1972 | 12.9% | +3.7% |
| 1973 | 13.2% | +2.3% |
| 1974 | 13.7% | +3.6% |
| 1975 | 14.3% | +4.2% |
| 1976 | 14.7% | +2.9% |
| 1977 | 15.2% | +3.0% |
| 1978 | 15.8% | +4.5% |
| 1979 | 16.5% | +4.1% |
| 1980 | 17.4% | +5.5% |
| 1981 | 18.5% | +6.1% |
| 1982 | 19.9% | +7.9% |
| 1983 | 21.6% | +8.5% |
| 1984 | 23.1% | +6.8% |
| 1985 | 25.2% | +9.2% |
| 1986 | 27.2% | +7.9% |
| 1987 | 29.0% | +6.6% |
| 1988 | 29.4% | +1.5% |
| 1989 | 30.5% | +3.6% |
| 1990 | 31.3% | +2.9% |
| 1991 | 32.3% | +3.1% |
| 1992 | 32.8% | +1.7% |
| 1993 | 33.8% | +2.9% |
| 1994 | 34.9% | +3.5% |
| 1995 | 36.8% | +5.3% |
| 1996 | 38.6% | +5.0% |
| 1998 | 40.8% | +5.7% |
| 1999 | 41.9% | +2.6% |
| 2000 | 42.8% | +2.2% |
| 2001 | 44.3% | +3.6% |
| 2002 | 45.1% | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 47.5% | +5.3% |
| 2004 | 52.2% | +9.8% |
| 2005 | 56.7% | +8.7% |
| 2006 | 60.4% | +6.5% |
| 2007 | 65.9% | +9.1% |
| 2008 | 71.4% | +8.3% |
| 2009 | 75.8% | +6.2% |
| 2010 | 76.4% | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 79.7% | +4.4% |
| 2012 | 82.0% | +2.8% |
| 2013 | 83.3% | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 84.6% | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 85.1% | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 87.4% | +2.7% |
| 2017 | 89.5% | +2.4% |
| 2018 | 91.5% | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 89.8% | -1.9% |
| 2020 | 87.7% | -2.3% |
| 2021 | 87.0% | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 82.3% | -5.5% |
| 2023 | 72.2% | -12.2% |
| 2024 | 77.2% | +6.8% |
Burkina Faso compared with similar countries
- Burkina Faso's 77.2% is below the median for low income countries, which is 96.8%, 80% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Burkina Faso's 77.2% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 100.4%, 77% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 14.3% | 12.5% | 16.5% | 9 |
| 1980s | 24.2% | 17.4% | 30.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 35.9% | 31.3% | 41.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 56.2% | 42.8% | 75.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 84.9% | 76.4% | 91.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 81.3% | 72.2% | 87.7% | 5 |
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 primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Burkina Faso?
- Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates in Burkina Faso was 77.2% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The highest recorded value was 91.5% in 2018.
- What is the lowest primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.5% in 1971.
- How does Burkina Faso rank for primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates?
- Burkina Faso ranks 208th out of 217 countries with data for 2024.
- Is primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates rising or falling in Burkina Faso?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 Primary, secondary and tertiary education enrollment and completion rates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 53 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of children of any age group who are enrolled in primary education, expressed as a percentage of the total population of the official primary school age.