Share of children who have completed primary school in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: Share of children who have completed primary school was 72.2% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Share of children who have completed primary school in Burkina Faso, 1981–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Burkina Faso recorded 72.2% for share of children who have completed primary school in 2025. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.3% on the previous year and up 49.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who have completed primary school in Burkina Faso peaked at 72.2% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 11.0%, in 1981.
Burkina Faso ranks 138th of 165 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of children who have completed primary school in Burkina Faso, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 11.0% | — |
| 1982 | 11.2% | +2.1% |
| 1983 | 11.5% | +2.7% |
| 1984 | 11.9% | +2.8% |
| 1985 | 12.3% | +3.7% |
| 1986 | 12.7% | +3.2% |
| 1987 | 13.1% | +2.8% |
| 1988 | 13.4% | +2.7% |
| 1989 | 13.7% | +2.4% |
| 1990 | 14.0% | +2.0% |
| 1991 | 14.3% | +2.3% |
| 1992 | 14.7% | +2.6% |
| 1993 | 15.1% | +2.9% |
| 1994 | 15.6% | +3.2% |
| 1995 | 16.1% | +3.5% |
| 1996 | 16.7% | +3.5% |
| 1997 | 17.4% | +4.1% |
| 1998 | 18.1% | +4.1% |
| 1999 | 18.9% | +4.5% |
| 2000 | 19.8% | +4.5% |
| 2001 | 20.7% | +4.5% |
| 2002 | 21.6% | +4.5% |
| 2003 | 22.5% | +4.2% |
| 2004 | 23.4% | +4.2% |
| 2005 | 24.5% | +4.3% |
| 2006 | 25.6% | +4.7% |
| 2007 | 27.0% | +5.3% |
| 2008 | 28.6% | +6.2% |
| 2009 | 30.6% | +6.9% |
| 2010 | 32.9% | +7.4% |
| 2011 | 35.5% | +7.8% |
| 2012 | 38.4% | +8.2% |
| 2013 | 41.5% | +8.3% |
| 2014 | 44.8% | +7.9% |
| 2015 | 48.3% | +7.7% |
| 2016 | 51.7% | +7.0% |
| 2017 | 54.9% | +6.2% |
| 2018 | 57.8% | +5.3% |
| 2019 | 60.5% | +4.6% |
| 2020 | 62.8% | +3.7% |
| 2021 | 64.8% | +3.3% |
| 2022 | 66.8% | +3.0% |
| 2023 | 68.8% | +3.0% |
| 2024 | 70.6% | +2.6% |
| 2025 | 72.2% | +2.3% |
Burkina Faso compared with similar countries
- Burkina Faso's 72.2% is above the median for low income countries, which is 57.7%, 1.3× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Burkina Faso's 72.2% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 72.2%, 1.0× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 12.3% | 11.0% | 13.7% | 9 |
| 1990s | 16.1% | 14.0% | 18.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 24.4% | 19.8% | 30.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 46.6% | 32.9% | 60.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 67.7% | 62.8% | 72.2% | 6 |
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 share of children who have completed primary school in Burkina Faso?
- Share of children who have completed primary school in Burkina Faso was 72.2% in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The highest recorded value was 72.2% in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of children who have completed primary school recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.0% in 1981.
- How does Burkina Faso rank for share of children who have completed primary school?
- Burkina Faso ranks 138th out of 165 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of children who have completed primary school rising or falling in Burkina Faso?
- Over the last ten years it is up 49.4%. 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 Share of children who have completed primary school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of children who are three to five years older than the official age for the last grade of primary education who have successfully completed it. This broader age band is used to include children who started school late or had to resit particular years.