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

Latest (2025)
72.2%
Change on year
up 2.3%
World rank
138th
of 165 countries
All-time high
72.2%
in 2025
All-time low
11.0%
in 1981
Years of data
45
1981–2025

Share of children who have completed primary school in Burkina Faso, 1981–2025

204060801981200320251981: 11 %1982: 11.2 %1983: 11.5 %1984: 11.9 %1985: 12.3 %1986: 12.7 %1987: 13.1 %1988: 13.4 %1989: 13.7 %1990: 14 %1991: 14.3 %1992: 14.7 %1993: 15.1 %1994: 15.6 %1995: 16.1 %1996: 16.7 %1997: 17.4 %1998: 18.1 %1999: 18.9 %2000: 19.8 %2001: 20.7 %2002: 21.6 %2003: 22.5 %2004: 23.4 %2005: 24.5 %2006: 25.6 %2007: 27 %2008: 28.6 %2009: 30.6 %2010: 32.9 %2011: 35.5 %2012: 38.4 %2013: 41.5 %2014: 44.8 %2015: 48.3 %2016: 51.7 %2017: 54.9 %2018: 57.8 %2019: 60.5 %2020: 62.8 %2021: 64.8 %2022: 66.8 %2023: 68.8 %2024: 70.6 %2025: 72.2 %

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 135 Yemen 74.8% compare
  2. 136 Gabon 74.2% compare
  3. 137 Equatorial Guinea 73.6% compare
  4. 139 Rwanda 71.9% compare
  5. 140 Laos 70.1% compare
  6. 141 Benin 70.1% compare

See the full ranking of 165 places →

More education data for Burkina Faso

All data for Burkina Faso →

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

Indicator
Share of children who have completed primary school
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
165 places, 7,390 data points, 1981–2025
Last refreshed

The 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.