Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) was 4.3% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Burkina Faso, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Burkina Faso stood at 4.3%.
That represents a change of down 3.6% on the previous year and down 7.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Burkina Faso peaked at 4.9% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 2.5%, in 1997.
That places Burkina Faso 119th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Burkina Faso, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 2.6% | — |
| 1992 | 2.6% | +1.4% |
| 1993 | 2.5% | -3.0% |
| 1994 | 2.7% | +6.0% |
| 1995 | 2.7% | -1.6% |
| 1996 | 2.6% | -3.1% |
| 1997 | 2.5% | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 2.6% | +1.3% |
| 1999 | 2.7% | +6.0% |
| 2000 | 2.9% | +6.6% |
| 2001 | 3.0% | +3.6% |
| 2002 | 3.2% | +5.3% |
| 2003 | 3.1% | -1.5% |
| 2004 | 4.0% | +26.5% |
| 2005 | 4.6% | +16.3% |
| 2006 | 4.3% | -7.4% |
| 2007 | 3.9% | -9.3% |
| 2008 | 4.0% | +3.9% |
| 2009 | 4.2% | +4.3% |
| 2010 | 4.1% | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 4.2% | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 4.1% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 4.3% | +3.6% |
| 2014 | 4.4% | +3.3% |
| 2015 | 4.6% | +3.5% |
| 2016 | 4.6% | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 4.7% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 4.6% | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 4.6% | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 4.8% | +3.8% |
| 2021 | 4.9% | +2.8% |
| 2022 | 4.5% | -8.9% |
| 2023 | 4.4% | -1.4% |
| 2024 | 4.4% | +0.3% |
| 2025 | 4.3% | -3.6% |
Burkina Faso compared with similar countries
- Burkina Faso's 4.3% is below the median for low income countries, which is 4.5%, 94% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Burkina Faso's 4.3% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6.1%, 70% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Burkina Faso changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | +26.5% | 3.1% | 4.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 2.6% | 2.5% | 2.7% | 9 |
| 2000s | 3.7% | 2.9% | 4.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.4% | 4.1% | 4.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.5% | 4.3% | 4.9% | 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 unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Burkina Faso?
- Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) in Burkina Faso was 4.3% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, female (% of female labor force) recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The highest recorded value was 4.9% in 2021.
- What is the lowest unemployment, female (% of female labor force) recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.5% in 1997.
- How does Burkina Faso rank for unemployment, female (% of female labor force)?
- Burkina Faso ranks 119th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, female (% of female labor force) rising or falling in Burkina Faso?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Burkina Faso data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Unemployment, female (% of female labor force) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment.