Burkina Faso People - 2021

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Population

21,382,659 (July 2021 est.)

note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected

Nationality

noun: Burkinabe (singular and plural)

adjective: Burkinabe

Ethnic groups

Mossi 52%, Fulani 8.4%, Gurma 7%, Bobo 4.9%, Gurunsi 4.6%, Senufo 4.5%, Bissa 3.7%, Lobi 2.4%, Dagara 2.4%, Tuareg/Bella 1.9%, Dioula 0.8%, unspecified/no answer 0.3%, other 7.2% (2010 est.)

Languages

French (official), native African languages belonging to Sudanic family spoken by 90% of the population

Religions

Muslim 63.2%, Roman Catholic 24.6%, Protestant 6.9%, traditional/animist 4.2%, none 0.7%, unspecified 0.4% (2017-18 est.)

Demographic profile

Burkina Faso has a young age structure – the result of declining mortality combined with steady high fertility – and continues to experience rapid population growth, which is putting increasing pressure on the country’s limited arable land. More than 65% of the population is under the age of 25, and the population is growing at 3% annually. Mortality rates, especially those of infants and children, have decreased because of improved health care, hygiene, and sanitation, but women continue to have an average of almost 6 children. Even if fertility were substantially reduced, today’s large cohort entering their reproductive years would sustain high population growth for the foreseeable future. Only about a third of the population is literate and unemployment is widespread, dampening the economic prospects of Burkina Faso’s large working-age population.

Migration has traditionally been a way of life for Burkinabe, with seasonal migration being replaced by stints of up to two years abroad. Cote d’Ivoire remains the top destination, although it has experienced periods of internal conflict. Under French colonization, Burkina Faso became a main labor source for agricultural and factory work in Cote d’Ivoire. Burkinabe also migrated to Ghana, Mali, and Senegal for work between the world wars. Burkina Faso attracts migrants from Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Mali, who often share common ethnic backgrounds with the Burkinabe. Despite its food shortages and high poverty rate, Burkina Faso has become a destination for refugees in recent years and hosts about 33,500 Malians as of May 2017.

(2018)

Age structure

0-14 years: 43.58% (male 4,606,350/female 4,473,951)

15-24 years: 20.33% (male 2,121,012/female 2,114,213)

25-54 years: 29.36% (male 2,850,621/female 3,265,926)

55-64 years: 3.57% (male 321,417/female 423,016)

65 years and over: 3.16% (male 284,838/female 374,057) (2020 est.)

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 87.9

youth dependency ratio: 83.4

elderly dependency ratio: 4.5

potential support ratio: 22.1 (2020 est.)

Median age

total: 17.9 years

male: 17 years

female: 18.7 years (2020 est.)

Population growth rate

2.58% (2021 est.)

Birth rate

34.34 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Death rate

7.92 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Net migration rate

-0.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Population distribution

Most of the population is located in the center and south. Nearly one-third of the population lives in cities. The capital and largest city is Ouagadougou (Ouaga), with a population of 1.8 million as shown in this population distribution map

(2019)

Urbanization

urban population: 31.2% of total population (2021)

rate of urbanization: 4.75% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030

Major urban areas - population

2.915 million OUAGADOUGOU (capital), 1.020 million Bobo-Dioulasso (2021)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

15-24 years: 1 male(s)/female

25-54 years: 0.87 male(s)/female

55-64 years: 0.76 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female

total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Mother's mean age at first birth

19.4 years (2010 est.)

note: median age at first birth among women 25-29

Maternal mortality rate

320 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 50.71 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 55.05 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 46.24 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 63.06 years

male: 61.28 years

female: 64.89 years (2021 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.39 children born/woman (2021 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

30.1% (2020)

Drinking water source

improved: urban: 94.9% of population

rural: 67.9% of population

total: 75.6% of population

unimproved: urban: 4.5% of population

rural: 32.1% of population

total: 24.4% of population (2017 est.)

Current Health Expenditure

5.6% (2018)

Physicians density

0.09 physicians/1,000 population (2017)

Hospital bed density

0.4 beds/1,000 population (2010)

Sanitation facility access

improved: urban: 88.2% of population

rural: 30.2% of population

total: 46.9% of population

unimproved: urban: 11.8% of population

rural: 69.8% of population

total: 53.1% of population (2017 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.7% (2020 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

97,000 (2020 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

3,300 (2020 est.)

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk: very high (2020)

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria

water contact diseases: schistosomiasis

animal contact diseases: rabies

respiratory diseases: meningococcal meningitis

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

5.6% (2016)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

16.4% (2019)

Education expenditures

5.4% of GDP (2018)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 41.2%

male: 50.1%

female: 32.7% (2018)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 9 years

male: 9 years

female: 9 years (2019)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 8.6%

male: 8.9%

female: 8.4% (2019)

NOTE: The information regarding Burkina Faso on this page is re-published from the 2021 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Burkina Faso 2021 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Burkina Faso 2021 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.