Africa · Western Africa
Burkina Faso Demographics
Burkina Faso combines fast population growth, high fertility by world standards, a young age structure, and a population that remains mostly rural.
Sources used on this page include World Bank World Development Indicators, FRED copies of World Bank WDI series, UN DESA World Population Prospects 2024 through UNdata, UNFPA, Our World in Data, WHO Data, and PopulationPyramids.org where the visible 2025 age bands are based on UN WPP 2024.
Last updated: July 2, 2026
Core Demographic Indicators
Detailed Demographic Indicators
| Indicator | Value | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 24,074,580 | 2025 | World Bank WDI |
| Population growth rate | 2.2% | 2025 | World Bank WDI |
| Median age | 18.8 years | 2025 | PopulationPyramids.org, based on UN WPP 2024 |
| Total fertility rate | 4.11 births per woman | 2024 | World Bank WDI via FRED |
| Life expectancy at birth, total | 61.29 years | 2024 | World Bank WDI via FRED |
| Life expectancy at birth, male | 59 years | 2025 | UNFPA World Population Dashboard |
| Life expectancy at birth, female | 64 years | 2025 | UNFPA World Population Dashboard |
| Urban population share | 29% | 2025 | World Bank WDI |
| Urban population | 6,963,000 | 2025 | World Bank WDI |
| Population aged 0-14 | 9,911,490 · 41.2% | 2025 | PopulationPyramids.org, based on UN WPP 2024 |
| Population aged 15-64 | 13,516,885 · 56.1% | 2025 | PopulationPyramids.org, based on UN WPP 2024 |
| Population aged 65+ | 646,212 · 2.7% | 2025 | PopulationPyramids.org, based on UN WPP 2024 |
| Male population | 11,994,182 · 49.8% | 2025 | PopulationPyramids.org, based on UN WPP 2024 |
| Female population | 12,080,405 · 50.2% | 2025 | PopulationPyramids.org, based on UN WPP 2024 |
| Sex ratio | 99.3 males per 100 females | 2025 | PopulationPyramids.org, based on UN WPP 2024 |
| Net migration | -27,130 | 2025 | World Bank WDI |
| Population density | 84.2 people per km² | 2023 | Our World in Data, based on UN WPP 2024 |
| Births | 728,600 | 2023 | Our World in Data, based on UN WPP 2024 |
| Deaths | 183,400 | 2023 | Our World in Data, based on UN WPP 2024 |
Table analysis
- The latest WDI population value is 24,074,580 in 2025, with annual growth reported at 2.2%.
- The 2025 age structure is young: 41.2% of the population is aged 0-14, while only 2.7% is aged 65+.
- The total fertility rate was 4.11 births per woman in 2024, well above the 2.1 replacement-level benchmark.
- Life expectancy values use mixed source years: WDI gives total life expectancy for 2024, while UNFPA gives rounded male and female values for 2025.
Population Trend
Burkina Faso Population, 1960-2025
Mid-year population estimates, with 2025 from World Bank WDI.
Source: World Bank World Development Indicators via FRED for 1960-2024; World Bank WDI/DataBank for 2025.
Trend analysis
- The population increased from 4.78 million in 1960 to 24.07 million in 2025.
- The 2025 population is about 5.0 times the 1960 value in the WDI/FRED series.
- Recent annual additions remain large: the increase from 2024 to 2025 is 525,799 people.
Historical Population and Growth Table
| Year | Population | Yearly % change | Yearly change | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 4,778,621 | Data not available | Data not available | World Bank WDI via FRED |
| 1965 | 5,152,833 | 1.61% | +81,799 | Calculated from World Bank WDI annual values |
| 1970 | 5,610,304 | 1.76% | +97,127 | Calculated from World Bank WDI annual values |
| 1975 | 6,147,569 | 2.04% | +122,665 | Calculated from World Bank WDI annual values |
| 1980 | 6,947,900 | 2.72% | +183,997 | Calculated from World Bank WDI annual values |
| 1985 | 7,999,935 | 2.93% | +227,679 | Calculated from World Bank WDI annual values |
| 1990 | 9,159,356 | 2.67% | +238,181 | Calculated from World Bank WDI annual values |
| 1995 | 10,386,722 | 2.60% | +262,924 | Calculated from World Bank WDI annual values |
| 2000 | 11,925,546 | 3.03% | +350,618 | Calculated from World Bank WDI annual values |
| 2005 | 13,932,123 | 3.20% | +431,590 | Calculated from World Bank WDI annual values |
| 2010 | 16,176,498 | 2.97% | +466,432 | Calculated from World Bank WDI annual values |
| 2015 | 18,777,487 | 3.01% | +548,026 | Calculated from World Bank WDI annual values |
| 2016 | 19,334,856 | 2.97% | +557,369 | Calculated from World Bank WDI annual values |
| 2017 | 19,894,407 | 2.89% | +559,551 | Calculated from World Bank WDI annual values |
| 2018 | 20,438,288 | 2.73% | +543,881 | Calculated from World Bank WDI annual values |
| 2019 | 20,961,952 | 2.56% | +523,664 | Calculated from World Bank WDI annual values |
| 2020 | 21,478,690 | 2.47% | +516,738 | Calculated from World Bank WDI annual values |
| 2021 | 21,995,243 | 2.40% | +516,553 | Calculated from World Bank WDI annual values |
| 2022 | 22,509,038 | 2.34% | +513,795 | Calculated from World Bank WDI annual values |
| 2023 | 23,025,776 | 2.30% | +516,738 | Calculated from World Bank WDI annual values |
| 2024 | 23,548,781 | 2.27% | +523,005 | Calculated from World Bank WDI annual values |
| 2025 | 24,074,580 | 2.23% | +525,799 | Calculated from World Bank WDI annual values |
Table analysis
- The WDI/FRED table gives a continuous annual population series from 1960 to 2024; 2025 is added from World Bank WDI/DataBank.
- Burkina Faso crossed 10 million in the mid-1990s and 20 million between 2017 and 2018.
- Annual additions in the recent rows stay near half a million people per year.
Broad Age and Sex Structure
Broad Age Structure, 2025
Share of population in youth, working-age and older-age groups.
Source: PopulationPyramids.org 2025, based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
| Age group | Population | Share | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-14 | 9,911,490 | 41.2% | 2025 | PopulationPyramids.org, based on UN WPP 2024 |
| 15-64 | 13,516,885 | 56.1% | 2025 | PopulationPyramids.org, based on UN WPP 2024 |
| 65+ | 646,212 | 2.7% | 2025 | PopulationPyramids.org, based on UN WPP 2024 |
Five-Year Age Bands
| Age group | Population | Share | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | 3,386,806 | 14.1% | Youth |
| 5-9 | 3,327,485 | 13.8% | Youth |
| 10-14 | 3,197,199 | 13.3% | Youth |
| 15-19 | 2,777,975 | 11.5% | Young adult |
| 20-24 | 2,272,566 | 9.4% | Young adult |
| 25-29 | 1,883,765 | 7.8% | Working age |
| 30-34 | 1,576,723 | 6.5% | Working age |
| 35-39 | 1,354,824 | 5.6% | Working age |
| 40-44 | 1,140,666 | 4.7% | Working age |
| 45-49 | 903,964 | 3.8% | Working age |
| 50-54 | 677,677 | 2.8% | Working age |
| 55-59 | 525,685 | 2.2% | Working age |
| 60-64 | 403,040 | 1.7% | Working age |
| 65-69 | 290,148 | 1.2% | Older age |
| 70-74 | 184,737 | 0.8% | Older age |
| 75-79 | 106,073 | 0.4% | Older age |
| 80-84 | 49,984 | 0.2% | Older age |
| 85-89 | 13,383 | 0.1% | Older age |
| 90-94 | 1,800 | 0.0% | Older age |
| 95-99 | 87 | 0.0% | Older age |
Sex Balance
| Measure | Value | Share | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male population | 11,994,182 | 49.8% | 2025 | PopulationPyramids.org, based on UN WPP 2024 |
| Female population | 12,080,405 | 50.2% | 2025 | PopulationPyramids.org, based on UN WPP 2024 |
| Sex ratio | 99.3 males per 100 females | Data not available | 2025 | PopulationPyramids.org, based on UN WPP 2024 |
Age-sex coverage note: A full population pyramid is not shown because the visible dataset used here provides total five-year age groups and total male/female counts, not male and female counts for each five-year age band. A detailed population pyramid should be added only when age-by-sex cells are available from a directly usable WPP or official table.
Age-sex analysis
- The largest five-year band is 0-4, with 3,386,806 people.
- The three youth bands from 0 to 14 sum to 9,911,490, equal to 41.2% of the 2025 population.
- The 65+ group totals 646,212, so older-age population pressure remains low relative to the youth population.
- Total sex counts show a close balance: 49.8% male and 50.2% female.
Fertility Rate Trend
Total Fertility Rate Compared With Replacement Level
Selected years from the World Bank WDI fertility series.
Source: World Bank WDI via FRED, 1960-2024. Replacement level shown as a broad benchmark, not a country-specific threshold.
Chart analysis
- Fertility rose from 6.25 in 1960 to 7.22 in 1980 in the WDI series.
- After 1980, the rate declined to 4.11 births per woman in 2024.
- The 2024 value remains almost double the 2.1 replacement-level benchmark.
| Year | Fertility rate | Unit | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 6.248 | Births per woman | World Bank WDI via FRED |
| 1970 | 6.685 | Births per woman | World Bank WDI via FRED |
| 1980 | 7.222 | Births per woman | World Bank WDI via FRED |
| 1990 | 7.009 | Births per woman | World Bank WDI via FRED |
| 2000 | 6.519 | Births per woman | World Bank WDI via FRED |
| 2010 | 5.936 | Births per woman | World Bank WDI via FRED |
| 2020 | 4.440 | Births per woman | World Bank WDI via FRED |
| 2021 | 4.361 | Births per woman | World Bank WDI via FRED |
| 2022 | 4.275 | Births per woman | World Bank WDI via FRED |
| 2023 | 4.186 | Births per woman | World Bank WDI via FRED |
| 2024 | 4.110 | Births per woman | World Bank WDI via FRED |
Life Expectancy Trend
Life Expectancy at Birth, 1960-2024
Period life expectancy at birth, total population.
Source: World Bank WDI via FRED, 1960-2024.
Trend analysis
- Life expectancy rose from 36.1 years in 1960 to 61.3 years in 2024.
- The WDI series shows a dip from 60.45 in 2020 to 60.05 in 2021, followed by recovery in 2022-2024.
- UNFPA gives rounded 2025 values of 59 years for males and 64 years for females.
Urbanization
Urban Population Share, 2020-2025
Share of people living in areas classified as urban under national definitions used by the World Bank series.
Source: World Bank WDI; 2020-2024 values cross-checked through Africa API summary of WDI data; 2025 from World Bank WDI country listing.
| Year | Urban share | Urban population | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 26.4% | Data not available | World Bank WDI |
| 2021 | 26.8% | Data not available | World Bank WDI |
| 2022 | 27.3% | Data not available | World Bank WDI |
| 2023 | 27.8% | 6,398,229 | World Bank WDI, summarized by CEIC |
| 2024 | 28.3% | 6,672,606 | World Bank WDI, summarized by CEIC |
| 2025 | 29% | 6,963,000 | World Bank WDI |
Data analysis
- The urban share rose from 26.4% in 2020 to 29.0% in 2025.
- The 2025 urban population value is 6.96 million, while the total population is 24.07 million.
- Urban definitions are source-dependent because WDI uses national urban definitions smoothed through UN urbanization data.
Migration Balance
Net Migration, Selected Years
Net migration values from the World Bank WDI series.
Source: World Bank WDI/DataBank. Net migration is the difference between immigration and emigration.
| Year | Net migration | Immigration | Emigration | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | -32,970 | Data not available | Data not available | World Bank WDI/DataBank |
| 2000 | 3,877 | Data not available | Data not available | World Bank WDI/DataBank |
| 2016 | -7,598 | Data not available | Data not available | World Bank WDI/DataBank |
| 2017 | -14,780 | Data not available | Data not available | World Bank WDI/DataBank |
| 2018 | -23,938 | Data not available | Data not available | World Bank WDI/DataBank |
| 2019 | -25,240 | Data not available | Data not available | World Bank WDI/DataBank |
| 2020 | -5,661 | Data not available | Data not available | World Bank WDI/DataBank |
| 2021 | -13,079 | Data not available | Data not available | World Bank WDI/DataBank |
| 2022 | -24,960 | Data not available | Data not available | World Bank WDI/DataBank |
| 2023 | -24,957 | Data not available | Data not available | World Bank WDI/DataBank |
| 2024 | -25,807 | Data not available | Data not available | World Bank WDI/DataBank |
| 2025 | -27,130 | Data not available | Data not available | World Bank WDI/DataBank |
Data analysis
- The latest WDI value is -27,130 in 2025.
- The series is negative in most visible years except 2000, where WDI shows +3,877.
- Immigration and emigration components are not included in the current visible WDI table, so only net migration is shown.
Projection Scenario
Population Projection, Medium Variant
Observed or estimated values are kept separate from scenario-based projection points.
Sources: World Bank WDI for 2025, WHO Data for 2050 projection context, UNdata WPP 2024 medium variant for 2100.
| Year | Projected population | Scenario | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 24,074,580 | WDI estimate / WPP projection year | World Bank WDI |
| 2050 | 37,304,383 | Projection | WHO Data country profile, based on UN WPP |
| 2100 | 49,854,228 | UN WPP 2024 medium variant | UNdata, World Population Prospects 2024 |
Projection analysis
- The projection table keeps the 2025 WDI value separate from the later scenario values.
- The 2050 point is 37.30 million, and the 2100 UN WPP medium-variant value is 49.85 million.
- Projection values are scenario-based estimates, not guaranteed population counts.
Demographic Overview
The WDI series shows continuous growth from 1960 through 2025, with the population reaching 24.07 million in 2025.
The 2025 age profile is youth-heavy: 41.2% are under age 15, compared with 2.7% aged 65 or older.
Fertility has fallen from its early-1980s level, but the 2024 rate of 4.11 births per woman remains above replacement level.
The urban share reached 29% in 2025, meaning the national population is still mostly outside urban areas under the WDI definition.
Net migration is negative in the latest WDI value, at -27,130 in 2025.
Some values use different source years: total population and migration use 2025 WDI, while total life expectancy and fertility use 2024 WDI.
Data Sources and Methodology
| Source | Year or release | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| World Bank World Development Indicators | Latest visible values through 2025 for selected indicators | Population, population growth, net migration, urban population, urban share and recent headline indicators. |
| FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, World Bank WDI series | Population updated July 2025; fertility and life expectancy updated April 2026 | Annual population 1960-2024, fertility 1960-2024, and life expectancy 1960-2024. |
| UN DESA World Population Prospects 2024 through UNdata | 2024 revision | Projection context, WPP estimate/projection distinction and the 2100 medium-variant population value. |
| UNFPA World Population Dashboard | 2025 | Rounded male and female life expectancy values and WPP-based indicator definitions. |
| PopulationPyramids.org | 2025, based on UN WPP 2024 | Visible five-year age bands, broad age groups, median age, male/female totals and sex ratio. |
| Our World in Data | UN WPP 2024-based country profile values | Births, deaths, density context and cross-checking recent population indicators. |
| WHO Data country profile | 2023-2050 profile context | 2050 projected population point in the projection table. |
Method note
- Population values are shown as persons, not rounded millions, whenever the source gives full counts.
- Yearly change and yearly percentage change in the history table are calculated from the visible WDI annual population values.
- Age data and total sex counts use a WPP-based secondary visualization because the directly usable WDI table does not provide visible five-year age-by-sex cells here.
- Historical estimates and projections are not mixed in the same table without an explicit scenario label.
Indicator Definitions
| Indicator | Definition | Unit | Source note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | Mid-year population count for all residents under the source definition. | Persons | WDI/FRED annual series and World Bank WDI recent value. |
| Population growth | Annual rate of change in total population. | Percent | World Bank WDI; calculated values in the history table use consecutive annual population counts. |
| Fertility rate | Number of children that would be born per woman under age-specific fertility rates for the year. | Births per woman | World Bank WDI via FRED. |
| Life expectancy at birth | Average years a newborn would live if the year’s mortality pattern applied through life. | Years | World Bank WDI total series; UNFPA rounded male/female values. |
| Urban population share | Share of people living in areas classified as urban under national definitions used by WDI. | Percent | World Bank WDI and UN urbanization input definitions. |
| Net migration | Immigration minus emigration over the source period. | Persons | World Bank WDI/DataBank. Component flows are not shown in the visible dataset. |
| Sex ratio | Number of males per 100 females. | Males per 100 females | Calculated or reported from 2025 total male and female population counts. |
| Projection | Scenario-based estimate for a future year. | Persons | UN WPP medium variant and WHO country profile projection context. |
Methodological Safety Note
Methodological Safety Note: Burkina Faso demographic values can differ by source year, release date and population definition. WDI values are mid-year estimates or model-based demographic series; census counts, resident population counts and UN WPP projections should not be treated as identical. Projection values after 2025 are scenario-based and are not observed population counts. Urban population depends on national urban definitions used in the World Bank and UN urbanization series. Migration is shown as net migration where immigration and emigration components are not available in the visible dataset. Age and sex figures use rounded shares in some places, so totals may differ slightly after rounding.
Demographic Data FAQ
What is Burkina Faso’s population?
The latest World Bank WDI value used here is 24,074,580 people in 2025.
Is Burkina Faso’s population still growing?
Yes. World Bank WDI reports population growth of 2.2% in 2025, and the historical table shows continued growth across the visible annual series.
How young is Burkina Faso’s population?
The 2025 WPP-based age distribution used here shows 41.2% of the population aged 0-14 and a median age of 18.8 years.
Is the fertility rate below replacement level?
No. The World Bank WDI fertility value is 4.11 births per woman in 2024, above the broad replacement-level benchmark of 2.1.
Why is there no full population pyramid?
A full population pyramid requires male and female counts by five-year age group. The visible dataset used here provides total five-year age groups and total sex counts, so a full age-by-sex pyramid is not shown.