Map of Burkina Faso | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) achieved independence from France in 1960. Repeated military coups during the 1970s and 1980s were followed by multiparty elections in the early 1990s. Former President Blaise COMPAORE (1987-2014) resigned in late October 2014 following popular protests against his efforts to amend the Constitution's two-term presidential limit. By mid-November a framework for an interim government was adopted under the terms of the National Transition Charter. An interim administration led by President Michel KAFANDO and Prime Minister Yacouba Isaac ZIDA began organizing presidential and legislative elections planned for October 2015 but these were postponed during a weeklong failed coup in September. The rescheduled elections were held on 29 November and Roch Marc Christian KABORE was elected president in the first round. Burkina Faso's high population growth and limited natural resources result in poor economic prospects for the majority of its citizens.


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Location: Western Africa north of Ghana

Geographic coordinates: 13 00 N 2 00 W

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 274,200 km²
Land: 273,800 km²
Water: 400 km²
Rank: 75
Comparative: slightly larger than Colorado

Land boundaries
Total: 3,611 km
Border countries: (6) Benin 386 km; Cote d'Ivoire 545 km; Ghana 602 km; Mali 1325 km; Niger 622 km; Togo 131 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: tropical; warm dry winters; hot wet summers

Terrain: mostly flat to dissected undulating plains; hills in west and southeast

Elevation
Mean elevation: 297 m
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Mouhoun River 200 m: highest point: Tena Kourou 749 m

Natural resources: manganese limestone marble; small deposits of gold phosphates pumice salt

Land use
Agricultural land: 43%
Forest: 20.4%
Other: 36.6%

Irrigated land: 550 km² (2012)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: recurring droughts

Geography
Note: landlocked savanna cut by the three principal rivers of the Black Red and White Voltas


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Population: 19,512,533
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
Rank: 60
Growth rate: 3.01% (2016 est.)
Growth rate rank: 6
Below poverty line: 46.7% (2009 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Burkinabe
Adjective: Burkinabe

Ethnic groups: Mossi 52.5% Fulani 8.4% Gurma 6.8% Bobo 4.8% Gurunsi 4.5% Senufo 4.4% Bissa 3.9% Lobi 2.5% Dagara 2.4% Tuareg/Bella 1.9% Dioula 0.8% unspecified/no answer 0.1% other 7% (2010 est.)

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

Religions: Muslim 61.6% Catholic 23.2% traditional/animist 7.3% Protestant 6.7% other/no answer 0.2% none 0.9% (2010 est.)

Demographic profile:

Age structure
0-14 years: 45.04%
15-24 years: 20.08%
25-54 years: 29.28%
55-64 years: 3.16%
65 years and over: 2.44% (2016 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 92.2%
Youth dependency ratio: 87.6%
Elderly dependency ratio: 4.6%
Potential support ratio: 21.7%

Median age
Total: 17.2 years
Male: 17 years
Female: 17.3 years
Rank: 220

Population growth rate: 3.01% (2016 est.)
Rank: 6

Birth rate: 41.6 births/1000 population (2016 est.)
Rank: 6

Death rate: 11.5 deaths/1000 population (2016 est.)
Rank: 28

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2016 est.)
Rank: 100

Population distribution

Urbanization
Urban population: 29.9% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 5.87% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: OUAGADOUGOU (capital) 2.741 million (2015)

Environment
Current issues: recent droughts and desertification severely affecting agricultural activities population distribution and the economy; overgrazing; soil degradation; deforestation
International agreements party to: Biodiversity Climate Change Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Desertification Endangered Species Hazardous Wastes Law of the Sea Marine Life Conservation Ozone Layer Protection Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
0-14 years: 1 male/female
15-24 years: 1.01 male/female
25-54 years: 1.03 male/female
55-64 years: 0.77 male/female
65 years and over: 0.6 male/female
Total population: 0.99 male/female

Mothers mean age at first birth: 19.4
Note: median age at first birth among women 25-29

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 73.8 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 80.9 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 66.4 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 9

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 55.5 years
Male: 53.4 years
Female: 57.6 years
Rank: 210

Total fertility rate: 5.79 children born/woman (2016 est.)
Rank: 6

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 16.2% (2010/11)

Drinking water source:

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 0.05 physicians/1000 population (2010)

Hospital bed density: 0.4 beds/1000 population (2010)

Sanitation facility access:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.83% (2015 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 48
People living with hivaids: 95,300 (2015 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 42
Deaths: 3,600 (2015 est.)
Deaths rank: 38

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: very high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea hepatitis A and typhoid fever
Vectorborne disease: dengue fever malaria and yellow fever
Water contact disease: schistosomiasis
Respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
Animal contact disease: rabies

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 5.2% (2014)
Rank: 181

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 26.2% (2010)
Rank: 24

Education expenditures: 4.5% of GDP (2014)
Rank: 128

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 36%
Male: 43%
Female: 29.3%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 8 years
Male: 8 years
Female: 7 years

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Burkina Faso
Local long form: none
Local short form: Burkina Faso
Former: Upper Volta Republic of Upper Volta
Etymology: name translates as 'Land of the honest men'

Government type: presidential republic

Capital
Name: Ouagadougou
Geographic coordinates: 12 22 N 1 31 W
Time difference: UTC 0

Administrative divisions: 13 regions; Boucle du Mouhoun Cascades Centre Centre-Est Centre-Nord Centre-Ouest Centre-Sud Est Hauts-Bassins Nord Plateau-Central Sahel Sud-Ouest

Dependent areas

Independence: 5 August 1960 (from France)

National holiday: Republic Day 11 December (1958); note - commemorates the day that Upper Volta became an autonomous republic in the French Community

Constitution: several previous; latest approved by referendum 2 June 1991 adopted 11 June 1991; amended several times last in 2015 for setting a two-term limit for presidents; note - constitution temporarily suspended between late October and mid-November 2014 (2016)

Legal system: civil law based on the French model and customary law

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Burkina Faso
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Roch Marc Christian KABORE
Head of government: Prime Minister Paul Kaba THIEBA
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister
Electionsappointments: president elected by absolute majority popular vote in two rounds if needed for a 5-year term ; election last held on 29 November 2015 (next scheduled for November 2020); prime minister appointed by the president with consent of the National Assembly
Election results: Roch Marc Christian KABORE elected president in one round; percent of vote - Roch Marc Christian KABORE 53.5% Zephirin DIABRE 29.6% Tahirou BARRY 3.1%. Benewende Stanislas SANKARA 2.8% other 10.9%

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral National Assembly
Elections: last held on 29 November 2015
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MPP 55 UPC 33 CDP 18 Union for Rebirth/Sankarist Party 5 ADF/RDA 3 other 13

Judicial branch
Highest court: Supreme Court of Appeals or Cour de Cassation ; Council of State (consists of NA judges); Constitutional Council or Conseil Constitutionnel (consists of the council president and 9 members)
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judge appointments mostly controlled by the president of Burkina Faso; judges have no term limits; Council of State judge appointment and tenure NA; Constitutional Council judges appointed by the president of Burkina Faso upon the proposal of the minister of justice and the president of the National Assembly; judges appointed for 9-year terms with one-third of membership renewed every 3 years
Subordinate courts: Appeals Court; High Court; first instance tribunals; district courts; specialized courts relating to issues of labor children and juveniles; village courts

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: ACP AfDB AU CD ECOWAS EITI (compliant country) Entente FAO FZ G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC (NGOs) ICCt ICRM IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITSO ITU ITUC (NGOs) MIGA MINUSMA MONUSCO NAM OIC OIF OPCW PCA UN UNAMID UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNISFA UNITAR UNWTO UPU WADB (regional) WAEMU WCO WFTU (NGOs) WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador ; Charge d'Affaires Seydou SINKA (since 1 November 2014)
In the us chancery: 2,340 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] 332-5,577
In the us FAX: [1] 667-1882
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Tulinabo Salama MUSHINGI
From the us embassy: Rue 15.873 Avenue Sembene Ousmane Ouaga 2000 Secteur 15
From the us mailing address: 01 B. P. 35 Ouagadougou 01; pouch mail - US Department of State 2,440 Ouagadougou Place Washington DC 20,521-2,440
From the us telephone: [226] 25-49-53-00
From the us FAX: [226] 25-49-56-28

Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a yellow five-pointed star in the center; red recalls the country's struggle for independence green is for hope and abundance and yellow represents the country's mineral wealth
Note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia

National symbols: white stallion; national colors: red yellow green

National anthem
Name: 'Le Ditanye'
Lyrics and music: Thomas SANKARA
Note: adopted 1974; also known as 'Une Seule Nuit' ; written by the country's president an avid guitar player

National heritage


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Economy overview:

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2015 US dollars
Rank: 129

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 65

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2015 US dollars
Rank: 213

Gross national saving:
Rank: 161

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 49.1%
Government consumption: 20.7%
Investment in fixed capital: 31.2%
Investment in inventories: 0.9%
Exports of goods and services: 33.4%
Imports of goods and services: -35.3%

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 32.9%
Industry: 21.9%
Services: 45.2%

Agriculture products: cotton peanuts shea nuts sesame sorghum millet corn rice; livestock

Industries: cotton lint beverages agricultural processing soap cigarettes textiles gold

Industrial production growth rate: 4% (2015 est.)
Rank: 57

Labor force: 7.692 million
Note: a large part of the male labor force migrates annually to neighboring countries for seasonal employment
Rank: 64
By occupation agriculture: 90%
By occupation industry and services: 10%

Unemployment rate: 77% (2004)
Rank: 206

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 46.7% (2009 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 2.9%
Highest 10: 32.2%

Distribution of family income gini index:
Rank: 65

Budget
Revenues: $2.16 billion
Expenditures: $2.387 billion
Surplus or deficit: -2.1% of GDP (2015 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 93

Taxes and other revenues: 19.6% of GDP (2015 est.)
Rank: 164

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 80

Central bank discount rate:
Rank: 92

Commercial bank prime lending rate: NA% (31 December 2014 est.)

Stock of narrow money:
Rank: 126

Stock of broad money:
Rank: 138

Stock of domestic credit:
Rank: 132

Market value of publicly traded shares: $N/A

Current account balance:
Rank: 112

Exports:
Rank: 133
Commodities: gold cotton livestock
Partners: Switzerland 53.3% India 14.5% (2015)

Imports:
Rank: 144
Commodities: capital goods foodstuffs petroleum
Partners: Cote dIvoire 23.1% France 11.1% Togo 7.5% China 4.8% Ghana 4.6% (2015)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 157

Debt external:
Rank: 143

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access population without electricity: 14,100,000
Access electrification total population: 17%
Access electrification urban areas: 56%
Access electrification rural areas: 1%
Production: 700 million kWh (2014 est.)
Production rank: 161
Consumption: 1.2 billion kWh (2014 est.)
Consumption rank: 150
Exports: 0 kWh (2013 est.)
Exports rank: 210
Imports: 600 million kWh (2014 est.)
Imports rank: 75
Installed generating capacity: 300,000 kW (2014 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 157
Generation sources fossil fuels: 86.6% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 85
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 199
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 13.4% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 105
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 137

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 203
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 203
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 141
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2016 es)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 204

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products production rank: 142
Products consumption: 22,000 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Products consumption rank: 150
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products exports rank: 143
Products imports: 20,890 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products imports rank: 134

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Production rank: 141
Consumption: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Consumption rank: 205
Exports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Exports rank: 202
Imports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Imports rank: 148
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2014 es)
Proven reserves rank: 202

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 1.4 million Mt (2013 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 161

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 75,075
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: less than 1
Fixed lines rank: 141
Mobile cellular total: 14.447 million
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 76
Mobile cellular rank: 74

Telephone system
General assessment: system includes microwave radio relay open-wire and radiotelephone communication stations
Domestic: fixed-line connections stand at less than 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular usage fostered by multiple providers is increasing steadily from a low base
International: country code - 226; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (2015)

Broadcast media: 2 TV stations - 1 state-owned and 1 privately owned; state-owned radio runs a national and regional network; substantial number of privately owned radio stations; transmissions of several international broadcasters available in Ouagadougou (2007)

Internet
Country code: .bf
Users total: 2.156 million
Users percent of population: 11.4%
Users rank: 125

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures:
Rank: 73

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription; women may serve in supporting roles (2013)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 1
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 3
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 122,589
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 55,868 mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: XT (2016)

Airports: 23 (2013)
Rank: 133
With paved runways total: 2
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways total: 21
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 3
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 13
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 5

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways
Total: 622 km
Narrow gauge: 622 km 1.000-m gauge
Note: another 660 km of this railway extends into Cote d'Ivoire
Rank: 109

Roadways
Total: 15,272 km
Note: does not include urban roads
Rank: 121

Waterways

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: adding to illicit cross-border activities Burkina Faso has issues concerning unresolved boundary alignments with its neighbors; demarcation is currently underway with Mali; the dispute with Niger was referred to the ICJ in 2010 and a dispute over several villages with Benin persists; Benin retains a border dispute with Burkina Faso around the town of Koualou

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees: 32,295 (Mali) (2016)

Illicit drugs