Literacy rate, adult female in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: Literacy rate, adult female was 35.7% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Literacy rate, adult female in Burkina Faso, 1975–2023
Source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Measured in % of females ages 15 and above.
Analysis
In 2023, literacy rate, adult female in Burkina Faso stood at 35.7%. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.
That represents a change of up 5.9% on the previous year and up 36.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate, adult female in Burkina Faso peaked at 35.7% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 3.4%, in 1975.
That places Burkina Faso 83rd out of 89 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Literacy rate, adult female in Burkina Faso, year by year
| Year | % of females ages 15 and above | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 3.4% | — |
| 1991 | 8.2% | +142.8% |
| 1996 | 8.1% | -2.1% |
| 2003 | 15.2% | +88.5% |
| 2005 | 16.6% | +9.4% |
| 2006 | 16.3% | -2.0% |
| 2007 | 20.4% | +25.4% |
| 2014 | 26.2% | +28.3% |
| 2018 | 31.0% | +18.4% |
| 2019 | 24.7% | -20.5% |
| 2021 | 31.0% | +25.7% |
| 2022 | 33.7% | +8.7% |
| 2023 | 35.7% | +5.9% |
Burkina Faso compared with similar countries
- Burkina Faso's 35.7% is below the median for low income countries, which is 50.0%, 72% of the median. (13 countries reporting)
- Burkina Faso's 35.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 63.2%, 57% of the median. (28 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Literacy rate, adult female 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | +142.8% | 3.4% | 8.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.4% | 3.4% | 3.4% | 1 |
| 1990s | 8.1% | 8.1% | 8.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 17.1% | 15.2% | 20.4% | 4 |
| 2010s | 27.3% | 24.7% | 31.0% | 3 |
| 2020s | 33.5% | 31.0% | 35.7% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Burkina Faso
More gender data for Burkina Faso
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 10,122 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 0.3191 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 16,608 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 16,608 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 3.13 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 348,221 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 359,281 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 339,937 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 349,490 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 332,922 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate, adult female in Burkina Faso?
- Literacy rate, adult female in Burkina Faso was 35.7% in 2023, according to Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
- What is the highest literacy rate, adult female recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The highest recorded value was 35.7% in 2023.
- What is the lowest literacy rate, adult female recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.4% in 1975.
- How does Burkina Faso rank for literacy rate, adult female?
- Burkina Faso ranks 83rd out of 89 countries with data for 2023.
- Is literacy rate, adult female rising or falling in Burkina Faso?
- Over the last ten years it is up 36.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Burkina Faso data come from?
- The figures come from Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), published as part of Literacy rate, adult female (% of females ages 15 and above). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.