Literacy rate in Burkina Faso in 2023 — 41.57%. Ranked 33 in the world out of 33. Since 1975, the indicator has risen by 32.74 pp.
1975–2023 · % of population aged 15+
How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Burkina Faso
| Year | % | Change, pp |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 41.57 | +0.65 pp |
| 2022 | 40.92 | +3.95 pp |
| 2021 | 36.97 | — |
| 2019 | 29.66 | −9.69 pp |
| 2018 | 39.35 | — |
| 2014 | 34.6 | — |
| 2007 | 27.88 | +5.41 pp |
| 2006 | 22.47 | −1.05 pp |
| 2005 | 23.52 | — |
| 2003 | 21.82 | — |
| 1996 | 12.85 | — |
| 1991 | 13.57 | — |
| 1975 | 8.83 | — |
The same indicator for neighboring countries — with links to their pages
Senegal
50.36
Burkina Faso
41.57
The share of the population aged 15 and older able to read and write a short simple statement about their everyday life. The UNESCO definition is deliberately minimal — it is the threshold of functional literacy, not an assessment of the quality of education. In most countries the data come from censuses and surveys, so they are updated irregularly.
Important: The series is incomplete: values are published only for the years in which a census or a literacy survey was conducted.
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), license CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO.
What share of their potential a child born today will manage to realize.
Education Population with tertiary educationWhat share of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Education Primary completion rateWhat share of children reach the last grade of primary school.
Education Primary school enrollmentThe net enrollment rate: the share of children of school age attending primary school.