Burkina Faso

Many of Burkina Faso’s ethnic groups arrived in the region between the 12th and 15th centuries. The Gurma and Mossi peoples established several of the largest kingdoms in the area and used horse-mounted warriors in military campaigns. Of the various Mossi kingdoms, the most powerful were Ouagadougou and Yatenga. In the late 19th century, European states competed for control of the region. France eventually conquered the area and established it as a French protectorate. <br><br>The country achieved independence from France in 1960 and changed its name to Burkina Faso in 1984. Repeated military coups were common in the country’s first few decades. In 1987 Blaise COMPAORE deposed the president, established a government, and ruled for 27 years. In 2014, COMPAORE resigned after protests against his repeated efforts to amend the constitution's two-term presidential limit. An interim administration led a year-long transition, organizing presidential and legislative elections. In 2015, Roch Marc Christian KABORE was elected president, and he was reelected in 2020. In 2022, the military conducted two takeovers: In January, army colonel Paul Henri DAMIBA overthrew KABORE in a coup d'etat, and then in September, army captain Ibrahim TRAORE deposed DAMIBA and declared himself transition president. The transition government planned to hold elections by July 2024, but they may be delayed due to security concerns.<br><br>Terrorist groups -- including groups affiliated with Al-Qa’ida and the Islamic State -- began attacks in the country in 2016 and conducted attacks in the capital in 2016, 2017, and 2018. By early 2023, insecurity in Burkina Faso had displaced more than 2 million people and led to significant jumps in humanitarian needs and food insecurity. In addition to terrorism, the country faces a myriad of problems including high population growth, recurring drought, pervasive and perennial food insecurity, and limited natural resources. It is one of the world’s poorest countries.

Western Africa, north of Ghana

13 00 N, 2 00 W

Africa

slightly larger than Colorado

0 km (landlocked)

none (landlocked)

three climate zones including a hot tropical savanna with a short rainy season in the southern half, a tropical hot semi-arid steppe climate typical of the Sahel region in the northern half, and small area of hot desert in the very north of the country bordering the Sahara Desert

mostly flat to dissected, undulating plains; hills in the west and southeast; occupies an extensive plateau with savanna that is grassy in the north and gradually gives way to sparse forests in the south

gold, manganese, zinc, limestone, marble, phosphates, pumice, salt

550 sq km (2016)

Volta river source (shared with Ghana [m]) - 1,600 km<br><br><strong>note:</strong> [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

most of the population is located in the center and south; nearly one third lives in cities, including the capital city of Ouagadougou (Ouaga), as shown in this population distribution map (2019)

recurring droughts

landlocked savanna cut by the three principal rivers, the Black, Red, and White Voltas

Mossi 53.7%, Fulani (Peuhl) 6.8%, Gurunsi 5.9%, Bissa 5.4%, Gurma 5.2%, Bobo 3.4%, Senufo 2.2%, Bissa 1.5%, Lobi 1.5%, Tuareg/Bella 0.1%, other 12.8%, foreign 0.7% (2021 est.)

Mossi 52.9%, Fula 7.8%, Gourmantche 6.8%, Dyula 5.7%, Bissa 3.3%, Gurunsi 3.2%, French (official) 2.2%, Bwamu 2%, Dagara 2%, San 1.7%, Marka 1.6%, Bobo 1.5%, Senufo 1.5%, Lobi 1.2%, other 6.6% (2019 est.)

Muslim 63.8%, Roman Catholic 20.1%, Animiste 9%, Protestant 6.2%, other 0.2%, none 0.7% (2019 est.)

2.39% (2025 est.)

31.74 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

7.24 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-0.57 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

most of the population is located in the center and south; nearly one third lives in cities, including the capital city of Ouagadougou (Ouaga), as shown in this population distribution map (2019)

3.204 million OUAGADOUGOU (capital), 1.129 million Bobo-Dioulasso (2023)

20.1 years (2021 est.)

242 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

4.02 children born/woman (2025 est.)

1.98 (2025 est.)

0.15 physicians/1,000 population (2022)

0.2 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)

5.6% (2016)

16.9% (2021 est.)

74.3% (2021 est.)

droughts; desertification; overgrazing; soil degradation; deforestation (2019)

three climate zones including a hot tropical savanna with a short rainy season in the southern half, a tropical hot semi-arid steppe climate typical of the Sahel region in the northern half, and small area of hot desert in the very north of the country bordering the Sahara Desert

38.5 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

13.5 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

presidential republic

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

civil law based on the French model and customary law

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

Act Together<br>African Democratic Rally/Alliance for Democracy and Federation or ADF/RDA<br>Congress for Democracy and Progress or CDP<br>Convergence for Progress and Solidarity-Generation 3 or CPS-G3<br>Movement for the Future Burkina Faso or MBF<br>National Convention for Progress or CNP<br>New Era for Democracy or NTD<br>Pan-African Alliance for Refoundation or APR<br>Party for Democracy and Socialism/Metba or PDS/Metba<br>Party for Development and Change or PDC<br>Patriotic Rally for Integrity or RPI<br>Peoples Movement for Progress or MPP<br>Progressives United for Renewal or PUR<br>Union for Progress and Reform or UPC<br>Union for Rebirth - Sankarist Party or UNIR-PS

ACP, AfDB, AU (suspended), CD, 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, MINUSCA, MONUSCO, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNITAR, UNMISS, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

5 August 1960 (from France)

Republic Day, 11 December (1958)

<strong>description:</strong> two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green, with a five-pointed yellow star in the center<br><br><strong>meaning:</strong> red stands for the country's struggle for independence, green for hope and abundance, and yellow for the country's mineral wealth<br><br><strong>history:</strong> uses the colors of the Pan-African movement

white stallion

red, yellow, green

highly agrarian, low-income economy; limited natural resources; widespread poverty; terrorism disrupting potential economic activity; improving trade balance via increases in gold exports; economy inflating after prior deflation; growing public debt but still manageable

$23.25 billion (2024 est.)

maize, sorghum, fruits, vegetables, millet, cowpeas, cotton, groundnuts, sugarcane, rice (2023)

cotton lint, beverages, agricultural processing, soap, cigarettes, textiles, gold

-5.4% (2024 est.)

6.461 million (2024 est.)

43.2% (2021 est.)

18.4% (of GDP) (2023 est.)

Switzerland 72%, UAE 10%, India 3%, Mali 3%, Cote d'Ivoire 2% (2023)

gold, cotton, oil seeds, coconuts/brazil nuts/cashews, cement (2023)

Cote d'Ivoire 14%, China 13%, Ghana 9%, Russia 9%, France 7% (2023)

refined petroleum, plastic products, cement, electricity, packaged medicine (2023)

14 digital TV channels, of which 2 are state-owned; over 140 national radio stations (commercial, religious, community), including a national and regional state-owned network; state-owned Radio Burkina and private Radio Omega are among the most widely available and broadcast in both French and local languages (2019)

.bf

XT

49 (2025)

Armed Forces of Burkina Faso (FABF; aka National Armed Forces (FAN), aka Defense and Security Forces (Forces de Défense et de Sécurité or FDS)): Army of Burkina Faso, Air Force of Burkina Faso, National Gendarmerie, National Fire Brigade (Brigade Nationale de Sapeurs-Pompiers or BNSP); Homeland Defense Volunteers (Forcés de Volontaires de Défense pour la Patrie or VDP)<br><br>Ministry of Territorial Administration, Decentralization and Security (Ministère de l'Administration Territoriale, de la Décentralisation et de la Sécurité): National Police of Burkina Faso (includes Border Police, Judicial Police, and Intervention Units, as well as State and Public Security forces) (2025)

estimated 20,000 Armed Forces; estimated 50,000 Homeland Defense Volunteers (2025)

the FABF has a mix of older and some modern armaments from a variety of suppliers, including China, Egypt, France, Russia, South Africa, T&uuml;rkiye, the UK, and the UAE (2025)

generally, 18-35 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; citizens 18-77 years of age are eligible to volunteer for the VDP (2025)

the Armed Forces of Burkina Faso (FABF) are responsible for external defense but also have an internal security role and can be called out to assist internal security forces in restoring public order, combating crime, securing the border, and conducting counterterrorism/counterinsurgency/internal defense operations; the FABF has a history of involvement in the country’s politics, having conducted eight coups since its formation in 1960-61, including the most recent in September 2022<br><br>the FABF's primary focus is combatting militants of the al-Qa'ida and Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS) terrorist groups, which have operated in Burkina Faso for more than a decade and control portions of the country; Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), a coalition of al-Qa'ida linked militant groups that act as al-Qa'ida in the Land of the Islamic Magreb's (AQIM) arm in the Sahel, is strongest in the north but active in nearly all of the country's 13 provinces, while ISIS in the Greater Sahara (aka ISIS-Sahel) operates in the eastern part of the country (2025)

Ansarul Islam; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham in the Greater Sahara (ISIS-GS); al-Mulathamun Battalion (al-Mourabitoun); Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM)