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Burkina Faso is a religiously diverse society, withIslam being the dominant religion. According to the latest 2019 census, 63.8% of the population adheres to Islam.[1] Around 26.3% of the population practisesChristianity, 9.0% followAnimism/Folk Religion (African traditional religion), and that 0.9% are unaffiliated or follow other faiths.[2][3]
The vast majority ofMuslims in Burkina Faso areSunni Muslims who followMaliki school of law, deeply influenced bySufism.[2][3] TheShi'a andAhmadiyya branches of Islam also have a presence in the country. A significant number of Sunni Muslims identify with theTijaniyah Sufi order.[citation needed]
Statistics on religion inBurkina Faso are inexact, becauseIslam andChristianity are often practised in tandem withAfrican traditional religions. TheGovernment of Burkina Faso stated in its most recent census (2019) that 63.8% of the population practise Islam, and that the majority of this group belong to theSunni branch,[1][3] while a small minority adheres to theShi'a branch. A significant number of Sunni Muslims identify with theTijaniyahSufi order. The Government has also estimated that some 26.3% are Christians (20.1% being Roman Catholics and 6.2% members of various Protestant denominations), 9.0% followTraditional indigenous beliefs such as theDogon religion, 0.2% have other religions, and 0.7% have none (atheism is virtually nonexistent).[2][3][1]
Statistics on religious affiliation are approximate becauseSyncretism, incorporating traditional indigenous beliefs and practices, is widespread among both Christians and Muslims.[4] The majority of citizens practise traditional indigenous religious beliefs to varying degrees, and strict adherence to Christian and Muslim beliefs is often nominal.[3] Almost all citizens are believers, andatheism is virtually nonexistent. One 2015 study estimates some 200,000 Christian believers are from a Muslim background in the country, though not all are citizens.[5][6]
| Census Year | Muslims | Christians | Animists | Other / None | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Catholics | Protestants | ||||
| 2006[7] | 60.5% | 23.2% | 19.0% | 4.2% | 15.3% | 1.0% |
| 2019[1] | 63.8% | 26.3% | 20.1% | 6.2% | 9.0% | 0.9% |
| Growth | 3.3% | 3.1% | 1.1% | 2.0% | −6.3% | −0.1% |
Muslims reside largely around the northern, eastern, and western borders, while Christians live in the centre of the country. People practise traditional indigenous religious beliefs throughout the country, especially in rural communities.[8] The region with the largest Animist population isSud-Ouest at 48.1%.[1]Ouagadougou, the capital, has a mixed Muslim and Christian population;[8] however,Bobo-Dioulasso, the country's second-largest city, is mostly Muslim. In 2010, smallSyrian andLebanese immigrant communities resided in the two largest cities, and were overwhelmingly (more than 90 percent) Christian.[3]
In 2010, there were more than 60 differentethnicities in the country.[3] Most ethnic groups are religiously heterogeneous, although theFula are almost entirely Muslim.[9]
In 2023,Open Doors ranked Burkina Faso as the 23rd worst country to be a Christian.[10] It also scored 3 out of 4 for religious freedom.[11]
