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Demographics ofBurkina Faso
Population pyramid of Burkina Faso in 2020
Population	21,935,389 (2022 est.)
Growth rate	2.53% (2022 est.)
Birth rate	33.57 births/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Death rate	7.71 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Life expectancy	63.44 years
• male	61.63 years
• female	65.31 years
Fertility rate	4.27 children born/woman (2022 est.)
Infant mortality rate	49.42 deaths/1,000 live births
Net migration rate	-0.61 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Age structure
0–14 years	43.58%
65 and over	3.16%
Sex ratio
Total	0.96 male(s)/female (2022 est.)
At birth	1.03 male(s)/female
Under 15	1.03 male(s)/female
65 and over	0.66 male(s)/female
Nationality
Nationality	Burkinabe
Major ethnic	Mossi (52%)
Minor ethnic	Fula (6.8%) Gurunsi (5.9%) Gourma (5.2%) Other (26.9%)[1]
Language
Official	French

Burkina Faso's 22.1 million people belong to two major West African cultural groups: theGur (Voltaic) and theMandé. The Voltaic are far more numerous and include theMossi, who make up about one-half of the population. The Mossi claim descent from warriors who migrated to present-day Burkina Faso and established an empire that lasted more than 800 years. Predominantly farmers, the Mossi are still bound by the traditions of theMogho Naba, who hold court inOuagadougou.

Most of Burkina Faso's population is concentrated in the south and center of the country, with a population density sometimes exceeding 48 inhabitants per square kilometer (120 inhabitants per square mile). This population density, high for Africa, causes annual migrations of hundreds of thousands of Burkinabé toIvory Coast andGhana for seasonal agricultural work. About a third of Burkinabé adhere to traditional African religions. The introduction of Islam to Burkina Faso was initially resisted by the Mossi rulers. Christians, predominantlyRoman Catholics, are largely concentrated among the urban elite.

Few Burkinabé have had formal education. Schooling is free but not compulsory, and only about 29% of Burkina's primary school-age children receive a basic education. TheUniversity of Ouagadougou, founded in 1974, was the country's first institution of higher education. ThePolytechnic University of Bobo-Dioulasso inBobo-Dioulasso was opened in 1995.

Burkina Faso has a young age structure – the result of declining mortality combined with steady high fertility – and continues to experience rapid population growth, which is putting increasing pressure on the country's limited arable land. More than 65% of the population is under the age of 25, and the population is growing at 3% annually. Mortality rates, especially those of infants and children, have decreased because of improved health care, hygiene, and sanitation, but women continue to have an average of almost 6 children. Even if fertility were substantially reduced, today's large cohort entering their reproductive years would sustain high population growth for the foreseeable future. Only about a third of the population is literate and unemployment is widespread, dampening the economic prospects of Burkina Faso's large working-age population.

According to the United Nations' Population Division, the population was 20,903,000 in 2020, compared to only 4,284,000 in 1950.^[2] The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2020 was 44.4%, 53.2% of the population was between 15 and 65 years of age, while 2.4% was 65 years or older.^[2]

Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (1.VII.2021) (Data refer to national projections.):^[3]

Registration of vital events is not complete in Burkina Faso. The websiteOur World in Data prepared the following estimates based on statistics from the Population Department of theUnited Nations.^[4]

Total Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and Crude Birth Rate (CBR):^{[5][6][7][8][9]}

Fertility data as of 2013 (DHS Program):^[11]

total population: 63.44 years

male: 61.63 years

female: 65.31 years (2022 est.)

Total population: 63.06 years

Male: 61.28 years

Female: 64.89 years (2021 est.)

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.)^[12]

French(working), nativeAfrican languages belonging toSudanic family spoken by 90% of the population

Islam 61.5%,Roman Catholic 23.3%,Traditional/Animist 7.8%,Protestant 6.5%, Other/No Answer 0.2%, None 0.7% (2010 est.)

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Attribution:

•  This article incorporatespublic domain material fromThe World Factbook.CIA.

• (in French)Institut National de la Statistique et de la DémographieArchived 2016-01-05 at theWayback Machine

• Demographics of Burkina Faso
• Society of Burkina Faso

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