Country explorer: Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso has experienced moderate economic growth, with gradual increases in GDP per capita and a fluctuating, yet generally controlled inflation rate, coupled with challenges in reducing poverty and unemployment reflective of widespread issues faced by many low-income countries.

Burkina Faso has experienced significant demographic transformations evidenced by a steady population increase, fluctuating net migration, a declining fertility rate from over 6 children per woman to below 5, and improved life expectancy from just over 50 to nearly 60 years, reflecting broader trends of growth and gradual development seen in many low-income countries.

Burkina Faso has witnessed moderate improvements in basic needs such as a gradual increase in access to clean cooking fuels, electricity, and safely managed sanitation facilities, reflecting wider trends observed in low-income countries, albeit with persistent challenges and lower rates of progress compared to regional peers.

Burkina Faso has demonstrated incremental but notable progress in human development, characterized by improvements in the Human Development Index, reductions in child mortality rates, gradual increases in literacy rates, and enhancements in average learning-adjusted years of schooling, trends that align with those observed across low-income countries, highlighting a common trajectory of development challenges and achievements.

Burkina Faso has exhibited a consistent decrease in per capita CO₂ emissions, including from land-use changes, a significant shift towards renewable energy sources, especially solar, a decline in renewable internal freshwater resources per capita, and a steady loss of forest area, highlighting the country's efforts towards sustainable energy amidst environmental challenges common to low-income countries.

Burkina Faso has experienced substantial growth in mobile phone subscriptions and internet usage, reflecting broader connectivity trends seen across low-income countries, though its levels of research & development spending and scientific publication remain relatively lower, underscoring ongoing challenges in elevating its innovation landscape.

Burkina Faso has exhibited gradual improvements in self-reported life satisfaction, a consistent decrease in gender inequality, and a slight decline in the age dependency ratio, pointing towards modest advancements in societal well-being and gender equity consistent with trends in other low-income countries.

Burkina Faso has experienced fluctuations in governance indicators, reflecting challenges in enhancing rule of law, reducing corruption, and maintaining political civil liberties and press freedom, indicative of struggles common among its low-income peers in building resilient and transparent institutions.