Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso: Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female was 22.2% in 2018. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2018)
22.2%
World rank
81st
of 83 countries
All-time high
22.2%
in 2018
All-time low
2.0%
in 1975
Years of data
9
1975–2018

Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Burkina Faso, 1975–2018

051015201975199620181975: 2 %1991: 5.7 %1996: 5.5 %2003: 10.8 %2005: 12.2 %2006: 11.7 %2007: 16.3 %2014: 19 %2018: 22.2 %

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Burkina Faso is 22.2%, measured in 2018. That is the highest value across all 9 years on record.

The figure is up 36.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Burkina Faso peaked at 22.2% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 2.0%, in 1975.

Burkina Faso ranks 81st of 83 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Burkina Faso, year by year

Annual values for Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female (%) in Burkina Faso, 1975 to 2018.
Year % Change
1975 2.0%
1991 5.7% +184.5%
1996 5.5% -3.1%
2003 10.8% +95.2%
2005 12.2% +13.3%
2006 11.7% -4.4%
2007 16.3% +39.1%
2014 19.0% +16.5%
2018 22.2% +17.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 2.0% 2.0% 2.0% 1
1990s 5.6% 5.5% 5.7% 2
2000s 12.8% 10.8% 16.3% 4
2010s 20.6% 19.0% 22.2% 2

Countries ranked near Burkina Faso

  1. 78 Senegal 29.3% compare
  2. 79 Central African Republic 24.5% compare
  3. 80 Benin 22.4% compare
  4. 82 Mali 17.9% compare
  5. 83 Chad 9.5% compare

See the full ranking of 122 places →

More reference data data for Burkina Faso

All data for Burkina Faso →

Frequently asked questions

What is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Burkina Faso?
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Burkina Faso was 22.2% in 2018, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female recorded in Burkina Faso?
The highest recorded value was 22.2% in 2018.
What is the lowest literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female recorded in Burkina Faso?
The lowest recorded value was 2.0% in 1975.
How does Burkina Faso rank for literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female?
Burkina Faso ranks 81st out of 83 countries with data for 2018.
Is literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female rising or falling in Burkina Faso?
Over the last ten years it is up 36.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Burkina Faso data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 9 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Burkina Faso. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/literacy-rate-population-25-64-years-female-percent/burkina-faso/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/literacy-rate-population-25-64-years-female-percent/burkina-faso/">Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female in Burkina Faso</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Literacy rate, population 25-64 years, female (%)
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
122 places, 2,216 data points, 1970–2019
Last refreshed

Percentage of the female population between age 25 and age 64 who can, with understanding, read and write a short, simple statement on their everyday life. Generally, ‘literacy’ also encompasses ‘numeracy’, the ability to make simple arithmetic calculations. This indicator is calculated by dividing the number of female literates aged 25-64 years by the corresponding age group population and multiplying the result by 100.