Statizoid

Median age in Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso: Median age was 17.25 years in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
17.25 years
Change on year
up 1.2%
World rank
222nd
of 236 countries
All-time high
18.79 years
in 1957
All-time low
15.15 years
in 1994
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Median age in Burkina Faso, 1950–2023

05101520195019862023

Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.

Analysis

In 2023, median age in Burkina Faso stood at 17.25 years.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.2% on the previous year and up 8.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, median age in Burkina Faso peaked at 18.79 years in 1957 and was at its lowest, 15.15 years, in 1994.

That places Burkina Faso 222nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.

Median age in Burkina Faso, year by year

Year years Change
1950 18.55 years —
1951 18.64 years +0.5%
1952 18.7 years +0.3%
1953 18.74 years +0.2%
1954 18.77 years +0.1%
1955 18.78 years +0.1%
1956 18.79 years +0.0%
1957 18.79 years +0.0%
1958 18.79 years -0.0%
1959 18.77 years -0.1%
1960 18.75 years -0.1%
1961 18.72 years -0.2%
1962 18.69 years -0.2%
1963 18.66 years -0.2%
1964 18.62 years -0.2%
1965 18.6 years -0.2%
1966 18.55 years -0.2%
1967 18.45 years -0.5%
1968 18.26 years -1.1%
1969 18.05 years -1.2%
1970 17.86 years -1.0%
1971 17.68 years -1.0%
1972 17.52 years -0.9%
1973 17.36 years -0.9%
1974 17.21 years -0.9%
1975 17.07 years -0.8%
1976 16.94 years -0.8%
1977 16.82 years -0.7%
1978 16.71 years -0.7%
1979 16.59 years -0.7%
1980 16.48 years -0.7%
1981 16.36 years -0.7%
1982 16.26 years -0.7%
1983 16.16 years -0.6%
1984 16.07 years -0.6%
1985 15.97 years -0.6%
1986 15.85 years -0.7%
1987 15.72 years -0.8%
1988 15.6 years -0.8%
1989 15.49 years -0.7%
1990 15.4 years -0.6%
1991 15.3 years -0.6%
1992 15.22 years -0.6%
1993 15.16 years -0.3%
1994 15.15 years -0.1%
1995 15.15 years +0.0%
1996 15.16 years +0.1%
1997 15.19 years +0.1%
1998 15.24 years +0.4%
1999 15.33 years +0.6%
2000 15.43 years +0.6%
2001 15.54 years +0.7%
2002 15.65 years +0.7%
2003 15.77 years +0.7%
2004 15.87 years +0.7%
2005 15.96 years +0.6%
2006 16.01 years +0.3%
2007 16.03 years +0.1%
2008 16.03 years -0.0%
2009 16.01 years -0.1%
2010 15.98 years -0.2%
2011 15.96 years -0.1%
2012 15.96 years -0.0%
2013 15.97 years +0.1%
2014 15.99 years +0.1%
2015 16.03 years +0.3%
2016 16.1 years +0.4%
2017 16.19 years +0.6%
2018 16.3 years +0.7%
2019 16.44 years +0.9%
2020 16.63 years +1.1%
2021 16.84 years +1.2%
2022 17.04 years +1.2%
2023 17.25 years +1.2%

Burkina Faso compared with similar countries

  • Burkina Faso's 17.25 years is below the median for low income countries, which is 17.97 years, 96% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
  • Burkina Faso's 17.25 years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 18.22 years, 95% of the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 18.73 years 18.55 years 18.79 years 10
1960s 18.53 years 18.05 years 18.75 years 10
1970s 17.18 years 16.59 years 17.86 years 10
1980s 16 years 15.49 years 16.48 years 10
1990s 15.23 years 15.15 years 15.4 years 10
2000s 15.83 years 15.43 years 16.03 years 10
2010s 16.09 years 15.96 years 16.44 years 10
2020s 16.94 years 16.63 years 17.25 years 4

Countries ranked near Burkina Faso

  1. 219 Cameroon 17.75 years compare
  2. 220 Malawi 17.58 years compare
  3. 221 Zambia 17.49 years compare
  4. 223 Tanzania 17.24 years compare
  5. 224 Mauritania 17.12 years compare
  6. 225 Afghanistan 16.94 years compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for Burkina Faso

All data for Burkina Faso →

Frequently asked questions

What is median age in Burkina Faso?
Median age in Burkina Faso was 17.25 years in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest median age recorded in Burkina Faso?
The highest recorded value was 18.79 years in 1957.
What is the lowest median age recorded in Burkina Faso?
The lowest recorded value was 15.15 years in 1994.
How does Burkina Faso rank for median age?
Burkina Faso ranks 222nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is median age rising or falling in Burkina Faso?
Over the last ten years it is up 8.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Burkina Faso data come from?
The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Median age. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Median age in Burkina Faso. Statizoid, drawing on UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/median-age/burkina-faso/

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About this data

Indicator
Median age
Unit
years
Source
UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 17,464 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed

Age that divides the population into two halves of equal size — half are younger and half are older.