Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: Government spending on education overall vs. primary education was 5.3% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Burkina Faso, 1978–2023
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Burkina Faso is 5.3%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 30.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Burkina Faso peaked at 5.6% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 1.4%, in 1988.
That places Burkina Faso 46th out of 199 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Burkina Faso, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 1.7% | — |
| 1980 | 2.0% | +16.8% |
| 1983 | 1.8% | -10.6% |
| 1985 | 1.8% | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 1.4% | -19.2% |
| 1994 | 3.5% | +142.0% |
| 1996 | 1.4% | -58.3% |
| 2005 | 3.9% | +173.6% |
| 2006 | 4.0% | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 4.1% | +2.5% |
| 2010 | 3.5% | -14.2% |
| 2011 | 4.0% | +13.8% |
| 2012 | 3.6% | -9.6% |
| 2013 | 4.1% | +13.3% |
| 2014 | 4.1% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 3.7% | -9.5% |
| 2017 | 5.6% | +53.4% |
| 2018 | 5.5% | -2.5% |
| 2019 | 5.5% | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 5.2% | -4.5% |
| 2021 | 5.2% | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 5.3% | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 5.3% | +0.6% |
Burkina Faso compared with similar countries
- Burkina Faso's 5.3% is above the median for low income countries, which is 2.8%, 1.9× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Burkina Faso's 5.3% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.2%, 1.7× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Burkina Faso changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | +173.6% | 1.4% | 3.9% |
| 1994 | +142.0% | 1.4% | 3.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.7% | 1.7% | 1.7% | 1 |
| 1980s | 1.7% | 1.4% | 2.0% | 4 |
| 1990s | 2.4% | 1.4% | 3.5% | 2 |
| 2000s | 4.0% | 3.9% | 4.1% | 3 |
| 2010s | 4.4% | 3.5% | 5.6% | 9 |
| 2020s | 5.3% | 5.2% | 5.3% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Burkina Faso
- 43 United States 5.4% compare
- 44 South Korea 5.4% compare
- 45 Dominica 5.4% compare
- 47 France 5.3% compare
- 48 Costa Rica 5.3% compare
- 49 Tonga 5.3% compare
More reference data data for Burkina Faso
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.9232 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 7.39 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 9.33 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.4137 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 9.33 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.1 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 3.61 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 33.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 45.27 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.25 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Burkina Faso?
- Government spending on education overall vs. primary education in Burkina Faso was 5.3% in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The highest recorded value was 5.6% in 2017.
- What is the lowest government spending on education overall vs. primary education recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.4% in 1988.
- How does Burkina Faso rank for government spending on education overall vs. primary education?
- Burkina Faso ranks 46th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
- Is government spending on education overall vs. primary education rising or falling in Burkina Faso?
- Over the last ten years it is up 30.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Burkina Faso data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Government spending on education overall vs. primary education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Total annual general government spending on all levels of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP.