Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals was 51.4% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Burkina Faso, 1985–2022
Source: AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of total freshwater withdrawal.
Analysis
In 2022, agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Burkina Faso stood at 51.4%. That is the lowest value across all 38 years on record.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Burkina Faso peaked at 80.6% in 1992 and was at its lowest, 51.4%, in 2005.
That places Burkina Faso 102nd out of 180 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 38 years of available data.
Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Burkina Faso, year by year
| Year | % of total freshwater withdrawal | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 79.3% | — |
| 1986 | 79.5% | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 79.7% | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 79.9% | +0.2% |
| 1989 | 80.1% | +0.2% |
| 1990 | 80.3% | +0.2% |
| 1991 | 80.4% | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 80.6% | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 80.0% | -0.8% |
| 1994 | 79.4% | -0.7% |
| 1995 | 78.9% | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 78.4% | -0.6% |
| 1997 | 78.0% | -0.5% |
| 1998 | 77.6% | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 66.1% | -14.9% |
| 2000 | 58.0% | -12.2% |
| 2001 | 57.1% | -1.5% |
| 2002 | 55.6% | -2.7% |
| 2003 | 54.1% | -2.6% |
| 2004 | 52.7% | -2.6% |
| 2005 | 51.4% | -2.5% |
| 2006 | 51.4% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 51.4% | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 51.4% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 51.4% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 51.4% | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 51.4% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 51.4% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 51.4% | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 51.4% | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 51.4% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 51.4% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 51.4% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 51.4% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 51.4% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 51.4% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 51.4% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 51.4% | +0.0% |
Burkina Faso compared with similar countries
- Burkina Faso's 51.4% is below the median for low income countries, which is 76.4%, 67% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Burkina Faso's 51.4% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 61.3%, 84% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 79.7% | 79.3% | 80.1% | 5 |
| 1990s | 78.0% | 66.1% | 80.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 53.5% | 51.4% | 58.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 51.4% | 51.4% | 51.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 51.4% | 51.4% | 51.4% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Burkina Faso
- 99 Denmark 54.2% compare
- 100 Jordan 51.6% compare
- 101 Côte d'Ivoire 51.6% compare
- 103 United Arab Emirates 51.2% compare
- 104 Italy 50.2% compare
- 105 Palestine, State of 49.2% compare
More agriculture & rural data for Burkina Faso
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 13.81 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.1994 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 228.86 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.39 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0006 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7108 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 19.9% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 19.9% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 6.0% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.4% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Burkina Faso?
- Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Burkina Faso was 51.4% in 2022, according to AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The highest recorded value was 80.6% in 1992.
- What is the lowest agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The lowest recorded value was 51.4% in 2005.
- How does Burkina Faso rank for agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals?
- Burkina Faso ranks 102nd out of 180 countries with data for 2022.
- Is agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals rising or falling in Burkina Faso?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Burkina Faso data come from?
- The figures come from AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Agricultural water withdrawals as a percentage of total water withdrawals (which is the sum of water used for agriculture, industry and domestic purposes). Agricultural water is defined as the annual quantity of self-supplied water withdrawn for irrigation, livestock and aquaculture purposes.