Rural population (% of total population) (Rural World Urbanization) in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: Rural population (% of total population) (Rural World Urbanization) was 71.1% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
71.1%
Change on year
down 0.8%
World rank
20th
of 218 countries
All-time high
95.0%
in 1960
All-time low
71.1%
in 2025
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Rural population in Burkina Faso, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
In 2025, rural population in Burkina Faso stood at 71.1%. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 4.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Burkina Faso peaked at 95.0% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 71.1%, in 2025.
Burkina Faso ranks 20th of 218 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population (% of total population) (Rural World Urbanization) in Burkina Faso, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 95.0% | — |
| 1961 | 94.9% | -0.1% |
| 1962 | 94.8% | -0.1% |
| 1963 | 94.7% | -0.1% |
| 1964 | 94.6% | -0.1% |
| 1965 | 94.5% | -0.1% |
| 1966 | 94.5% | -0.1% |
| 1967 | 94.4% | -0.1% |
| 1968 | 94.3% | -0.1% |
| 1969 | 94.2% | -0.1% |
| 1970 | 94.1% | -0.1% |
| 1971 | 94.0% | -0.1% |
| 1972 | 93.9% | -0.1% |
| 1973 | 93.8% | -0.1% |
| 1974 | 93.7% | -0.1% |
| 1975 | 93.6% | -0.1% |
| 1976 | 93.5% | -0.2% |
| 1977 | 93.2% | -0.3% |
| 1978 | 92.7% | -0.5% |
| 1979 | 92.2% | -0.6% |
| 1980 | 91.6% | -0.7% |
| 1981 | 90.9% | -0.7% |
| 1982 | 90.3% | -0.7% |
| 1983 | 89.6% | -0.7% |
| 1984 | 89.1% | -0.7% |
| 1985 | 88.5% | -0.6% |
| 1986 | 88.1% | -0.5% |
| 1987 | 87.7% | -0.4% |
| 1988 | 87.4% | -0.4% |
| 1989 | 87.1% | -0.4% |
| 1990 | 86.8% | -0.4% |
| 1991 | 86.5% | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 86.2% | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 85.8% | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 85.5% | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 85.1% | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 84.7% | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 84.2% | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 83.6% | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 82.8% | -0.9% |
| 2000 | 82.0% | -1.0% |
| 2001 | 81.1% | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 80.3% | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 79.4% | -1.0% |
| 2004 | 78.7% | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 78.0% | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 77.4% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 77.0% | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 76.6% | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 76.3% | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 75.9% | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 75.5% | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 75.2% | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 74.9% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 74.6% | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 74.4% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 74.2% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 74.0% | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 73.9% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 73.9% | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 73.6% | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 73.2% | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 72.7% | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 72.2% | -0.7% |
| 2024 | 71.7% | -0.8% |
| 2025 | 71.1% | -0.8% |
Burkina Faso compared with similar countries
- Burkina Faso's 71.1% is above the median for low income countries, which is 65.5%, 1.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Burkina Faso's 71.1% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 55.1%, 1.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 94.6% | 94.2% | 95.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 93.5% | 92.2% | 94.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 89.0% | 87.1% | 91.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 85.1% | 82.8% | 86.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 78.7% | 76.3% | 82.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 74.7% | 73.9% | 75.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 72.4% | 71.1% | 73.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Burkina Faso
More agriculture & rural data for Burkina Faso
- Cropland extent over the long-term, annual growth rate 1.59 % change on previous year (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0.0003 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per capita 0.3731 hectares per person (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, annual growth rate 0.946 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0.0005 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per capita 0.6223 hectares per person (2025)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Burkina Faso?
- Rural population in Burkina Faso was 71.1% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The highest recorded value was 95.0% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The lowest recorded value was 71.1% in 2025.
- How does Burkina Faso rank for rural population?
- Burkina Faso ranks 20th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Burkina Faso?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Burkina Faso data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.