Society · Adult literacy rate · Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso’s adult literacy rate was 41.6% of adults in 2023.
41.6% of adults
2023
Up 0.65 pp from 2022.
Stale — last updated 18 Oct 2026
In plain words
41.6% of adults
What it is. People aged 15 and over who can read and write a short, simple statement about everyday life, as a share of that age group.
Higher is better. A rise in adult literacy rate is generally good news; a fall, bad news.
Why it matters. A percentage puts countries of different sizes on the same footing, so it can be compared across borders and over time.
| Period | Adult literacy rate · Burkina Faso |
|---|---|
| 2003 | 21.8% of adults |
| 2005 | 23.5% of adults |
| 2006 | 22.5% of adults |
| 2007 | 27.9% of adults |
| 2014 | 34.6% of adults |
| 2018 | 39.3% of adults |
| 2019 | 29.7% of adults |
| 2021 | 37% of adults |
| 2022 | 40.9% of adults |
| 2023 | 41.6% of adults |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0) · Licence: CC BY 4.0
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Strata-AF™ Data, Adult literacy rate, Burkina Faso, 2023; source World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0), retrieved 18 Oct 2026; https://data.strata-af.com/society/adult-literacy/burkina-faso
Data insights · Worked out from the published figures
What this means
Working this out from the published figures…
Strata AI commentary is coming — reviewed, dated, and generated only from the figures on this page.
Methodology
People aged 15 and over who can read and write a short, simple statement about everyday life, as a share of that age group. Unit: % of adults. Literacy is measured in surveys and censuses, so new figures arrive every few years.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (series SE.ADT.LITR.ZS), retrieved through the World Bank API and published under CC BY 4.0. Updated annually; the World Bank's own source notes apply.