Society · Poverty headcount ($3.00 a day) · Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso’s poverty headcount ($3.00 a day) was 42.1% of population in 2021.
42.1% of population
2021Derived
Down 5.6 pp from 2018.
Stale — last updated 18 Oct 2026
In plain words
42.1% of population
What it is. This measure counts the share of people whose daily spending falls below a very low line, valued at 2021 purchasing power parity so that the line reflects what money buys locally. The World Bank models it from household surveys and fills the years between surveys by interpolation or extrapolation, so recent values are estimates. Everyone below the line counts equally, whether they sit just under it or far beneath it.
Lower is better. A lower share means fewer people are living on very little, so a falling value is good news. The latest figure is 42.1% of population, for 2021. That is the lowest figure since 1994, when the share stood at 87.6% of population. The latest value therefore sits at the bottom of its range since 1994, after a long fall from the top of it.
Why it matters. At 42.1% of population, a large part of Burkina Faso's households live close to the line, where a poor harvest or a rise in food prices quickly cuts spending on food, schooling and health. Firms selling to households face thin purchasing power, which limits demand for anything beyond basics. The state has a narrow tax base and heavy pressure to fund services for people with little income.
| Period | Poverty headcount ($3.00 a day) · Burkina Faso |
|---|---|
| 1994 | 87.6% of population |
| 1998 | 86.4% of population |
| 2003 | 69.6% of population |
| 2009 | 67.2% of population |
| 2014 | 58.7% of population |
| 2018 | 47.7% of population |
| 2021 | 42.1% of population |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0) · Licence: CC BY 4.0
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Strata-AF™ Data, Poverty headcount ($3.00 a day), Burkina Faso, 2021; source World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0), retrieved 18 Oct 2026; https://data.strata-af.com/society/poverty-headcount/burkina-faso
Data insights · Worked out from the published figures
What this means
Working this out from the published figures…
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Methodology
Share of the population living on less than $3.00 a day (2021 purchasing power parity). A World Bank modelled estimate from household surveys, interpolated or extrapolated between survey years; not an official national release.
Share of the population living on less than $3.00 a day (2021 purchasing power parity). Unit: % of population.
This is a World Bank modelled estimate. It is built from household surveys and interpolated or extrapolated between survey years. It is not an official national release, and every value carries the Derived label.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (series SI.POV.DDAY), retrieved through the World Bank API and published under CC BY 4.0. Updated annually; the World Bank's own source notes apply.