Demographics of Burkina Faso
This article is about the demographic features of the population of Burkina Faso, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.
Burkina Faso's 15.3 million people belong to two major West African cultural groups—the Gur (Voltaic) and the Mandé. The Voltaic are far more numerous and include the Mossi, who make up about one-half of the population. The Mossi claim descent from warriors who migrated to present-day Burkina Faso and established an empire that lasted more than 800 years. Predominantly farmers, the Mossi are still bound by the traditions of the Mogho Naba, who hold court in Ouagadougou.
About 12,000 Europeans reside in Burkina Faso, the majority of whom are French.
Most of Burkina Faso's population is concentrated in the south and center of the country, with a population density sometimes exceeding 48 inhabitants per square kilometer (120 inhabitants per square mile). This population density, high for Africa, causes annual migrations of hundreds of thousands of Burkinabé to Ivory Coast and Ghana for seasonal agricultural work. About a third of Burkinabé adhere to traditional African religions. The introduction of Islam to Burkina Faso was initially resisted by the Mossi rulers. Christians, predominantly Roman Catholics, are largely concentrated among the urban elite.
Few Burkinabé have had formal education. Schooling is free but not compulsory, and only about 29% of Burkina's primary school-age children receive a basic education. The University of Ouagadougou, founded in 1974, was the country's first institution of higher education. The Polytechnic University of Bobo-Dioulasso in Bobo-Dioulasso was opened in 1995.
Population
According to the 2010 revison of the World Population Prospects the total population was 16 469 000 in 2010, compared to only 4 284 000 in 1950. The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2010 was 45.3%, 52.4% was between 15 and 65 years of age, while 2.2% was 65 years or older .[1]
| Total population (x 1000) | Population aged 0–14 (%) | Population aged 15–64 (%) | Population aged 65+ (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 4 284 | 40.7 | 57.3 | 2.0 |
| 1955 | 4 535 | 40.9 | 56.9 | 2.2 |
| 1960 | 4 882 | 41.3 | 56.4 | 2.3 |
| 1965 | 5 284 | 41.9 | 55.7 | 2.4 |
| 1970 | 5 807 | 43.6 | 53.9 | 2.5 |
| 1975 | 6 435 | 44.9 | 52.5 | 2.6 |
| 1980 | 7 212 | 46.4 | 50.9 | 2.7 |
| 1985 | 8 170 | 47.4 | 49.9 | 2.7 |
| 1990 | 9 324 | 47.7 | 49.7 | 2.6 |
| 1995 | 10 692 | 47.2 | 50.3 | 2.5 |
| 2000 | 12 294 | 46.5 | 51.2 | 2.3 |
| 2005 | 14 198 | 45.9 | 51.9 | 2.2 |
| 2010 | 16 469 | 45.3 | 52.4 | 2.2 |
Vital statistics
Registration of vital events is in Burkina Faso not complete. The Population Departement of the United Nations prepared the following estimates. [1]
| Period | Live births per year | Deaths per year | Natural change per year | CBR* | CDR* | NC* | TFR* | IMR* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950-1955 | 208 000 | 138 000 | 70 000 | 47.3 | 31.3 | 16.0 | 6.10 | 308 |
| 1955-1960 | 225 000 | 135 000 | 90 000 | 47.7 | 28.6 | 19.1 | 6.24 | 258 |
| 1960-1965 | 243 000 | 134 000 | 109 000 | 47.9 | 26.4 | 21.5 | 6.35 | 217 |
| 1965-1970 | 269 000 | 135 000 | 134 000 | 48.4 | 24.3 | 24.1 | 6.56 | 184 |
| 1970-1975 | 294 000 | 135 000 | 160 000 | 48.1 | 22.0 | 26.1 | 6.70 | 157 |
| 1975-1980 | 335 000 | 136 000 | 199 000 | 49.1 | 20.0 | 29.1 | 7.02 | 136 |
| 1980-1985 | 373 000 | 138 000 | 235 000 | 48.5 | 18.0 | 30.6 | 7.06 | 121 |
| 1985-1990 | 417 000 | 149 000 | 268 000 | 47.7 | 17.1 | 30.6 | 6.94 | 111 |
| 1990-1995 | 469 000 | 165 000 | 304 000 | 46.8 | 16.5 | 30.3 | 6.71 | 101 |
| 1995-2000 | 527 000 | 179 000 | 348 000 | 45.8 | 15.6 | 30.3 | 6.40 | 93 |
| 2000-2005 | 594 000 | 189 000 | 406 000 | 44.9 | 14.2 | 30.6 | 6.14 | 86 |
| 2005-2010 | 672 000 | 193 000 | 479 000 | 43.9 | 12.6 | 31.2 | 5.95 | 79 |
| * CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1000); NC = natural change (per 1000); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1000 births; TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman) | ||||||||
Fertility and Births
Total Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and Crude Birth Rate (CBR):[2][3] [4] [5]
| Year | CBR (Total) | TFR (Total) | CBR (Urban) | TFR (Urban) | CBR (Rural) | TFR (Rural) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 43.0 | 6.9 (6.0) | 39.0 | 5.0 (3.9) | 43.0 | 7.3 (6.5) |
| 1998-99 | 45.1 | 6.8 (6.0) | 32.6 | 4.1 (3.4) | 47.0 | 7.3 (6.5) |
| 2003 | 42.6 | 6.2 (5.4) | 32.4 | 3.7 (3.2) | 44.5 | 6.9 (6.0) |
| 2010 | 41.2 | 6.0 (5.2) | 33.3 | 3.9 (3.3) | 43.3 | 6.7 (5.9) |
CIA World Factbook demographic statistics
The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.
Population
- 15,746,232 (July 2009 est.)
- Note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected
Age structure
- 0-14 years: 46.8% (male 3,267,202/female 3,235,190)
- 15-64 years: 50.7% (male 3,513,559/female 3,538,623)
- 65 years and over: 2.5% (male 140,083/female 208,315) (2006 est.)
Median age
- Total: 16.8 years
- Male: 16.6 years
- Female: 17 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate
- 3.103% (2009 est.)
Sex ratio
- At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
- Under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over: 0.65 male(s)/female
- Total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
- all 54 years
- Male: 51.04 years
- Female: 54.91 years (2009 est.)
HIV/AIDS
- Adult prevalence rate: 1.6% (2007 est.)
- People living with HIV/AIDS: 130,000 (2007 est.)
- Deaths: 9,200 (2007 est.)
Major infectious diseases
- Degree of risk: very high
- Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
- Vectorborne disease: malaria and yellow fever
- Water contact disease: schistosomiasis
- Respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
- Animal contact diseases: rabies (2009)
Nationality
- Noun: Burkinabé (singular and plural)
- Adjective: Burkinabé
Ethnic groups
Religions
- Muslim 50%, Christian (mainly Roman Catholic) 30%, Indigenous beliefs 20%
Languages
- French (official), native African languages (spoken by 90% of the population) including: More, Dioula, Gurma, Senufo
Literacy
- Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
- Total population: 21.8%
- Male: 29.4%
- Female: 15.2% (2003 est.)
Education expenditure
- 4.2% of GDP (2006)
References
- 1 2 Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat, World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision
- ↑ http://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR53/FR53.pdf
- ↑ http://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR110/FR110.pdf
- ↑ http://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR154/FR154.pdf
- ↑ http://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR256/FR256.pdf
This article incorporates public domain material from the CIA World Factbook document "2009 edition".
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