Burkina Faso — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Burkina Faso, 1991–2025.
Unemployment for Burkina Faso was 3.48% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 4.70% in 2018. The lowest was 2.41% in 1997 (about 1.4× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to 1.01% per year.
Burkina Faso ranks 132 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 71%. The median for Sub-Saharan Africa is 5.45%, so Burkina Faso sits below it. It peaked in 2018 and has fallen 26% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 22%. Within Sub-Saharan Africa it ranks 30 of 47 economies; Ethiopia (3.32%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 25% in 2004. That is 18% below this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
Doubling roughly every 69 years at that pace.
World ranking. Climbed: 148th of 187 in 1991 → 161st of 187 in 2000 → 145th of 187 in 2010 → 131st of 187 in 2020 → 127th of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1991 to 2025
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3.48% | +0.0 pp |
| 2024 | 3.44% | -0.2 pp |
| 2023 | 3.6% | -0.2 pp |
| 2022 | 3.83% | -0.7 pp |
| 2021 | 4.51% | -0.1 pp |
| 2020 | 4.59% | +0.1 pp |
| 2019 | 4.49% | -0.2 pp |
| 2018 | 4.7% | +0.0 pp |
| 2017 | 4.66% | +0.1 pp |
| 2016 | 4.6% | +0.1 pp |
| 2015 | 4.47% | +0.2 pp |
| 2014 | 4.26% | +0.2 pp |
| 2013 | 4.05% | +0.2 pp |
| 2012 | 3.85% | +0.0 pp |
| 2011 | 3.83% | +0.1 pp |
| 2010 | 3.73% | +0.0 pp |
| 2009 | 3.72% | +0.2 pp |
| 2008 | 3.5% | +0.2 pp |
| 2007 | 3.3% | -0.4 pp |
| 2006 | 3.67% | -0.3 pp |
| 2005 | 4% | +0.5 pp |
| 2004 | 3.48% | +0.7 pp |
| 2003 | 2.78% | -0.1 pp |
| 2002 | 2.86% | +0.1 pp |
| 2001 | 2.75% | +0.1 pp |
| 2000 | 2.69% | +0.1 pp |
| 1999 | 2.55% | +0.1 pp |
| 1998 | 2.44% | +0.0 pp |
| 1997 | 2.41% | -0.0 pp |
| 1996 | 2.45% | -0.1 pp |
| 1995 | 2.53% | -0.0 pp |
| 1994 | 2.58% | +0.2 pp |
| 1993 | 2.43% | -0.1 pp |
| 1992 | 2.51% | +0.0 pp |
| 1991 | 2.47% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Burkina Faso’s Unemployment in 1992?
2.51% (1992). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of total labor force, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Burkina Faso’s Unemployment growing or shrinking?
Between 1991 and 2025 the series was growing overall: +40.9% in total — about 1.0% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2025: 3.48%; 2024: 3.44%; 2023: 3.6%; 2022: 3.83%; 2021: 4.51%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS — Unemployment Rate. Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.