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.

Demographics of Burkina Faso, Data of FAO, year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands.

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 are French.

Most of Burkina's people are concentrated in the south and center of the country, sometimes exceeding 48 per square kilometer (125/sq. mi.). 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.

Peanut seller in Ouagadougou

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

Structure of the population ^[2]

Vital statistics

Registration of vital events is in Burkina Faso not complete. The Population Departement of the United Nations prepared the following estimates.

Fertility and Births

Total Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and Crude Birth Rate (CBR):^{[3][4] [5] [6]}

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.)

A girl from Burkina Faso

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

Bobo men in Bobo-Dioulasso

Mossi - over 40%, Gurunsi, Senufo, Lobi, Bobo, Fulani, Mandé, European

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

 This article incorporates public domain material from the CIA World Factbook document "2009 edition".

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