Life expectancy in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: Life expectancy was 59.73 years in 2020. ▲ Rising
Life expectancy in Burkina Faso, 1870–2020
Source: Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2020, life expectancy in Burkina Faso stood at 59.73 years. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy in Burkina Faso peaked at 59.73 years in 2020 and was at its lowest, 25 years, in 1870.
Burkina Faso ranks 154th of 162 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Life expectancy in Burkina Faso, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 25 years | — |
| 1880 | 25 years | +0.0% |
| 1890 | 25 years | +0.0% |
| 1900 | 25 years | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 28.45 years | +13.8% |
| 1925 | 28.45 years | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 28.34 years | -0.4% |
| 1933 | 28.34 years | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 31 years | +9.4% |
| 1950 | 33.2 years | +7.1% |
| 1955 | 35.2 years | +6.0% |
| 1960 | 36.25 years | +3.0% |
| 1965 | 37.53 years | +3.5% |
| 1970 | 39.82 years | +6.1% |
| 1975 | 42.16 years | +5.9% |
| 1980 | 44.95 years | +6.6% |
| 1985 | 46.27 years | +2.9% |
| 1990 | 49.44 years | +6.9% |
| 1995 | 49.45 years | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 50.85 years | +2.8% |
| 2005 | 53.09 years | +4.4% |
| 2010 | 56.48 years | +6.4% |
| 2015 | 58.85 years | +4.2% |
| 2020 | 59.73 years | +1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 25 years | 25 years | 25 years | 1 |
| 1880s | 25 years | 25 years | 25 years | 1 |
| 1890s | 25 years | 25 years | 25 years | 1 |
| 1900s | 25 years | 25 years | 25 years | 1 |
| 1910s | 28.45 years | 28.45 years | 28.45 years | 1 |
| 1920s | 28.4 years | 28.34 years | 28.45 years | 2 |
| 1930s | 29.67 years | 28.34 years | 31 years | 2 |
| 1950s | 34.2 years | 33.2 years | 35.2 years | 2 |
| 1960s | 36.89 years | 36.25 years | 37.53 years | 2 |
| 1970s | 40.99 years | 39.82 years | 42.16 years | 2 |
| 1980s | 45.61 years | 44.95 years | 46.27 years | 2 |
| 1990s | 49.44 years | 49.44 years | 49.45 years | 2 |
| 2000s | 51.97 years | 50.85 years | 53.09 years | 2 |
| 2010s | 57.66 years | 56.48 years | 58.85 years | 2 |
| 2020s | 59.73 years | 59.73 years | 59.73 years | 1 |
Countries ranked near Burkina Faso
- 151 Guinea-Bissau 60 years compare
- 152 Sierra Leone 59.76 years compare
- 153 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 59.74 years compare
- 155 Eswatini 59.69 years compare
- 156 Guinea 59.33 years compare
- 157 Côte d'Ivoire 59.03 years compare
More health data for Burkina Faso
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.67 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.8925 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,142 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 13,085 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 4 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.8681 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0693 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.7133 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy in Burkina Faso?
- Life expectancy in Burkina Faso was 59.73 years in 2020, according to Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectancy recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The highest recorded value was 59.73 years in 2020.
- What is the lowest life expectancy recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The lowest recorded value was 25 years in 1870.
- How does Burkina Faso rank for life expectancy?
- Burkina Faso ranks 154th out of 162 countries with data for 2020.
- Is life expectancy rising or falling in Burkina Faso?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Burkina Faso data come from?
- The figures come from Leandro Prados de la Escosura (2021) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Life expectancy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average number of years a newborn would live if age-specific mortality rates in the current year were to stay the same throughout its life.