Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Burkina Faso: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna Power score (16.68/100, ranked #165 of 195).
Burkina Faso is a presidential republic in Western Africa, north of Ghana. The country's capital is Ouagadougou; it covers 274,200 sq km. Independence: 5 August 1960 (from France). Terrain: mostly flat to dissected, undulating plains; hills in the west and southeast; occupies an extensive plateau with savanna that is grassy in the north and gradually gives way to sparse forests in the south. Climate: three climate zones including a hot tropical savanna with a short rainy season in the southern half, a tropical hot semi-arid steppe climate typical of the Sahel region in the northern half, and small area of hot desert in the very north of the country bordering the Sahara Desert. Population: 2…
| Capital | Ouagadougou |
|---|---|
| Population | 23,490,300 (2025 est.) |
| GDP (PPP) | $60.001 billion (2024 est.) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $2,500 (2024 est.) |
| Real GDP growth | 5% (2024 est.) |
| Inflation | 4.2% |
| Unemployment | 5.2% |
| Public debt | 61.3% of GDP (2023 est.) |
| Exports | $5.912 billion (2023 est.) |
| Imports | $6.834 billion (2023 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 64.2 years (2024 est.) |
| Median age | 19.0 |
| Urbanization | 32.5% of total population (2023) |
| Government | presidential republic |
| Independence | 5 August 1960 (from France) |
| Languages | Mossi 52.9%, Fula 7.8%, Gourmantche 6.8%, Dyula 5.7%, Bissa 3.3%, Gurunsi 3.2%, French (official) 2.2%, Bwamu 2%, Dagara 2%, San 1.7%, Marka 1.6%, Bobo 1.5%, Senufo 1.5%, Lobi 1.2%, other 6.6% (2019 est.) |
POWER 16.68/100 — The Magna Power score is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — five dimensions, 100+ indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum 0 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
Nothing in Jul–Sep 2026 moved the needle. The institutions functioned, the economy ran its course, and the world looked elsewhere.
That is the honest note: a quarter of normalcy, scored as such.
Gold, Manganese, Zinc, Marble, Phosphates, Salt.
Ibrahim Traoré — Transitional President. Transitional President Capt. Ibrahim TRAORE (since 30 September 2022)
Burkina Faso maintains 34 embassies and 10 consulates abroad, hosts 33 foreign diplomatic missions, holds permanent missions to UN New York, AU Addis Ababa. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.
| Embassies abroad | 34 |
|---|---|
| Consulates abroad | 10 |
| Foreign missions hosted | 33 |
| Multilateral missions | UN New York, AU Addis Ababa |
Source: Consular Affairs Center, Diplomatic and Consular Networks Database and Rankings, January 2026 (Zenodo, CC BY 4.0). https://zenodo.org/records/18109976
Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.
| Sea access | Landlocked — no seacoast; exports move through transit corridors across neighbouring countries. |
|---|---|
| Airports (total) | 49 (registration prefix XT) |
| Railways | 622 km |
Bobo Dioulasso Airport (BOY) — Bobo Dioulasso; Ouagadougou Thomas Sankara International Airport (OUA) — Ouagadougou.
Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28); theodora.com CIA mirror (CIA World Factbook Transportation section), scraped 2026-10-02
| Political system | presidential republic |
|---|---|
| Next election | No election currently scheduled. |
POWER 16.68/100 Ranked #165 of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Burkina Faso.
Historical timeline of Burkina Faso
