Factbook
History of Burkina Faso — Timeline
Key dates in the history of Burkina Faso, from the Magna Factbook and the Universal Encyclopedia.
1960Independence: 5 August 1960 (from France).
1960The country achieved independence from France in 1960 and changed its name to Burkina Faso in 1984.
1987In 1987 Blaise COMPAORE deposed the president, established a government, and ruled for 27 years.
2014In 2014, COMPAORE resigned after protests against his repeated efforts to amend the constitution's two-term presidential limit.
2015In 2015, Roch Marc Christian KABORE was elected president, and he was reelected in 2020.
2016Terrorist groups -- including groups affiliated with Al-Qa’ida and the Islamic State -- began attacks in the country in 2016 and conducted attacks in the capital in 2016, 2017, and 2018.
2019Languages: 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.) Religions: Muslim 63.8%, Roman Catholic 20.1%, Animiste 9%, Protestant 6.2%, other 0.2%, none 0.7% (2019 est.) Urban population: 32.5% of total population (2023).
2022In 2022, the military conducted two takeovers: In January, army colonel Paul Henri DAMIBA overthrew KABORE in a coup d'etat, and then in September, army captain Ibrahim TRAORE deposed DAMIBA and declared himself transition president.
2023By early 2023, insecurity in Burkina Faso had displaced more than 2 million people and led to significant jumps in humanitarian needs and food insecurity.
2023Generation mix — fossil fuels: 82.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 5.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 6.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) Energy use: 3.481 million Btu/person (2023 est.).
2023Industries: cotton lint, beverages, agricultural processing, soap, cigarettes, textiles, gold Agriculture: maize, sorghum, fruits, vegetables, millet, cowpeas, cotton, groundnuts, sugarcane, rice (2023) Electricity access: 19.5% (2022 est.).
2023Major urban areas: 3.204 million OUAGADOUGOU (capital), 1.129 million Bobo-Dioulasso (2023) highly agrarian, low-income economy; limited natural resources; widespread poverty; terrorism disrupting potential economic activity; improving trade balance via increases in gold exports; economy inflating after prior deflation; growing public debt but still manageable Inflation: 4.2% (2024 est.).
2024Military spending: 4.5% of GDP (2024 est.).
2024The transition government planned to hold elections by July 2024, but they may be delayed due to security concerns.
2025Population: 23.5 million (2025 estimate).
