Burkina Faso at its true size
Burkina Faso covers 274,200 km², number 73 of 194 countries by area. Home to 24,074,580 people (2025). Sitting near the equator, it is one of the few places Mercator gets almost right.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 274,200 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 24,074,580 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 88 per km² |
| Capital | Ouagadougou |
| Local time in Ouagadougou | |
| Time zone | UTC IANA |
| Currency | West African CFA franc (XOF) Wikidata |
| Languages | French, Mooré, Dioula, Bissa |
| Traffic | On the right |
| Region | Western Africa, Africa |
| Status | Independent state |
| Coast | Landlocked |
| Calling code | +226 |
| Codes | BF · BFA · 854 |
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Where Burkina Faso ranks
Among the independent states, in 44 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#59 of 19424 million people#20 of 54 in Africa
- Population density#97 of 19488 people per km²#21 of 54 in Africa
- Urban population#173 of 19229% urban#47 of 54 in Africa
- Fertility rate#23 of 1924.11 births per woman#21 of 54 in Africa
- Population growth#37 of 192+2.21% a year#26 of 54 in Africa
- Birth rate#25 of 19231.3 births per 1,000 people#23 of 54 in Africa
- Death rate#72 of 1927.9 deaths per 1,000 people#17 of 54 in Africa
- Children under 15#15 of 19241.2% under 15#14 of 54 in Africa
- People over 65#176 of 1922.7% aged 65 and over#43 of 54 in Africa
- Net migration#119 of 192−1.1 per 1,000 people#32 of 54 in Africa
- Refugees abroad#15 of 19014.59 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#9 of 54 in Africa
Health & education
- Life expectancy#183 of 19261.3 years#45 of 54 in Africa
- Infant mortality#20 of 19143.6 infant deaths per 1,000 live births#18 of 54 in Africa
- Doctors#159 of 1780.15 doctors per 1,000 people#34 of 51 in Africa
- University enrolment#133 of 14510.0% gross enrolment#19 of 29 in Africa
- Human Development Index#183 of 190an index of 0.459#47 of 54 in Africa
Economy
- GNI per capita#170 of 185$980 a person#39 of 52 in Africa
- Internet users#168 of 18428% online#38 of 52 in Africa
- GDP per capita (PPP)#171 of 184$3,072 a person#41 of 52 in Africa
- GDP growth#41 of 187+5.3% a year#22 of 52 in Africa
- Inflation#171 of 176−0.6% a year#48 of 50 in Africa
- Unemployment#121 of 1783.5% of the labour force#36 of 53 in Africa
- Extreme poverty#15 of 14942.1% under $3.00 a day#15 of 47 in Africa
- Income inequality (Gini)#56 of 149a Gini index of 37.4#28 of 47 in Africa
- Jobs in agriculture#22 of 17851.8% of jobs#20 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in industry#121 of 17816.7% of jobs#22 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in services#164 of 17831.6% of jobs#42 of 53 in Africa
- Foreign investment#125 of 1841.1% of GDP#41 of 52 in Africa
- Exports#85 of 16835.0% of GDP#19 of 49 in Africa
- Military spending#21 of 1553.3% of GDP#6 of 50 in Africa
- Mobile subscriptions#91 of 191117 subscriptions per 100 people#17 of 54 in Africa
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#165 of 1850.27 tonnes a person#37 of 53 in Africa
- Forest area#142 of 19212% forest#35 of 54 in Africa
- Renewable energy#26 of 19071.4% renewable#22 of 54 in Africa
- Access to electricity#185 of 19234.0% with electricity#47 of 54 in Africa
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#28 of 19137.3 µg/m³#13 of 54 in Africa
- Protected land#102 of 19116.8% of the land protected#25 of 54 in Africa
- Arable land#32 of 19028.9% of the land arable#11 of 54 in Africa
- Water stress#102 of 1767.8% of its available fresh water#26 of 53 in Africa
- Precipitation#110 of 180748 mm a year#34 of 54 in Africa
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of Burkina Faso’s area, lit up on the map →
- New Zealand1.02×Burkina Faso and New Zealand are almost exactly the same size.
- Gabon1.02×Burkina Faso and Gabon are almost exactly the same size.
- Western Sahara1.03×Burkina Faso is 3% larger than Western Sahara.
- Ecuador1.07×Burkina Faso is 7% larger than Ecuador.
- Italy0.91×Burkina Faso is 9% smaller than Italy.
- Guinea1.12×Burkina Faso is 12% larger than Guinea.
How many times does Burkina Faso fit into…
- Russia: about 62 times
- Canada: about 36 times
- United States: about 36 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes Burkina Faso shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Rivers
- Volta1,500 km
- Black Volta1,352 km
- White Volta640 km
Summits
- Mount Tenakourou749 m
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside Burkina Faso. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about Burkina Faso
- How big is Burkina Faso?
- Burkina Faso covers 274,200 km², which makes it number 73 of 194 countries by area. About 24,074,580 people live there (2025), 88 per km².
- Is Burkina Faso bigger than New Zealand?
- Burkina Faso and New Zealand are almost exactly the same size. Burkina Faso: 274,200 km²; New Zealand: 268,021 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Burkina Faso?
- Burkina Faso lies close to the equator, so Mercator draws it at nearly its true size. It is the countries far from the equator that Mercator inflates.
- Which countries border Burkina Faso?
- Burkina Faso shares a land border with Niger, Mali, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Benin, Togo.