Urban population in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: Urban population was 6.96 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Urban population in Burkina Faso, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
The most recent figure for urban population in Burkina Faso is 6.96 million, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is up 4.4% on the previous year and up 44.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Burkina Faso peaked at 6.96 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 240,638, in 1960.
That places Burkina Faso 83rd out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Urban population in Burkina Faso, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 240,638 | — |
| 1961 | 248,066 | +3.1% |
| 1962 | 255,767 | +3.1% |
| 1963 | 263,783 | +3.1% |
| 1964 | 272,176 | +3.2% |
| 1965 | 281,012 | +3.2% |
| 1966 | 290,243 | +3.3% |
| 1967 | 299,884 | +3.3% |
| 1968 | 309,983 | +3.4% |
| 1969 | 320,460 | +3.4% |
| 1970 | 331,345 | +3.4% |
| 1971 | 342,532 | +3.4% |
| 1972 | 354,086 | +3.4% |
| 1973 | 366,263 | +3.4% |
| 1974 | 379,259 | +3.5% |
| 1975 | 392,421 | +3.5% |
| 1976 | 410,716 | +4.7% |
| 1977 | 440,141 | +7.2% |
| 1978 | 479,891 | +9.0% |
| 1979 | 528,544 | +10.1% |
| 1980 | 584,806 | +10.6% |
| 1981 | 646,951 | +10.6% |
| 1982 | 713,175 | +10.2% |
| 1983 | 781,870 | +9.6% |
| 1984 | 850,804 | +8.8% |
| 1985 | 916,644 | +7.7% |
| 1986 | 978,353 | +6.7% |
| 1987 | 1.04 million | +6.0% |
| 1988 | 1.10 million | +5.6% |
| 1989 | 1.15 million | +5.3% |
| 1990 | 1.21 million | +5.1% |
| 1991 | 1.27 million | +4.9% |
| 1992 | 1.33 million | +4.8% |
| 1993 | 1.40 million | +4.9% |
| 1994 | 1.47 million | +5.1% |
| 1995 | 1.55 million | +5.3% |
| 1996 | 1.63 million | +5.5% |
| 1997 | 1.73 million | +5.9% |
| 1998 | 1.85 million | +6.9% |
| 1999 | 1.99 million | +7.6% |
| 2000 | 2.15 million | +7.9% |
| 2001 | 2.32 million | +8.0% |
| 2002 | 2.50 million | +7.9% |
| 2003 | 2.69 million | +7.6% |
| 2004 | 2.88 million | +7.1% |
| 2005 | 3.07 million | +6.5% |
| 2006 | 3.24 million | +5.7% |
| 2007 | 3.40 million | +5.0% |
| 2008 | 3.56 million | +4.7% |
| 2009 | 3.73 million | +4.6% |
| 2010 | 3.90 million | +4.6% |
| 2011 | 4.08 million | +4.5% |
| 2012 | 4.26 million | +4.5% |
| 2013 | 4.44 million | +4.3% |
| 2014 | 4.63 million | +4.1% |
| 2015 | 4.81 million | +4.0% |
| 2016 | 4.99 million | +3.8% |
| 2017 | 5.17 million | +3.5% |
| 2018 | 5.33 million | +3.2% |
| 2019 | 5.47 million | +2.7% |
| 2020 | 5.66 million | +3.4% |
| 2021 | 5.90 million | +4.2% |
| 2022 | 6.14 million | +4.1% |
| 2023 | 6.40 million | +4.2% |
| 2024 | 6.67 million | +4.3% |
| 2025 | 6.96 million | +4.4% |
Burkina Faso compared with similar countries
- Burkina Faso's 6.96 million is above the median for low income countries, which is 6.96 million, 1.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Burkina Faso's 6.96 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.82 million, 1.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 278,201 | 240,638 | 320,460 | 10 |
| 1970s | 402,520 | 331,345 | 528,544 | 10 |
| 1980s | 875,867 | 584,806 | 1.15 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.54 million | 1.21 million | 1.99 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.95 million | 2.15 million | 3.73 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.71 million | 3.90 million | 5.47 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.29 million | 5.66 million | 6.96 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Burkina Faso
More climate change data for Burkina Faso
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 118.69 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 29,986 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 10,729 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 19,257 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 40.49 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 687.74 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 3,646 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1,267 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 2,379 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 4.78 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Burkina Faso?
- Urban population in Burkina Faso was 6.96 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The highest recorded value was 6.96 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The lowest recorded value was 240,638 in 1960.
- How does Burkina Faso rank for urban population?
- Burkina Faso ranks 83rd out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Burkina Faso?
- Over the last ten years it is up 44.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Burkina Faso data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.