Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso is a landlocked country located in West Africa, bordered by six nations including Mali, Niger, and Ghana. Predominantly situated in the Sahel region, the country experiences a tropical climate with distinct wet and dry seasons. Its lands...
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With a safety index of 53/100, Burkina Faso offers moderate safety conditions for expats and their families.
Burkina Faso requires all foreign nationals, including those from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, to obtain a visa prior to entry or upon arrival at airports and land borders. A visa on arrival is available at major entry points for a single-entry visa costing approximately 94,000 CFA francs (~USD $190) valid for up to 3 months, or a multiple-entry visa for 122,000 CFA (~USD $245). Passports must be valid for at least 6 months beyond arrival with...
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18% below EU avg
Baselines based on EU averages. Source: Numbeo indices.
Capital
Ouagadougou
Timezone
UTC
Area
272,967 km²
Population
20,903,278
GDP
$9.45B
HDI
0.4
Quality of Life
N/A
NYC baseline: 43
Purchasing Power
N/A
NYC baseline: 42
Understanding the economic landscape is essential for evaluating living costs and opportunities in Burkina Faso. This comprehensive overview covers key financial indicators including cost of living, housing markets, income levels, and fiscal policies that shape daily life and long-term financial planning.
Cost of Living Index
Very affordable costs. Groceries index: 56.3, restaurant index: 25.0, rent index: 13.6 (NYC=100 baseline).
Housing Market
Very affordable housing market. Property price to income ratio: 1.7 years.
Average Income Levels
Low purchasing power. GDP per capita ~$982 USD in 2024; no purchasing power index available, reflects subsistence economy.
Tax System
Favorable tax system with rates below regional average to attract investment. Corporate tax incentives; standard VAT 18%; personal income tax progressive up to 30%.
Business Environment
Challenging business environment due to security issues, bureaucracy, and political transition. Mining sector attracts FDI; no recent World Bank Doing Business rank available post-2020.
Social Security
Limited social security coverage. Basic programs exist via CNSS for pensions and health for formal workers; weak safety net amid high poverty (26% extreme) and insecurity displacing 2M people.
Burkina Faso features a dry tropical climate dominated by hot savanna conditions, with a short rainy season from May to September and a prolonged dry season influenced by harmattan winds from the Sahara. Annual temperatures average 27-30°C, ranging monthly from 15-45°C, with higher extremes in the north.
3 distinct climate regions — see full guide for details
Read full guideLife Expectancy
60.4
Population
20,903,278
Religions
Ethnic Composition
Research in Progress
We're currently analyzing expat perspectives for Burkina Faso. Check back soon for insights from real experiences!
We're gradually rolling out this feature and continuously improving the insights. The data is based on real expat discussions and will become more comprehensive over time.
Burkina Faso is under a military junta-led transitional government following the 2022 coup, with Captain Ibrahim Traoré as transitional president. Elections promised for 2024 have been delayed amid ongoing jihadist insurgency and security challenges. Civic space has shrunk with restrictions on press freedom and dissent.
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Population
20,903,278
Currency
XOF
Timezone
UTC
Calling Code
+226
Week starts on
Monday
Gini Coefficient
35.3 (2014)
Traffic side
right side
Data Source: Safety, crime, and quality metrics are sourced from Numbeo, a crowd-sourced global database of reported data.
All scores are relative comparisons on a 0-100 scale, where 50 = global average. Higher scores mean better than average, lower scores mean worse than average.