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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.
Ouagadougou has a tropical wet-and-dry climate (Köppen Aw) with a long hot dry season and a shorter rainy season driven by the West African monsoon. Temperatures are hottest before the rains in March to May, while the driest months are dusty and less humid due to the Harmattan; annual conditions are consistent with Burkina Faso’s dry tropical climate and rainfall pattern.
Summer Average
32°C
Winter Average
23°C
Climate Type
Tropical savanna
Rainy Days
70
Sunny Days
300
Humidity
50%
Spring
March - May
30-40°C
This is the hottest part of the year, with very hot afternoons and frequent dry, dusty conditions before the rains begin. Heat stress can be significant, especially in April and May.
Very Low rainfall
Summer
June - August
27-34°C
The rainy season is established, bringing more cloud cover, higher humidity, and cooler daytime highs than in spring. Showers are often intense but seasonal, and vegetation becomes noticeably greener.
High rainfall
Autumn
September - November
25-35°C
Rainfall tapers off through September and October, then conditions become progressively drier and sunnier. Temperatures remain warm to hot, but humidity drops as the dry season returns.
Moderate rainfall
Winter
December - February
19-32°C
The dry season is warm to hot by day but can feel cooler in the early morning and evening, especially during Harmattan periods. Skies are mostly clear, with very limited rainfall and low humidity.
Very Low rainfall
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Air Quality
Ouagadougou
Ouagadougou offers an authentic West African experience for expats seeking meaningful work and genuine community connection—not a polished expat bubble. The city's manageable size (1.1M residents) makes navigation straightforward, with functional public transport and reasonable housing costs that stretch further than major Western cities. Healthcare and safety standards are solid for the region, though both require realistic expectations and some advance planning.
The trade-off is infrastructure and amenities: this is a working city, not a resort destination. Internet reliability can be inconsistent, and creature comforts require more effort to source. But if you're drawn to hands-on development work, NGO roles, or building something meaningful in an emerging market—and you're comfortable with a less predictable daily rhythm—Ouagadougou rewards adaptability with genuine impact and a tight-knit expat community that actually knows each other.
Advantages
Ouagadougou
Rich cultural heritage sites
Affordable cost of living
Growing business opportunities
Strong community spirit
Expanding educational institutions
Vibrant local markets
Disadvantages
Ouagadougou
Limited job opportunities
Inadequate infrastructure quality
High unemployment rates
Weak educational standards
Water and electricity access
Safety & Security in Ouagadougou
Overall Safety Score
Includes resilience and environmental factors
Good
63
/100
Burkina Faso Avg
55
Africa Avg
53
Worldwide Avg
56
Crime & Safety Metrics
Thermometer compares Ouagadougou to Burkina Faso averages using different marker styles.Compare:
