Statistics for Burkina Faso
Quick Facts
GNI per capita: US$ 400 (World Bank, 2006)
Population: 12.8 million (via UN, 2006)
Capital: Ouagadougou
Area: 274,200 sq km (105,870 sq miles)
Major languages: French, indigenous languages
Major religions: Indigenous beliefs, Islam, Christianity
Life Expectancy: 47 years (men), 48 years (women)
Annual growth: 4.8% (2004)
Inflation: -0.4% (2004)
Major industries: cotton, animal products, gold
Major trading partner: France, Singapore, China
Exchange rate: 100 CFA = Euro 0.15 (pegged)
Economy
The economy depends overwhelmingly on agriculture whose performance depends on the vagaries of the weather and world prices.
Over 90% of the population live off agriculture and animal husbandry. Large numbers of Burkinabé have traditionally migrated seasonally to work on cocoa farms in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire. Their remittances have been critical to rural families. The return of over 600,000 Burkinabé from Côte d'Ivoire since the outbreak of civil war there has put intense pressure on an already weak economy, pushing unemployment to critical levels.
Burkina Faso's main export is cotton, contributing 65% of all export earnings in 2003, but its value is subject to fluctuations in world prices.
Since January 2004, the world price has fallen by 40% although increased production partly made up for that. Nevertheless, it remains the world's third cotton producer after Egypt and Mali. The cotton-producing companies have the reputation of being the best-managed in francophone West Africa.
Its other mainstay is livestock, which contributes an estimated 21% of export earnings. But, damage to pasture from the locust invasion in 2004 has affected the health of the herds. The closure of the border with Côte d'Ivoire following the outbreak of conflict there has adversely affected transport costs as alternative trade routes have had to be sought.
Burkina is also endowed with a range of minerals but none is yet exploited. A new gold mine, with Canadian investment, opened in 2006. It is expected that gold will eventually displace livestock as the second largest export earner.
Development
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Burkina Faso is one of the poorest countries in the world. 45% of the population live on less than US$1 per day.
The UNDP’s Human Development Index ranked Burkina Faso at 175 out of 177 countries in 2004.
Although modest improvements have been recorded in the socio-economic indicators, they remain low.
Primary school enrolment improved from 26% in 1990/91 to 35% in 2002/02. (This compares with the average for sub-Saharan Africa of 59%.). But, secondary school enrolment is very poor at only 8% in 2001/02.
Health indicators are also poor. According to UN, life expectancy is 48 years for women and 47 years for men.
