Burkina Faso
Last updated July 15, 2026
Fragile/Conflict-Affected Country: This country is classified as experiencing conflict.
In fragile and conflict-affected settings, severe data gaps, rapid disruption, and uneven reporting can distort index values. These scores should be read as a limited signal, not a complete picture of conditions in the country.
Composite GEFRI Score
Systemwide critical constraints
Burkina Faso shows critically low readiness to meet the challenges and opportunities of education in a rapidly changing world (10th percentile worldwide). Core capabilities are weak across most dimensions, and essential systems face significant constraints.
- Global percentile
- 10th
- Global rank
- #161
- Regional rank
- #31
- Viewing data for
Country profile
Burkina Faso faces substantial readiness constraints across core dimensions. Its weakest results are in Innovation (30, 10th percentile), Infrastructure (25, 8th percentile), GEFRI Composite (24, 10th percentile) and Human Capital (20, 3rd percentile). These gaps continue to weigh on overall readiness.
Uneven scores across dimensions show where readiness conditions are less aligned. Limited electricity or internet coverage still constrains classrooms, preventing large-scale digital instruction. Literacy or tertiary enrollment gaps thin the talent pipeline and limit the country’s capacity to develop future-ready skills.
Sparse R&D investment and a small research workforce slow experimentation and delay new ideas from reaching learners. Policy execution and regulatory capacity remain weak, leaving reforms fragmented and hard to sustain. Girls outperform boys in secondary pathways, adding pressure to address male dropout risks.
Regionally, Human Capital lags peers the most, signalling where investment could have the highest impact.
Most indicators are observed rather than imputed, so estimation uncertainty is limited.
Key insights
Falls below many peers at the 10th percentile.
Places 161st worldwide.
Holds a regional position of 31st within Sub-Saharan Africa.
Scores range from Governance (35.7) to Access & Parity (10.0), reflecting variation across dimensions.
Trails regional peers most clearly in Human Capital.
Regional peers: Sub-Saharan Africa
Composite GEFRI Score
| Global rank | Regional rank | Country | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 65 | 1 | South Africa | 57.44 |
| 74 | 2 | Mauritius | 55.85 |
| — | — | SeychellesMicrostate | 55.06 |
| 80 | 3 | Botswana | 53.75 |
| 99 | 4 | Ghana | 48.08 |
| 108 | 5 | Namibia | 44.23 |
| 114 | 6 | Cabo Verde | 39.44 |
| 120 | 7 | Eswatini | 36.39 |
| 125 | 8 | Equatorial Guinea | 35.21 |
| 126 | 9 | Senegal | 34.71 |
| 127 | 10 | Gabon | 34.67 |
| 128 | 11 | Rwanda | 34.54 |
| 133 | 12 | Kenya | 32.83 |
| 135 | 13 | Gambia, The | 32.46 |
| 136 | 14 | Cote d'Ivoire | 32.04 |
| 137 | 15 | Lesotho | 31.46 |
| 140 | 16 | Tanzania | 29.45 |
| 142 | 17 | Benin | 29.31 |
| — | — | Sao Tome and PrincipeFCSMicrostate | 29.18 |
| 143 | 18 | Togo | 28.93 |
| 144 | 19 | Zimbabwe | 28.61 |
| 145 | 20 | CameroonFCS | 28.42 |
| 146 | 21 | Mauritania | 27.91 |
| 148 | 22 | Zambia | 27.69 |
| 150 | 23 | Angola | 27.20 |
| 153 | 24 | Guinea | 25.53 |
| 154 | 25 | MozambiqueFCS | 25.03 |
| 155 | 26 | Madagascar | 24.90 |
| 156 | 27 | Uganda | 24.77 |
| 157 | 28 | Congo, Rep.FCS | 24.76 |
| 158 | 29 | NigeriaFCS | 24.43 |
| 160 | 30 | EthiopiaFCS | 24.27 |
| 161 | 31 | Burkina FasoFCS | 24.20 |
| 162 | 32 | ComorosFCS | 24.06 |
| 163 | 33 | Sierra Leone | 23.91 |
| 164 | 34 | MalawiFCS | 23.31 |
| 165 | 35 | Liberia | 22.51 |
| 166 | 36 | Guinea-BissauFCS | 22.30 |
| 167 | 37 | MaliFCS | 21.77 |
| 168 | 38 | Burundi | 20.39 |
| 169 | 39 | SudanFCS | 19.96 |
| 170 | 40 | NigerFCS | 19.49 |
| 171 | 41 | EritreaFCS | 19.24 |
| 172 | 42 | Congo, Dem. Rep.FCS | 19.13 |
| 173 | 43 | ChadFCS | 17.06 |
| 175 | 44 | SomaliaFCS | 16.33 |
| 176 | 45 | South SudanFCS | 16.19 |
| 177 | 46 | Central African RepublicFCS | 16.10 |