Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (expectancy UNESCO Institute) in Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso: Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (expectancy UNESCO Institute) was 61.09 years in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
61.09 years
Change on year
up 0.6%
World rank
206th
of 215 countries
All-time high
61.09 years
in 2023
All-time low
39.54 years
in 1970
Years of data
54
1970–2023

Life expectancy at birth, total in Burkina Faso, 1970–2023

0204060197019962023

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in years.

Analysis

In 2023, life expectancy at birth, total in Burkina Faso stood at 61.09 years. That is the highest value across all 54 years on record.

The figure is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 5.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, total in Burkina Faso peaked at 61.09 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 39.54 years, in 1970.

That places Burkina Faso 206th out of 215 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 54 years of available data.

Life expectancy at birth, total (years) (expectancy UNESCO Institute) in Burkina Faso, year by year

Annual values for Life expectancy at birth, total (years) in Burkina Faso, 1970 to 2023.
Year years Change
1970 39.54 years —
1971 39.85 years +0.8%
1972 40.4 years +1.4%
1973 40.95 years +1.4%
1974 41.71 years +1.9%
1975 42.49 years +1.9%
1976 43.33 years +2.0%
1977 44.17 years +1.9%
1978 44.99 years +1.9%
1979 45.7 years +1.6%
1980 46.47 years +1.7%
1981 46.87 years +0.9%
1982 47.63 years +1.6%
1983 48.06 years +0.9%
1984 48.46 years +0.8%
1985 48.75 years +0.6%
1986 48.99 years +0.5%
1987 49.1 years +0.2%
1988 49.22 years +0.2%
1989 49.27 years +0.1%
1990 49.31 years +0.1%
1991 49.33 years +0.0%
1992 49.38 years +0.1%
1993 49.41 years +0.1%
1994 49.47 years +0.1%
1995 49.55 years +0.2%
1996 49.69 years +0.3%
1997 49.56 years -0.3%
1998 50.16 years +1.2%
1999 50.46 years +0.6%
2000 50.81 years +0.7%
2001 51.19 years +0.7%
2002 51.45 years +0.5%
2003 51.96 years +1.0%
2004 52.6 years +1.2%
2005 53.27 years +1.3%
2006 53.78 years +1.0%
2007 54.38 years +1.1%
2008 55.2 years +1.5%
2009 55.79 years +1.1%
2010 56.34 years +1.0%
2011 57 years +1.2%
2012 57.46 years +0.8%
2013 57.9 years +0.8%
2014 58.33 years +0.7%
2015 58.78 years +0.8%
2016 59.17 years +0.7%
2017 59.58 years +0.7%
2018 59.97 years +0.7%
2019 60.18 years +0.4%
2020 60.45 years +0.4%
2021 60.05 years -0.7%
2022 60.7 years +1.1%
2023 61.09 years +0.6%

Burkina Faso compared with similar countries

  • Burkina Faso's 61.09 years is below the median for low income countries, which is 63.65 years, 96% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
  • Burkina Faso's 61.09 years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 64.1 years, 95% of the median. (48 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 42.31 years 39.54 years 45.7 years 10
1980s 48.28 years 46.47 years 49.27 years 10
1990s 49.63 years 49.31 years 50.46 years 10
2000s 53.04 years 50.81 years 55.79 years 10
2010s 58.47 years 56.34 years 60.18 years 10
2020s 60.57 years 60.05 years 61.09 years 4

Countries ranked near Burkina Faso

  1. 203 Democratic Republic of Congo 61.9 years compare
  2. 204 Sierra Leone 61.79 years compare
  3. 205 Niger 61.18 years compare
  4. 207 Benin 60.77 years compare
  5. 208 Guinea 60.74 years compare
  6. 209 Mali 60.44 years compare

See the full ranking of 215 places →

More population data for Burkina Faso

All data for Burkina Faso →

Frequently asked questions

What is life expectancy at birth, total in Burkina Faso?
Life expectancy at birth, total in Burkina Faso was 61.09 years in 2023, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Burkina Faso?
The highest recorded value was 61.09 years in 2023.
What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, total recorded in Burkina Faso?
The lowest recorded value was 39.54 years in 1970.
How does Burkina Faso rank for life expectancy at birth, total?
Burkina Faso ranks 206th out of 215 countries with data for 2023.
Is life expectancy at birth, total rising or falling in Burkina Faso?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Burkina Faso data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Life expectancy at birth, total (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Life expectancy at birth, total in Burkina Faso. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 11 November 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/life-expectancy-at-birth-total-years-2/burkina-faso/

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About this data

Indicator
Life expectancy at birth, total (years)
Unit
years
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics)
Coverage
215 places, 11,590 data points, 1970–2023
Last refreshed

February 2026 Data Release