Age of electoral democracy (V-Dem) in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: Age of electoral democracy (V-Dem) was 6 years in 2021. ◆ Volatile
Age of electoral democracy in Burkina Faso, 2000–2021
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2021, age of electoral democracy in Burkina Faso stood at 6 years.
The figure is up 20.0% on the previous year and down 50.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, age of electoral democracy in Burkina Faso peaked at 15 years in 2014 and was at its lowest, 1 years, in 2000.
That places Burkina Faso 94th out of 111 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Age of electoral democracy (V-Dem) in Burkina Faso, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1 years | — |
| 2001 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 2002 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 2003 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 2004 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 2005 | 6 years | +20.0% |
| 2006 | 7 years | +16.7% |
| 2007 | 8 years | +14.3% |
| 2008 | 9 years | +12.5% |
| 2009 | 10 years | +11.1% |
| 2010 | 11 years | +10.0% |
| 2011 | 12 years | +9.1% |
| 2012 | 13 years | +8.3% |
| 2013 | 14 years | +7.7% |
| 2014 | 15 years | +7.1% |
| 2016 | 1 years | -93.3% |
| 2017 | 2 years | +100.0% |
| 2018 | 3 years | +50.0% |
| 2019 | 4 years | +33.3% |
| 2020 | 5 years | +25.0% |
| 2021 | 6 years | +20.0% |
Burkina Faso compared with similar countries
- Burkina Faso's 6 years is above the median for low income countries, which is 6 years, 1.0× the median. (9 countries reporting)
- Burkina Faso's 6 years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 12 years, 50% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Age of electoral democracy (V-Dem) in Burkina Faso changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | -93.3% | 15 years | 1 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5.5 years | 1 years | 10 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.33 years | 1 years | 15 years | 9 |
| 2020s | 5.5 years | 5 years | 6 years | 2 |
Countries ranked near Burkina Faso
More social development data for Burkina Faso
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 40,996 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 351,209 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 7 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 7 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0146 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 351,209 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0017 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is age of electoral democracy in Burkina Faso?
- Age of electoral democracy in Burkina Faso was 6 years in 2021, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest age of electoral democracy recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The highest recorded value was 15 years in 2014.
- What is the lowest age of electoral democracy recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The lowest recorded value was 1 years in 2000.
- How does Burkina Faso rank for age of electoral democracy?
- Burkina Faso ranks 94th out of 111 countries with data for 2021.
- Is age of electoral democracy rising or falling in Burkina Faso?
- Over the last ten years it is down 50.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Burkina Faso data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Age of electoral democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of consecutive years in electoral democracy.