Democracy Index in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: Democracy Index was 6 in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Democracy Index in Burkina Faso, 1960–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2018, democracy index in Burkina Faso stood at 6. That is the highest value across all 59 years on record.
Over the whole period, democracy index in Burkina Faso peaked at 6 in 2015 and was at its lowest, -7, in 1960.
That places Burkina Faso 86th out of 168 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Democracy Index in Burkina Faso, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | -7 | — |
| 1961 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1962 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1963 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1964 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1965 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1966 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1967 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1968 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1969 | -6 | -14.3% |
| 1970 | -4 | -33.3% |
| 1971 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1972 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1973 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1974 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1975 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1976 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 1977 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 1978 | 4 | — |
| 1979 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | -7 | -275.0% |
| 1981 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1982 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1983 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1984 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1985 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1986 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1987 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1988 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1989 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1990 | -7 | -0.0% |
| 1991 | -5 | -28.6% |
| 1992 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1993 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1994 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1995 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1996 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1997 | -5 | -0.0% |
| 1998 | -4 | -20.0% |
| 1999 | -4 | -0.0% |
| 2000 | -3 | -25.0% |
| 2001 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 2002 | 0 | — |
| 2003 | 0 | — |
| 2004 | 0 | — |
| 2005 | 0 | — |
| 2006 | 0 | — |
| 2007 | 0 | — |
| 2008 | 0 | — |
| 2009 | 0 | — |
| 2010 | 0 | — |
| 2011 | 0 | — |
| 2012 | 0 | — |
| 2013 | 0 | — |
| 2014 | 0 | — |
| 2015 | 6 | — |
| 2016 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 6 | +0.0% |
Burkina Faso compared with similar countries
- Burkina Faso's 6 is above the median for low income countries, which is 1, 6.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Burkina Faso's 6 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.5, 1.3× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | -6.9 | -7 | -6 | 10 |
| 1970s | -2 | -4 | 4 | 10 |
| 1980s | -7 | -7 | -7 | 10 |
| 1990s | -5 | -7 | -4 | 10 |
| 2000s | -0.3 | -3 | 0 | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.67 | 0 | 6 | 9 |
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 democracy index in Burkina Faso?
- Democracy index in Burkina Faso was 6 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest democracy index recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The highest recorded value was 6 in 2015.
- What is the lowest democracy index recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The lowest recorded value was -7 in 1960.
- How does Burkina Faso rank for democracy index?
- Burkina Faso ranks 86th out of 168 countries with data for 2018.
- Where does this Burkina Faso data come from?
- The figures come from Polity 5 (2020); Population based on various sources (2023) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Democracy Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 59 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
It combines information on the extent to which open, multi-party, and competitive elections choose a chief executive who faces comprehensive institutional constraints, and political participation is competitive. It ranges from -10 to 10 (fully democratic).