Distribution of Democracy Index in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: Distribution of Democracy Index was 16 in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Distribution of Democracy Index in Burkina Faso, 1960–2018
Source: Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2018, distribution of democracy index in Burkina Faso stood at 16. That is the highest value across all 59 years on record.
That represents a change of up 60.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, distribution of democracy index in Burkina Faso peaked at 16 in 2015 and was at its lowest, 3, in 1960.
Burkina Faso ranks 87th of 168 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Distribution of Democracy Index in Burkina Faso, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 3 | — |
| 1961 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 4 | +33.3% |
| 1970 | 6 | +50.0% |
| 1971 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 10 | +66.7% |
| 1978 | 14 | +40.0% |
| 1979 | 14 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 3 | -78.6% |
| 1981 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 5 | +66.7% |
| 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 | 6 | +20.0% |
| 1999 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 7 | +16.7% |
| 2001 | 10 | +42.9% |
| 2002 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 10 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 16 | +60.0% |
| 2016 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 16 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 16 | +0.0% |
Burkina Faso compared with similar countries
- Burkina Faso's 16 is above the median for low income countries, which is 11, 1.5× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Burkina Faso's 16 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.5, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.1 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
| 1970s | 8 | 6 | 14 | 10 |
| 1980s | 3 | 3 | 3 | 10 |
| 1990s | 5 | 3 | 6 | 10 |
| 2000s | 9.7 | 7 | 10 | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.67 | 10 | 16 | 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 distribution of democracy index in Burkina Faso?
- Distribution of democracy index in Burkina Faso was 16 in 2018, according to Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest distribution of democracy index recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The highest recorded value was 16 in 2015.
- What is the lowest distribution of democracy index recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The lowest recorded value was 3 in 1960.
- How does Burkina Faso rank for distribution of democracy index?
- Burkina Faso ranks 87th out of 168 countries with data for 2018.
- Is distribution of democracy index rising or falling in Burkina Faso?
- Over the last ten years it is up 60.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Burkina Faso data come from?
- The figures come from Polity 5 (2020) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Distribution 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 0 to 20 (fully democratic).