Forcibly displaced people in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: Forcibly displaced people was 2.11 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Forcibly displaced people in Burkina Faso, 2010–2025
Source: Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Analysis
Burkina Faso recorded 2.11 million for forcibly displaced people in 2025. That is the highest value across all 16 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 6,065.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forcibly displaced people in Burkina Faso peaked at 2.11 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1,061, in 2010.
Burkina Faso ranks 17th of 180 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Forcibly displaced people in Burkina Faso, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 1,061 | — |
| 2011 | 1,216 | +14.6% |
| 2012 | 39,988 | +3188.5% |
| 2013 | 30,019 | -24.9% |
| 2014 | 32,095 | +6.9% |
| 2015 | 34,158 | +6.4% |
| 2016 | 33,377 | -2.3% |
| 2017 | 29,095 | -12.8% |
| 2018 | 72,160 | +148.0% |
| 2019 | 585,898 | +711.9% |
| 2020 | 1.10 million | +86.9% |
| 2021 | 1.61 million | +47.4% |
| 2022 | 1.92 million | +18.7% |
| 2023 | 2.10 million | +9.6% |
| 2024 | 2.10 million | +0.1% |
| 2025 | 2.11 million | +0.1% |
Burkina Faso compared with similar countries
- Burkina Faso's 2.11 million is above the median for low income countries, which is 762,014, 2.8× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Burkina Faso's 2.11 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 70,609, 29.8× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Forcibly displaced people 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | +3188.5% | 1,216 | 39,988 |
| 2019 | +711.9% | 72,160 | 585,898 |
| 2018 | +148.0% | 29,095 | 72,160 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 85,907 | 1,061 | 585,898 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.82 million | 1.10 million | 2.11 million | 6 |
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 forcibly displaced people in Burkina Faso?
- Forcibly displaced people in Burkina Faso was 2.11 million in 2025, according to Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
- What is the highest forcibly displaced people recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The highest recorded value was 2.11 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest forcibly displaced people recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,061 in 2010.
- How does Burkina Faso rank for forcibly displaced people?
- Burkina Faso ranks 17th out of 180 countries with data for 2025.
- Is forcibly displaced people rising or falling in Burkina Faso?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6,065.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Burkina Faso data come from?
- The figures come from Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), published as part of Forcibly displaced people. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Forcibly displaced people are represented by the sum of (1) refugees (and people in a refugee-like situation) under the mandate of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), (2) refugees under the mandate of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), (3) asylum-seekers, (4) other people in need of international protection, and (5) internally displaced people (IDPs). Situations in which people are reported in more than one of these categories are accounted for, to the extent possible.