Freedom of expression index in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: Freedom of expression index was 0.261 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
0.261
Change on year
down 25.0%
World rank
143rd
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.883
in 2016
All-time low
0.248
in 1919
Years of data
92
1919–2025
Freedom of expression index in Burkina Faso, 1919–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Burkina Faso recorded 0.261 for freedom of expression index in 2025.
The figure is down 25.0% on the previous year and down 70.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, freedom of expression index in Burkina Faso peaked at 0.883 in 2016 and was at its lowest, 0.248, in 1919.
Burkina Faso ranks 143rd of 176 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 92 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 0.248 | 0.248 | 0.248 | 1 |
| 1920s | 0.248 | 0.248 | 0.248 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.248 | 0.248 | 0.248 | 2 |
| 1940s | 0.36 | 0.36 | 0.36 | 3 |
| 1950s | 0.377 | 0.356 | 0.404 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.447 | 0.412 | 0.462 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.4274 | 0.412 | 0.494 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.4309 | 0.421 | 0.445 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.6523 | 0.462 | 0.739 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.7918 | 0.791 | 0.795 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.8479 | 0.825 | 0.883 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.5967 | 0.261 | 0.828 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Burkina Faso
- 140 Kazakhstan 0.329 compare
- 141 Sudan 0.289 compare
- 142 Ethiopia 0.285 compare
- 144 Uzbekistan 0.234 compare
- 145 Hong Kong (China) 0.227 compare
- 146 Yemen 0.219 compare
More social development data for Burkina Faso
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 40,996 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 351,209 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh 7 (2025)
- Democracy lexical 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 freedom of expression index in Burkina Faso?
- Freedom of expression index in Burkina Faso was 0.261 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest freedom of expression index recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The highest recorded value was 0.883 in 2016.
- What is the lowest freedom of expression index recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.248 in 1919.
- How does Burkina Faso rank for freedom of expression index?
- Burkina Faso ranks 143rd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is freedom of expression index rising or falling in Burkina Faso?
- Over the last ten years it is down 70.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Burkina Faso data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Freedom of expression index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 92 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).