Homicides (World Health) in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: Homicides (World Health) was 2,039 deaths in 2021. ▲ Rising
Homicides in Burkina Faso, 2000–2021
Source: World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
In 2021, homicides in Burkina Faso stood at 2,039 deaths. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.
The figure is up 2.6% on the previous year and up 27.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in Burkina Faso peaked at 2,039 deaths in 2021 and was at its lowest, 1,227 deaths, in 2001.
That places Burkina Faso 41st out of 194 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Homicides (World Health) in Burkina Faso, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 1,230 deaths | — |
| 2001 | 1,227 deaths | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 1,264 deaths | +3.0% |
| 2003 | 1,301 deaths | +2.9% |
| 2004 | 1,334 deaths | +2.6% |
| 2005 | 1,367 deaths | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 1,402 deaths | +2.5% |
| 2007 | 1,440 deaths | +2.7% |
| 2008 | 1,479 deaths | +2.7% |
| 2009 | 1,513 deaths | +2.3% |
| 2010 | 1,559 deaths | +3.0% |
| 2011 | 1,600 deaths | +2.6% |
| 2012 | 1,639 deaths | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 1,683 deaths | +2.7% |
| 2014 | 1,743 deaths | +3.6% |
| 2015 | 1,785 deaths | +2.4% |
| 2016 | 1,818 deaths | +1.9% |
| 2017 | 1,835 deaths | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 1,900 deaths | +3.5% |
| 2019 | 1,943 deaths | +2.3% |
| 2020 | 1,988 deaths | +2.3% |
| 2021 | 2,039 deaths | +2.6% |
Burkina Faso compared with similar countries
- Burkina Faso's 2,039 deaths is above the median for low income countries, which is 1,070 deaths, 1.9× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Burkina Faso's 2,039 deaths is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 971.62 deaths, 2.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 1,356 deaths | 1,227 deaths | 1,513 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,750 deaths | 1,559 deaths | 1,943 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 2,014 deaths | 1,988 deaths | 2,039 deaths | 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 homicides in Burkina Faso?
- Homicides in Burkina Faso was 2,039 deaths in 2021, according to World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicides recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The highest recorded value was 2,039 deaths in 2021.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,227 deaths in 2001.
- How does Burkina Faso rank for homicides?
- Burkina Faso ranks 41st out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
- Is homicides rising or falling in Burkina Faso?
- Over the last ten years it is up 27.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Burkina Faso data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Homicides. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated number of deaths from interpersonal violence in both sexes.