Key media freedoms in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: Key media freedoms was -0.468 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
-0.468
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
124th
of 175 countries
All-time high
1.64
in 2015
All-time low
-0.587
in 1990
Years of data
92
1919–2025
Key media freedoms in Burkina Faso, 1919–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Burkina Faso recorded -0.468 for key media freedoms in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 128.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, key media freedoms in Burkina Faso peaked at 1.64 in 2015 and was at its lowest, -0.587, in 1990.
That places Burkina Faso 124th out of 175 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Key media freedoms in Burkina Faso, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1919 | 0.477 | — |
| 1920 | 0.477 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 0.477 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 0.56 | +17.4% |
| 1923 | 0.56 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.56 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.56 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.56 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.56 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.56 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.56 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.56 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 0.56 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 1.15 | +105.5% |
| 1948 | 1.15 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 1.15 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 1.15 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 1.15 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 1.15 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 1.15 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 1.15 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 1.15 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 1.15 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 1.15 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 1.15 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 1.15 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 0.58 | -49.6% |
| 1961 | 0.58 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 0.58 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.58 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.58 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.58 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.58 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | -0.29 | -150.0% |
| 1968 | -0.29 | -0.0% |
| 1969 | -0.29 | -0.0% |
| 1970 | -0.29 | -0.0% |
| 1971 | -0.29 | -0.0% |
| 1972 | -0.29 | -0.0% |
| 1973 | -0.29 | -0.0% |
| 1974 | -0.29 | -0.0% |
| 1975 | -0.29 | -0.0% |
| 1976 | -0.29 | -0.0% |
| 1977 | -0.29 | -0.0% |
| 1978 | 1.18 | -505.2% |
| 1979 | 1.18 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | -0.303 | -125.8% |
| 1981 | -0.303 | -0.0% |
| 1982 | -0.303 | -0.0% |
| 1983 | -0.303 | -0.0% |
| 1984 | -0.303 | -0.0% |
| 1985 | -0.303 | -0.0% |
| 1986 | -0.303 | -0.0% |
| 1987 | -0.303 | -0.0% |
| 1988 | -0.303 | -0.0% |
| 1989 | -0.303 | -0.0% |
| 1990 | -0.587 | +93.7% |
| 1991 | -0.587 | -0.0% |
| 1992 | 0.474 | -180.7% |
| 1993 | 0.513 | +8.2% |
| 1994 | 0.513 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.513 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.513 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.513 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.513 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.513 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 1.25 | +143.9% |
| 2001 | 1.25 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 1.25 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 1.25 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 1.25 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 1.25 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 1.25 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 1.25 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 1.25 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 1.25 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 1.25 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 1.25 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 1.25 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 1.4 | +12.1% |
| 2014 | 1.4 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 1.64 | +16.8% |
| 2016 | 1.64 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 1.64 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 1.64 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 1.64 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 1.64 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 1.64 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 1.26 | -23.3% |
| 2023 | -0.142 | -111.3% |
| 2024 | -0.468 | +229.6% |
| 2025 | -0.468 | -0.0% |
Burkina Faso compared with similar countries
- Burkina Faso's -0.468 is below the median for low income countries, which is -0.42, 1.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Burkina Faso's -0.468 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.123. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 0.477 | 0.477 | 0.477 | 1 |
| 1920s | 0.5434 | 0.477 | 0.56 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.56 | 0.56 | 0.56 | 2 |
| 1940s | 1.15 | 1.15 | 1.15 | 3 |
| 1950s | 1.15 | 1.15 | 1.15 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.319 | -0.29 | 0.58 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.003 | -0.29 | 1.18 | 10 |
| 1980s | -0.303 | -0.303 | -0.303 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.2891 | -0.587 | 0.513 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.25 | 1.25 | 1.25 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.47 | 1.25 | 1.64 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.5757 | -0.468 | 1.64 | 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 key media freedoms in Burkina Faso?
- Key media freedoms in Burkina Faso was -0.468 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest key media freedoms recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The highest recorded value was 1.64 in 2015.
- What is the lowest key media freedoms recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.587 in 1990.
- How does Burkina Faso rank for key media freedoms?
- Burkina Faso ranks 124th out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is key media freedoms rising or falling in Burkina Faso?
- Over the last ten years it is down 128.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Burkina Faso data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Key media freedoms. 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).
About this data
Central estimate of the extent to which the government directly or indirectly attempts to censor political content in print and broadcast media, through formal restrictions or indirect pressures such as financial control, licensing, or access to distribution channels.