Liberal Democracy Index in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: Liberal Democracy Index was 0.103 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Liberal Democracy Index in Burkina Faso, 1919–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, liberal democracy index in Burkina Faso stood at 0.103.
The figure is down 18.3% on the previous year and down 66.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, liberal democracy index in Burkina Faso peaked at 0.511 in 2017 and was at its lowest, 0.087, in 1920.
That places Burkina Faso 137th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Liberal Democracy Index in Burkina Faso, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1919 | 0.089 | — |
| 1920 | 0.087 | -2.2% |
| 1921 | 0.087 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 0.088 | +1.1% |
| 1923 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 0.088 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 0.105 | +19.3% |
| 1948 | 0.105 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.127 | +21.0% |
| 1950 | 0.129 | +1.6% |
| 1951 | 0.129 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 0.13 | +0.8% |
| 1953 | 0.13 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 0.13 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 0.132 | +1.5% |
| 1956 | 0.132 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 0.145 | +9.8% |
| 1958 | 0.148 | +2.1% |
| 1959 | 0.156 | +5.4% |
| 1960 | 0.187 | +19.9% |
| 1961 | 0.215 | +15.0% |
| 1962 | 0.213 | -0.9% |
| 1963 | 0.213 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.213 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.206 | -3.3% |
| 1966 | 0.126 | -38.8% |
| 1967 | 0.116 | -7.9% |
| 1968 | 0.116 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.116 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.127 | +9.5% |
| 1971 | 0.125 | -1.6% |
| 1972 | 0.151 | +20.8% |
| 1973 | 0.151 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.126 | -16.6% |
| 1975 | 0.116 | -7.9% |
| 1976 | 0.116 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.114 | -1.7% |
| 1978 | 0.149 | +30.7% |
| 1979 | 0.216 | +45.0% |
| 1980 | 0.185 | -14.4% |
| 1981 | 0.106 | -42.7% |
| 1982 | 0.106 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.114 | +7.5% |
| 1984 | 0.112 | -1.8% |
| 1985 | 0.111 | -0.9% |
| 1986 | 0.113 | +1.8% |
| 1987 | 0.113 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.101 | -10.6% |
| 1989 | 0.1 | -1.0% |
| 1990 | 0.102 | +2.0% |
| 1991 | 0.114 | +11.8% |
| 1992 | 0.212 | +86.0% |
| 1993 | 0.256 | +20.8% |
| 1994 | 0.256 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.256 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.256 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.257 | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 0.262 | +1.9% |
| 1999 | 0.304 | +16.0% |
| 2000 | 0.324 | +6.6% |
| 2001 | 0.325 | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 0.325 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.324 | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 0.324 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.326 | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 0.34 | +4.3% |
| 2007 | 0.335 | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 0.333 | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 0.334 | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 0.351 | +5.1% |
| 2011 | 0.354 | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 0.358 | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 0.405 | +13.1% |
| 2014 | 0.417 | +3.0% |
| 2015 | 0.306 | -26.6% |
| 2016 | 0.504 | +64.7% |
| 2017 | 0.511 | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 0.485 | -5.1% |
| 2019 | 0.477 | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 0.486 | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 0.456 | -6.2% |
| 2022 | 0.224 | -50.9% |
| 2023 | 0.179 | -20.1% |
| 2024 | 0.126 | -29.6% |
| 2025 | 0.103 | -18.3% |
Burkina Faso compared with similar countries
- Burkina Faso's 0.103 is above the median for low income countries, which is 0.102, 1.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Burkina Faso's 0.103 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.17, 61% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Liberal Democracy Index 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | +86.0% | 0.114 | 0.212 |
| 2016 | +64.7% | 0.306 | 0.504 |
| 2022 | -50.9% | 0.456 | 0.224 |
| 1979 | +45.0% | 0.149 | 0.216 |
| 1981 | -42.7% | 0.185 | 0.106 |
| 1966 | -38.8% | 0.206 | 0.126 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 0.089 | 0.089 | 0.089 | 1 |
| 1920s | 0.0878 | 0.087 | 0.088 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.088 | 0.088 | 0.088 | 2 |
| 1940s | 0.1123 | 0.105 | 0.127 | 3 |
| 1950s | 0.1361 | 0.129 | 0.156 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.1721 | 0.116 | 0.215 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.1391 | 0.114 | 0.216 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1161 | 0.1 | 0.185 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.2275 | 0.102 | 0.304 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.329 | 0.324 | 0.34 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4168 | 0.306 | 0.511 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2623 | 0.103 | 0.486 | 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 liberal democracy index in Burkina Faso?
- Liberal democracy index in Burkina Faso was 0.103 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest liberal democracy index recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The highest recorded value was 0.511 in 2017.
- What is the lowest liberal democracy index recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.087 in 1920.
- How does Burkina Faso rank for liberal democracy index?
- Burkina Faso ranks 137th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is liberal democracy index rising or falling in Burkina Faso?
- Over the last ten years it is down 66.3%. 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 Liberal Democracy 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).
About this data
Central estimate of the extent of suffrage, the freedom and fairness of elections, freedoms of association and expression, individual and minority rights, equality before the law, and executive constraints.