Participatory Democracy Index in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: Participatory Democracy Index was 0.104 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Participatory Democracy Index in Burkina Faso, 1919–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Burkina Faso recorded 0.104 for participatory democracy index in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 13.3% on the previous year and down 55.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, participatory democracy index in Burkina Faso peaked at 0.414 in 2017 and was at its lowest, 0.024, in 1919.
That places Burkina Faso 142nd 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.
Participatory Democracy Index in Burkina Faso, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1919 | 0.024 | — |
| 1920 | 0.024 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 0.026 | +8.3% |
| 1922 | 0.026 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.026 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.026 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.026 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.026 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.026 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.026 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.026 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.026 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 0.026 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 0.029 | +11.5% |
| 1948 | 0.029 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.034 | +17.2% |
| 1950 | 0.035 | +2.9% |
| 1951 | 0.036 | +2.9% |
| 1952 | 0.04 | +11.1% |
| 1953 | 0.04 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 0.04 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 0.04 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 0.04 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 0.049 | +22.5% |
| 1958 | 0.059 | +20.4% |
| 1959 | 0.064 | +8.5% |
| 1960 | 0.081 | +26.6% |
| 1961 | 0.11 | +35.8% |
| 1962 | 0.11 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.11 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.11 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.106 | -3.6% |
| 1966 | 0.065 | -38.7% |
| 1967 | 0.078 | +20.0% |
| 1968 | 0.078 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.078 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.096 | +23.1% |
| 1971 | 0.085 | -11.5% |
| 1972 | 0.085 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.085 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.085 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.085 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.085 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.096 | +12.9% |
| 1978 | 0.073 | -24.0% |
| 1979 | 0.112 | +53.4% |
| 1980 | 0.126 | +12.5% |
| 1981 | 0.085 | -32.5% |
| 1982 | 0.085 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.079 | -7.1% |
| 1984 | 0.081 | +2.5% |
| 1985 | 0.081 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.081 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.093 | +14.8% |
| 1988 | 0.095 | +2.2% |
| 1989 | 0.097 | +2.1% |
| 1990 | 0.092 | -5.2% |
| 1991 | 0.106 | +15.2% |
| 1992 | 0.19 | +79.2% |
| 1993 | 0.217 | +14.2% |
| 1994 | 0.217 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.223 | +2.8% |
| 1996 | 0.224 | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 0.248 | +10.7% |
| 1998 | 0.251 | +1.2% |
| 1999 | 0.247 | -1.6% |
| 2000 | 0.268 | +8.5% |
| 2001 | 0.268 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.266 | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 0.264 | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 0.262 | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 0.262 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.315 | +20.2% |
| 2007 | 0.312 | -1.0% |
| 2008 | 0.309 | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 0.31 | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 0.323 | +4.2% |
| 2011 | 0.326 | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 0.336 | +3.1% |
| 2013 | 0.349 | +3.9% |
| 2014 | 0.337 | -3.4% |
| 2015 | 0.232 | -31.2% |
| 2016 | 0.409 | +76.3% |
| 2017 | 0.414 | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 0.401 | -3.1% |
| 2019 | 0.39 | -2.7% |
| 2020 | 0.397 | +1.8% |
| 2021 | 0.352 | -11.3% |
| 2022 | 0.177 | -49.7% |
| 2023 | 0.145 | -18.1% |
| 2024 | 0.12 | -17.2% |
| 2025 | 0.104 | -13.3% |
Burkina Faso compared with similar countries
- Burkina Faso's 0.104 is below the median for low income countries, which is 0.13, 80% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Burkina Faso's 0.104 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.2095, 50% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Participatory 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 | +79.2% | 0.106 | 0.19 |
| 2016 | +76.3% | 0.232 | 0.409 |
| 1979 | +53.4% | 0.073 | 0.112 |
| 2022 | -49.7% | 0.352 | 0.177 |
| 1966 | -38.7% | 0.106 | 0.065 |
| 1961 | +35.8% | 0.081 | 0.11 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 0.024 | 0.024 | 0.024 | 1 |
| 1920s | 0.0258 | 0.024 | 0.026 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.026 | 0.026 | 0.026 | 2 |
| 1940s | 0.0307 | 0.029 | 0.034 | 3 |
| 1950s | 0.0443 | 0.035 | 0.064 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.0926 | 0.065 | 0.11 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.0887 | 0.073 | 0.112 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.0903 | 0.079 | 0.126 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.2015 | 0.092 | 0.251 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.2836 | 0.262 | 0.315 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.3517 | 0.232 | 0.414 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2158 | 0.104 | 0.397 | 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 participatory democracy index in Burkina Faso?
- Participatory democracy index in Burkina Faso was 0.104 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest participatory democracy index recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The highest recorded value was 0.414 in 2017.
- What is the lowest participatory democracy index recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.024 in 1919.
- How does Burkina Faso rank for participatory democracy index?
- Burkina Faso ranks 142nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is participatory democracy index rising or falling in Burkina Faso?
- Over the last ten years it is down 55.2%. 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 Participatory 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, as well as the extent to which citizens can engage in regional and local government, civil society organizations, and direct democracy.