Burkina Faso is a country in Western Africa, one of the 17 entries this site files under that subregion. The short and official forms of the name are the same. Government sits in Ouagadougou.
It is home to roughly 23.5 million people, placing it 59th of 250 by population — between Mali above it and Taiwan below. Among the 17 entries in Western Africa it ranks 6th by area and 6th by population.
The land area is 272,967 km², which ranks it 76th of the 250 countries and territories in this dataset — just behind Ecuador and just ahead of New Zealand. For scale, it is almost exactly the same size as New Zealand.
Geography and neighbours of Burkina Faso
Plotted on a globe it falls at 13.0° north, 2.0° west, which puts it in the northern hemisphere, roughly 1,447 km from the equator, in what geographers would call tropical latitudes.
The prime meridian also passes close to it, so it straddles the line that divides east from west. Follow that same latitude east or west and you reach Yemen, Thailand and the Philippines — places that share its distance from the equator but little else.
It borders 6 neighbours: Benin, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Mali, Niger and Togo. The largest of them by area is Niger, while the most populous is Ghana. Together those neighbours hold about 141.9 million people.
This is one of the world's landlocked countries. That is true of 45 of the 250 entries here, which reliably raises the cost of trade, because port access depends on a transit agreement with a neighbour. 2 of its neighbours, Mali and Niger, are landlocked too. You can see the full picture on the landlocked countries page.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
The people of Burkina Faso
Spread across 272,967 km², that works out at about 86 people per square kilometre, which makes it less crowded than the typical entry on this list. Half the entries in this dataset fall below roughly 90 per square kilometre.
French is the only official language. Another 45 entries list French too — among them Belgium, Benin, Burundi and Cameroon.
People from Burkina Faso are called Burkinabes.
Against Africa as a whole it is the 20th most populous of 59 entries, and it accounts for 5.2% of everyone living in Western Africa.
Useful reference details
Money there is the West African CFA franc (Fr, XOF). Another 7 entries use the same currency — Benin, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mali and Niger among them — so exchange rates move for reasons that have nothing to do with Burkina Faso.
Websites there use the .bf domain. Calls from overseas start with +226. Its ISO codes are bf and BFA, which is what most databases and flag files use.
If a quiz asks for the capital of Burkina Faso, the answer is Ouagadougou.
As a sovereign state it is among the 193 UN members listed here. The other 57 entries are territories, dependencies or observers, which is why totals on this site run to 250 rather than the familiar 195.
Neighbouring countries
Burkina Faso shares borders with 6 countries:
Fun facts about Burkina Faso
- Websites based there use the .bf domain.
- In land area it is almost exactly the same size as New Zealand.
- People from Burkina Faso are known as Burkinabes.
- Its currency, the West African CFA franc, is shared with 7 other entries.
- It lies about 1,447 km from the equator, in tropical latitudes.
- Yemen and Thailand sit at almost the same latitude, on the far side of the globe.
Burkina Faso — frequently asked questions
- What is the capital of Burkina Faso?
- The capital of Burkina Faso is Ouagadougou.
- Is Burkina Faso a country?
- Yes. Burkina Faso is a sovereign state and one of the 193 UN members listed on this site.
- What language is spoken in Burkina Faso?
- The official language of Burkina Faso is French. It is also official in 45 other entries on this list.
- How big is Burkina Faso?
- Burkina Faso covers 272,967 km², ranking 76th of 250 by land area. That makes it almost exactly the same size as New Zealand.
- Is Burkina Faso landlocked?
- Yes. Burkina Faso has no sea coast, which makes it one of 45 landlocked entries in this dataset. Everything it imports or exports by sea has to cross a neighbour's territory first, and that transit dependency is a well-documented drag on trade costs.
- Which countries border Burkina Faso?
- Burkina Faso borders 6 countries: Benin, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Mali, Niger and Togo. Niger is the largest of them by area.
- Where is Burkina Faso located?
- Burkina Faso is in Western Africa, part of Africa. Its reference coordinates are 13.0° north and 2.0° west, roughly 1,447 km from the equator in tropical latitudes.
- What is the population of Burkina Faso?
- Burkina Faso has a population of about 23.5 million, which makes it the 59th most populous of the 250 countries and territories listed on this site. Mali sits just above it and Taiwan just below.
- What currency does Burkina Faso use?
- Burkina Faso uses the West African CFA franc, written Fr (currency code XOF). It is shared with 7 other entries.
