Foreign relations of Burkina Faso has good relations with the European Union

Human Development

Despite a noticeable improvement in recent years, maternal and child health indicators have not yet attained the targets set in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the National Economic and Social Development Plan (PNDES). Moreover, the country is ranked 144 out of 157 countries on the new Human Capital Index established by the World Bank.

The maternal mortality rate fell from 484 deaths per 100,000 live births in 1998 to 341 per 100,000 live births in 2016, while use of modern contraception reached 24% in 2017, up from 15% in 2010, with a fertility rate of 5.4 children per woman (roughly 0.5 fewer pregnancies relative to 2010). In addition, the percentage of assisted childbirths increased from 66% in 2010 to 80% in 2015.

The under-five mortality rate also dropped from 66 deaths per 1,000 live births to 51 deaths per 1,000 live births between 2010 and 2017, while the neonatal mortality rate declined from 31 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2010 to 25 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2017. This results in an overall infant and child mortality rate of 81 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2017, down from 116 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2010.

Despite a downward trend, malnutrition remains endemic, with a prevalence of acute malnutrition of 7.6% in 2016 compared to 15% in 2010, and an incidence of stunted growth of 27% (compared to 35% in 2010).

In 2016, life expectancy at birth was 60 years.

In recent years, Burkina Faso has made considerable progress in the area of education. The gross enrollment ratio (GRE) at the pre-primary level rose from 3% in 2011 to 4% in 2017.

When disaggregated by gender, these statistics reveal that girls and boys have access to primary education and complete this level in roughly comparable proportions, with a gross primary admission rate of 100.6% for girls and 104.5% for boys, and a gross primary completion rate of 64.3% for girls and 56.6% for boys.

In 2014, the literacy rate among adults was estimated at 34.5%.

In 2017, only 554 students out of 100,000 inhabitants were recorded as being enrolled in higher education, with just 35,410 girls of a total of 105,404 students (34%).

Lastly, the rise in insecurity and terrorism in a number of regions in the country had a negative impact on the education sector. On January 15, 2019, approximately 1,035 primary, post-primary, and secondary schools were closed in those regions, depriving around 141,000 pupils of an education. To address this displacement of pupils, the government prepared an education strategy for pupils in areas experiencing severe security challenges.

Development Challenges

Burkina Faso remains vulnerable to climatic shocks related to changes in rainfall patterns and to fluctuations in the prices of its export commodities on world markets.

Its economic and social development will, to some extent, be contingent on political stability in the country and the subregion, its openness to international trade, and export diversification; hence the need to create fiscal space to expedite investments in infrastructure and human capital with the aim of boosting the productivity and competitiveness of the economy.