Burkina Faso: Goods and services expense (current LCU)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Burkina Faso's goods and services expense (current LCU) rose 35.6% on 2023 (from 231.31 billion to 313.6 billion).

Across the 21 yearly changes before that (2003 to 2023), the average change was +10.7% and a typical year strayed about 39.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 170.3% in 2017 and the biggest yearly fall was 29.7% in 2019. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 14% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, Burkina Faso had the 22nd highest value of the 89 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Burkina Faso in the 2024 ranking

• Madagascar — 19th of 89: 519.97 billion
• Mexico — 20th of 89: 514.45 billion
• United States — 21st of 89: 467.27 billion
• Saudi Arabia — 23rd of 89: 313.02 billion
• Dominican Republic — 24th of 89: 260.06 billion
• South Africa — 25th of 89: 205.65 billion

What this measures

Goods and services include all government payments in exchange for goods and services used for the production of market and nonmarket goods and services. Use of goods and services for account capital formation is excluded. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.

Limitations: For most countries central government finance data have been consolidated into one account, but for others only budgetary central government accounts are available. Countries reporting budgetary data are noted in the country metadata. Because budgetary accounts may not include all central government units (such as social security funds), they usually provide an incomplete picture. In federal states the central government accounts provide an incomplete view of total public finance. Data on government revenue and expense are collected by the IMF through questionnaires to member countries and by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

All 23 values

Goods and services expense (current LCU) in nearby economies

• Angola — 5.12 trillion (2024)
• Botswana — 17.92 billion (2023)
• Burundi — 178.07 billion (2021)
• Cabo Verde — 11.14 billion (2020)
• Cameroon — 1.04 trillion (2021)
• Central African Republic — 51.58 billion (2021)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 4.84 trillion (2022)
• Congo, Rep. — 359 billion (2021)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 1.42 trillion (2023)
• Equatorial Guinea — 239.4 billion (2022)

More public sector data for Burkina Faso

• Military expenditure (current USD) — 891.56 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 518.42 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 3.3% (2025)
• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 34 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) — 13.21% (2025)
• Armed forces personnel, total — 11,000 (2020)
• Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 0.12% (2020)
• Net acquisition of financial assets (current LCU) — 137.43 billion (2024)
• Net acquisition of financial assets (% of GDP) — 0.98% (2024)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Burkina Faso's goods and services expense (current LCU)?

313.6 billion in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2002?

It is up 401.73% from 62.5 billion in 2002 (7.61% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 345.93 billion in 2017 and the lowest 56.26 billion in 2003.

How does Burkina Faso rank?

22nd highest of 89 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in goods and services expense (current LCU) unusual for Burkina Faso?

In 2024, Burkina Faso's goods and services expense (current LCU) rose 35.6% on 2023 (from 231.31 billion to 313.6 billion). Across the 21 yearly changes before that (2003 to 2023), the average change was +10.7% and a typical year strayed about 39.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator GC.XPN.GSRV.CN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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