Burkina Faso: International tourism, receipts for travel items (current US$)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2019, Burkina Faso's international tourism, receipts for travel items (current US$) fell 4.1% on 2018 (from US$121 million to US$116 million).

Across the 18 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2018), the average change was +13% and a typical year strayed about 24.7% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations below 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 82.1% in 2013 and the biggest yearly fall was 19.3% in 2015. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2010 to 2019 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 29% 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 2019, Burkina Faso had the 7th highest value of the 11 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 2019 ranking

• Haiti — 4th of 11: US$450 million
• Benin — 5th of 11: US$240 million
• Togo — 6th of 11: US$149 million
• Niger — 8th of 11: US$116 million
• Sierra Leone — 9th of 11: US$43 million
• Guinea-Bissau — 10th of 11: US$18.9 million

What this measures

International tourism receipts for travel items are expenditures by international inbound visitors in the reporting economy. The goods and services are purchased by, or on behalf of, the traveler or provided, without a quid pro quo, for the traveler to use or give away. These receipts should include any other prepayment made for goods or services received in the destination country. They also may include receipts from same-day visitors, except in cases where these are so important as to justify a separate classification. Excluded is the international carriage of travelers, which is covered in passenger travel items. Data are in current U.S. dollars.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a gap-filled total.

All 20 values

International tourism, receipts for travel items (current US$) in nearby economies

• Angola — US$16 million (2020)
• Benin — US$240 million (2019)
• Botswana — US$211 million (2020)
• Burundi — US$3.9 million (2018)
• Cabo Verde — US$159 million (2020)
• Cameroon — US$437 million (2020)
• Comoros — US$18 million (2020)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — US$80.8 million (2020)
• Congo, Rep. — US$41 million (2016)

More private sector & trade data for Burkina Faso

• Merchandise trade (% of GDP) — 67.5% (2025)
• Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$7.57 billion (2025)
• Merchandise exports (current US$) — US$11.08 billion (2025)
• Merchandise imports from high-income economies (% of total merchandise imports) — 41.7% (2023)
• Merchandise imports by the reporting economy, residual (% of total merchandise imports) — 0% (2023)
• Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) — US$5.88 billion (2023)
• Merchandise exports to high-income economies (% of total merchandise exports) — 82.37% (2023)
• Merchandise exports to low- and middle-income economies in Sub-Saharan Africa (% of total merchandise exports)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Burkina Faso's international tourism, receipts for travel items (current US$)?

US$116 million in 2019, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2000?

It is up 510.53% from US$19 million in 2000 (9.99% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$153 million in 2013 and the lowest US$19 million in 2000.

How does Burkina Faso rank?

7th highest of 11 economies with data for 2019.

Is the latest change in international tourism, receipts for travel items (current US$) unusual for Burkina Faso?

In 2019, Burkina Faso's international tourism, receipts for travel items (current US$) fell 4.1% on 2018 (from US$121 million to US$116 million). Across the 18 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2018), the average change was +13% and a typical year strayed about 24.7% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations below 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 ST.INT.TVLR.CD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism 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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