Burkina Faso: School enrollment, primary and secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2021, Burkina Faso's school enrollment, primary and secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) rose 0.02 on 2020 (from 1.02 to 1.04).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1974 to 2020), the average change was +0.01 and a typical year strayed about 0.01 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 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 0.03 in 2004 and the biggest yearly fall was 0.01 in 1977. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2012 to 2021 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.01 a year. A straight line explains 99% of the movement over 10 observed years.

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

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 1.08 for 2024. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2019 to 2021 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 0.00757, against 0.04 for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

In 2021, Burkina Faso had the 8th highest value of the 51 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 2021 ranking

• Seychelles — 5th of 51: 1.06
• West Bank and Gaza — 6th of 51: 1.05
• Tanzania — 7th of 51: 1.04
• Mauritius — 9th of 51: 1.04
• Cambodia — 10th of 51: 1.04
• Philippines — 11th of 51: 1.03

What this measures

Gender parity index for gross enrollment ratio in primary and secondary education is the ratio of girls to boys enrolled at primary and secondary levels in public and private schools.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 38 values

School enrollment, primary and secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) in nearby economies

• Benin — 0.9 (2021)
• Botswana — 1.02 (2021)
• Burundi — 1.06 (2020)
• Cabo Verde — 1.01 (2019)
• Cameroon — 0.89 (2018)
• Central African Republic — 0.74 (2017)
• Chad — 0.75 (2021)
• Comoros — 1.02 (2018)
• Congo, Dem. Rep.

More education data for Burkina Faso

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 12 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 7 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 3.07 million (2024)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 77.17% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, female (% gross) — 78.3% (2024)
• School enrollment, primary, male (% gross) — 76.06% (2024)
• Primary education, teachers — 91,764 (2024)
• Primary education, teachers (% female)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Burkina Faso's school enrollment, primary and secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI)?

1.04 in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1971?

It is up 83.7% from 0.57 in 1971 (1.22% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 1.04 in 2021 and the lowest 0.57 in 1971.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.ENR.PRSC.FM.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Stat Bulk Data Download Service, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://uis.unesco.org/bdds, publisher: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) 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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