Burkina Faso
Population estimate 15million
Population density (people per square mile) 150
Population doubling time 23 years
GDP per capita US$ 684
Benchmark approximations
Population doubling time in years:
USA 79. Canada 81. Germany declining. UK 248. Russia declining. China 110. Philippines 41.
Population density (people per square mile)
USA 85. Canada 9. Germany 593. UK 660. Russia 21. China 368. Philippines 795.
GDP per capita in US$:
USA 53,000. Canada 52,000. Germany 46,200. UK 41,800. Russia 14,600. China 6,800. Philippines 2,770
RECENT HISTORY
Formerly a French colony gaining independence in 1960, followed by dictatorship, various military coups/military governments, a failed Marxist ideology, famine and lack of natural resources.
Currently an underdeveloped economy dependent upon subsistence farming.
EDUCATION
School enrolment is one of the lowest in Africa, even though the government devotes a large portion of the national budget to education. In 1996 primary schools enrolled only 8 percent of primary school-aged children, and secondary schools enrolled a mere 5 percent of secondary school-aged children.
French is the language of instruction in primary and secondary schools. About one-fourth of the population aged 15 and older is literate.
The primary institution for higher education is Ouagadougou University (established 1974). Research institutes in Ouagadougou offer degrees in rural engineering and hydrology. There are a polytechnic university and a college for rural development in Bobo Dioulasso. A university was established in Koudougou in 2005. Some Burkinabé seek higher education in France, Senegal, or Côte d'Ivoire.