Burkina Faso: Burkina faso People Profile

Burkina Faso, or Burkina, is a landlocked country in West Africa that is bordered by the Ivory Coast, Togo, Ghana, Benin, Niger and Mali. Burkina is a rapidly growing country with an estimated 2015 people of 17.9 million, which makes Burkina that 62th most populous country in the world.

Burkina Faso People 2015

The total population in Burkina Faso was last recorded at 17.4 million people in 2014 from 4.8 million in 1960, changing 261 percent during the last 50 years. Population in Burkina Faso averaged 9.17 Million from 1960 until 2014, reaching anall time high of 17.42 Million in 2014 and a record low of 4.83 Million in 1960. Population in Burkina Faso is reported by the World Bank.

Most of the people is located in the center and south of Burkina Faso, with a density that goes over 48 people per square kilometer in some areas. Hundreds of thousands of people regularly migrate to Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire for seasonal work. The capital and major city is Ouagadougou, or just Ouaga, with a people of 1.8 million.

Burkina Faso Demographics

Most of the 17 million people in Burkina Faso belong to one of two West African ethnic cultural groups: the Voltaic and the Mande. Voltaic Mossi make up about 50% of the people and are descended from warriors who moved to the area from Ghana around 1100, establishing an empire that lasted over 800 years.

In 1995, the ethnic composition of Burkina Faso was: 48% Mossi, 10% Fulani, 7% Lobi, 7% Bobo, 6.7% Mande, 5% Senufo, 5% Gurunsi, 4.8% Gurma and 3.1% Tuareg.

About 69 languages are spoken in the country, 60 of which are indigenous. About 40% of the people speaks Mossi, although the official language is still French, which was introduced during the country's colonial period.

The median age is just under 17 years old. A 2005 World Health Organization statement estimated that almost 73% of girls and women in Burkina Faso have undergone female genital mutilation, which is done according to traditional rituals in the area. Burkina Faso is one of the last great strongholds of slavery in the world, and children in the country are often victims to slavery.

Activists in the country have lobbied for additional attention to birth control, which has been largely ignored as attention has focused on preventing HIV/AIDs. Without controlling its people, Burkina Faso will have difficulty improving living standards.

Burkina Faso People Growth

Burkina Faso has a total fertility rate of 6 children born to each woman, which is the sixth highest on earth, and the country has a people increase rate of additional than 3%. If this rate continues in Burkina Faso, one of the poorest nations in the world, its people will surpass 20 million by 2020.