Employment in services (% of total employment) in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: Employment in services (% of total employment) was 31.6% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Employment in services (% of total employment) in Burkina Faso, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, employment in services (% of total employment) in Burkina Faso stood at 31.6%. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.3% on the previous year and up 13.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in services (% of total employment) in Burkina Faso peaked at 31.6% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 11.8%, in 1992.
That places Burkina Faso 173rd out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Employment in services (% of total employment) in Burkina Faso, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 11.9% | — |
| 1992 | 11.8% | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 11.9% | +1.0% |
| 1994 | 11.9% | -0.2% |
| 1995 | 12.5% | +5.2% |
| 1996 | 13.5% | +8.0% |
| 1997 | 14.3% | +5.8% |
| 1998 | 15.1% | +5.2% |
| 1999 | 16.0% | +6.2% |
| 2000 | 16.4% | +2.9% |
| 2001 | 17.2% | +4.6% |
| 2002 | 17.9% | +3.9% |
| 2003 | 18.8% | +5.3% |
| 2004 | 19.6% | +4.3% |
| 2005 | 20.7% | +5.4% |
| 2006 | 21.7% | +4.8% |
| 2007 | 22.3% | +2.9% |
| 2008 | 22.8% | +2.1% |
| 2009 | 23.3% | +2.2% |
| 2010 | 24.1% | +3.7% |
| 2011 | 24.9% | +3.3% |
| 2012 | 25.8% | +3.3% |
| 2013 | 26.6% | +3.4% |
| 2014 | 27.3% | +2.4% |
| 2015 | 27.9% | +2.3% |
| 2016 | 28.7% | +3.1% |
| 2017 | 29.7% | +3.3% |
| 2018 | 30.6% | +3.2% |
| 2019 | 31.4% | +2.6% |
| 2020 | 30.4% | -3.3% |
| 2021 | 30.2% | -0.7% |
| 2022 | 30.4% | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 30.7% | +1.1% |
| 2024 | 31.2% | +1.3% |
| 2025 | 31.6% | +1.3% |
Burkina Faso compared with similar countries
- Burkina Faso's 31.6% is above the median for low income countries, which is 31.6%, 1.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Burkina Faso's 31.6% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 41.4%, 76% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 13.2% | 11.8% | 16.0% | 9 |
| 2000s | 20.1% | 16.4% | 23.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 27.7% | 24.1% | 31.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 30.7% | 30.2% | 31.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Burkina Faso
More work & labour data for Burkina Faso
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.0413 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.016 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.0657 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.6828 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 3.33 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 21,677 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 21,530 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 25,421 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 24,433 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 49,854 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in services (% of total employment) in Burkina Faso?
- Employment in services (% of total employment) in Burkina Faso was 31.6% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employment in services (% of total employment) recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The highest recorded value was 31.6% in 2025.
- What is the lowest employment in services (% of total employment) recorded in Burkina Faso?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.8% in 1992.
- How does Burkina Faso rank for employment in services (% of total employment)?
- Burkina Faso ranks 173rd out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in services (% of total employment) rising or falling in Burkina Faso?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Burkina Faso data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Employment in services (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Employment is defined as persons of working age who were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit, whether at work during the reference period or not at work due to temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangement. The services sector consists of wholesale and retail trade and restaurants and hotels; transport, storage, and communications; financing, insurance, real estate, and business services; and community, social, and personal services, in accordance with divisions 6-9 (ISIC 2) or categories G-Q (ISIC 3) or categories G-U (ISIC 4).