Burkina Faso: Young Burkinabè Voice Dissatisfaction With Their Country's Direction, Government's Performance

Tendai Marima/Daily Vox
Political party polling agents in Kampala searching voter’s names on the register (file photo).
6 June 2025
Afrobarometer (Accra)
By Stephen Quansah

Insecurity is their top priority for government action.

Key findings

  • More than one-third (36%) of young Burkinabè (aged 18-35) have secondary or post-secondary education, compared to 4%-17% among older groups. But 43% of youth still have no formal education.
  • More than half (52%) of youth say they are unemployed and actively seeking work, compared to 23%-40% of middle-aged and older adults.
  • Crime/security, food security, and civil war or political violence rank as the most important issues that young Burkinabè say their government must address.
  • Few young Burkinabè approve of their government's performance on their priority issues, including reducing crime (25%), preventing or resolving violent conflict (31%), managing the economy (19%), and creating jobs (17%).
  • Eight in 10 youth (79%) believe the country is heading in "the wrong direction."
  • Nearly three-quarters (73%) of youth rate the national economy as "fairly bad" or "very bad." Six in 10 (59%) say the same thing about their personal living conditions. Half (51%) expect things to improve over the coming year.
  • Young citizens are less likely than their elders to engage in political and civic activities such as contacting an elected official, attending a community meeting, and voting in elections.

Almost two-thirds of Burkina Faso's population are under the age of 25, making youth issues a critical focal point of national policies and programmes (UNICEF, 2020; Statista, 2023).

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The 2023 Global Youth Development Index ranks Burkina Faso 165th out of 183 countries on indicators of employment and opportunity, education, equality and inclusion, health and well-being, peace and security, and political and civic participation (Commonwealth, 2024).

Education and employment are persistent challenges. The youth illiteracy rate remains alarmingly high, with 41% of females and 33% of males aged 15-24 unable to read (Institut National de la Statistique et de la Démographie, 2023). With limited opportunities for skills training and professional development, one-third (34%) of youth were not in education, employment, or training as of 2023 (World Bank, 2025). The country's age dependency ratio of 75.3% indicates a heavy burden on the working population to support non-working dependents (World Economics, 2022).

The government of Burkina Faso and its partners have implemented a variety of initiatives to promote youth employment and skills development. With the National Employment Policy as a cornerstone of efforts to reduce poverty by creating jobs and enhancing employability (International Labour Organization, 2008), these have ranged from the Youth Employment and Skills Development Project, designed to provide jobs for undereducated youth through labour-intensive public works (World Bank, 2013), to the Fund for Youth Employment (2023) and the International Trade Centre (2022) partnership for vocational training and entrepreneurship. The Support Project for Youth Employment and Skills Development focuses on improving youth employability and fostering entrepreneurship in agriculture, forestry, and livestock sectors (African Development Bank, 2019).

Youth advocates also emphasise the importance of including young people in governance processes to design effective policies that meet their needs. However, barriers such as limited representation in political offices and costs associated with election campaigns continue to hinder youth participation (UNICEF, 2020).

The Afrobarometer Round 9 survey (2022) offers some insights into the situation of Burkina Faso's youth. Findings show that most young Burkinabè think the country is headed in "the wrong direction," and only half are optimistic that things will get better in the near future. Majorities say the government is failing to address their priorities. Despite their dissatisfaction, young citizens are less likely than their elders to engage in political processes.

Stephen Quansah Stephen Quansah is a PhD student in political science and a graduate research assistant at the Department of Political Science, University of Florida.

Read the original article on Afrobarometer.

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