Burkina Faso: Country Report | 2024

AI Generated Analysis based on UNHCR Forced Displacement Statisitics.

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Executive Summary

TO: UNHCR Executive Committee, Donors, Member States FROM: The High Commissioner SUBJECT: Key Trends in Forced Displacement – Burkina Faso, 2024

Executive Summary: A Crisis at the Epicentre

Burkina Faso stands at the epicentre of a devastating humanitarian emergency, now confronting one of the world’s fastest-growing internal displacement crises. A staggering 2.06 million people are internally displaced—a figure that has escalated dramatically over the last five years. This is not a distant crisis; it is a human catastrophe defined by immense and immediate needs. The displaced population is overwhelmingly young, with women and children facing acute risks that demand urgent protection, from gender-based violence to a generation losing access to education.

The crisis reverberates far beyond Burkina Faso’s borders, yet the burden of responsibility remains concentrated within the region. While grappling with its own internal collapse, Burkina Faso continues to host nearly 40,000 refugees, almost all of whom have fled violence in neighbouring Mali. This dual reality places an unsustainable strain on host communities and national resources. Simultaneously, Burkinabè citizens are increasingly forced to seek safety abroad, placing immense pressure on neighbouring West African nations who host the vast majority of those who flee. This underscores the interconnected nature of instability across the Sahel and the critical need for greater international solidarity.

Durable solutions remain alarmingly scarce. For the over 2 million IDPs, there were no recorded returns in the past year, signalling a deeply entrenched and protracted crisis. While asylum systems are functioning, they are under extreme pressure, with backlogs growing and recognition rates for Burkinabè asylum-seekers varying wildly from nearly 100% in some host countries to near zero in others. This protection lottery is unacceptable. The path forward requires not only a surge in humanitarian funding but a renewed political commitment to peace and stability, without which millions will remain trapped in a cycle of displacement and despair.

Population Overview

Population Overview

The humanitarian situation in Burkina Faso is defined by a staggering internal displacement crisis, with the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) reaching over 2.06 million. This figure, representing 98 per cent of the total population of concern in the country, underscores the scale of internal turmoil. The data reveals this is not a long-standing situation but the result of a rapid and dramatic escalation over the past five years, transforming the humanitarian landscape of the nation and the wider Central Sahel region.

Behind these stark numbers lies a deeply vulnerable population. The demographic profile is that of a very young population, with children and youth constituting the vast majority. Furthermore, a significant gender disparity is evident among adults, where women aged 18-59 significantly outnumber their male counterparts. This profile points to acute protection needs, including for child protection, education, and services to prevent and respond to gender-based violence.

The protracted nature of this crisis is starkly illustrated by the data: the number of IDPs remained static between 2023 and 2024, with no recorded returns for this group over the entire reporting period, signalling a profound lack of durable solutions. While the internal crisis predominates, Burkina Faso also hosts refugee and asylum-seeker populations. Though much smaller in number, this group saw a modest increase of 4 per cent over the last year, a change driven by ongoing regional displacement dynamics. The refugee population itself is highly concentrated, with the vast majority originating from a single neighbouring country, reflecting the interconnected nature of instability across the Sahel. The overall picture is one of an immense and entrenched internal displacement crisis with specific demographic vulnerabilities, compounding the challenges in a region facing multiple overlapping emergencies.

Demographics

AI Insight: Treemap of the Population of Concern in Burkina Faso by group, where Internally Displaced Persons constitute the vast majority with over 2 million individuals., This treemap illustrates the composition of the 2,104,000 individuals considered a population of concern in Burkina Faso as of 2024. The visualization is dominated by a single category: Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), which number 2,062,534. This group represents approximately 98% of the total, highlighting a severe internal displacement crisis. The remaining 2% is composed of several smaller groups, including refugees, asylum-seekers, and 546 returned refugees. The extreme size difference between the IDP category and all other groups is the most prominent feature of the data, visually represented by one large rectangle for IDPs and several much smaller rectangles for the other populations.

AI Insight: Population pyramid of populations of concern in Burkina Faso by age and gender, where the distribution is characteristic of a very young population and females significantly outnumber males in the 18-59 age bracket., This population pyramid displays the demographic breakdown of 9,693,964 forcibly displaced and stateless persons in Burkina Faso as of 2024. The data is fully disaggregated by gender, with females constituting approximately 53% of the total population and males 47%.

The pyramid’s expansive shape, with a very wide base, indicates a predominantly young population. A large majority of individuals are children and youth under 18. The largest single demographic cohort is the 18-59 age group, where a notable gender disparity exists: females in this bracket account for 25.1% of the total population, compared to 18.8% for males.

Conversely, the smallest cohort is the elderly population (60+), comprising only 0.24% females and 0.19% males. This demographic profile highlights critical areas for humanitarian response, including the need for extensive child protection and education services, as well as targeted programs for women’s empowerment, health, and protection against gender-based violence. The small elderly population may also require specialized assistance due to heightened vulnerabilities.

Geography & Movements

The Sahel’s Epicentre: Internal Collapse and Regional Ripples in Burkina Faso

The escalating violence and instability in the central Sahel have positioned Burkina Faso at the epicenter of one of the world’s most acute and rapidly evolving humanitarian emergencies. The data reveals a crisis of staggering internal dimensions, where the overwhelming majority of those forcibly displaced remain within their own nation’s borders. As of 2024, over 2 million people were internally displaced within Burkina Faso, a figure that has grown exponentially since 2019, transforming the country into the site of one of the fastest-growing internal displacement crises globally.

Behind these stark numbers, the analysis of cross-border movements shows a familiar pattern of regional concentration. While Burkinabè refugees and asylum-seekers are recorded in 40 countries, the burden of hosting is not shared equally. The displacement is contained almost entirely within West Africa, placing immense pressure on the resources and social fabric of adjacent states. This regional strain is underscored by a highly skewed distribution: while the median number of Burkinabè people of concern per host country globally is just 60, a few neighbouring countries are sheltering thousands, reflecting the tendency for refugees to seek safety in the nearest possible location.

The complexity of the situation is further highlighted by Burkina Faso’s dual role as both a major country of origin and a host nation. Despite its own internal turmoil, the country continues to provide asylum to nearly 40,000 refugees. The data shows this population is almost entirely composed of individuals fleeing violence in neighbouring Mali, with over 39,000 Malians constituting the vast majority of all refugees in the country. This dual reality—grappling with a massive internal displacement crisis while simultaneously offering sanctuary to those from a neighbouring conflict—illustrates the deeply interconnected nature of forced displacement in the Sahel and underscores the critical strain on humanitarian resources and community resilience across the entire region.

AI Insight: Choropleth map of destination countries for people displaced from Burkina Faso as of 2024, where the vast majority are internally displaced within Burkina Faso, with smaller populations hosted in neighboring countries., This choropleth map visualizes the global distribution of refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and other populations of concern originating from Burkina Faso as of 2024. The data reveals a crisis predominantly contained within Burkina Faso’s own borders.

Statistical analysis shows a highly skewed distribution among the 40 countries hosting displaced persons. The key finding is the maximum value of 2,062,534 individuals, which represents the number of IDPs within Burkina Faso itself. This figure underscores that the most severe impact of the crisis is on the internal population.

Beyond its borders, the displacement is concentrated regionally. While specific country names are not provided in the summary, the data distribution is characteristic of forced displacement patterns where neighboring countries bear the next largest responsibility. The 75th percentile is only 860 people, while the mean is approximately 58,500, indicating that a few host countries, likely in West Africa, have accepted thousands of refugees, while the global diaspora is much smaller. The median number of persons hosted per country is just 60.5, and the minimum is 5, showing that most countries outside the immediate region host very small numbers of Burkinabè people of concern. This pattern highlights the immense pressure on both Burkina Faso’s internal resources and its direct neighbors.

Origin of Displaced Populations

AI Insight: Horizontal bar chart of the number of refugees in Burkina Faso by country of origin in 2024, where the vast majority of refugees are from Mali., The horizontal bar chart displays the top 9 countries of origin for refugees residing in Burkina Faso in 2024. The data is highly skewed, indicating that one country is the source of the overwhelming majority of refugees.

Out of a total of approximately 39,920 refugees from the listed origins, Mali is the primary country of origin with 39,265 individuals. This single group represents the vast majority of the refugee population shown. The remaining countries of origin contribute significantly smaller numbers. The median number of refugees from the other countries is just 33, and 75% of the origins listed have 109 or fewer refugees. The smallest group shown has 17 refugees. This stark contrast highlights that the refugee situation in Burkina Faso is predominantly characterized by the population from Mali, with other nationalities forming very small minority groups.

AI Insight: Alluvial diagram of the origin of forcibly displaced populations in Burkina Faso from 2019 to 2025, where the number of internally displaced Burkinabè citizens grew exponentially to over 2 million, vastly outnumbering the refugee population from other countries., This alluvial diagram illustrates the evolution of the composition of forcibly displaced populations hosted in Burkina Faso between 2019 and 2025. The data is categorized into two main origin groups: individuals from Burkina Faso (Internally Displaced Persons, or IDPs) and individuals from other countries (refugees and asylum-seekers).

The most striking trend is the dramatic and rapid increase in the number of IDPs. The total displaced population size shown in the data ranges from a minimum of 20,282 to a maximum of 2,062,534. This explosive growth is almost entirely attributable to internal displacement. While the population of refugees from other countries remains relatively low and stable throughout the period, the number of Burkinabè citizens forced to flee their homes within their own country has surged, exceeding two million by the later years of the analysis.

Statistically, the data’s mean value of 823,041 is significantly higher than its median of 300,896, which indicates that the extreme values in the later years, driven by the IDP crisis, heavily skew the overall average. This chart visually represents the escalating internal security and humanitarian crisis in Burkina Faso, which has transformed the country from primarily a host of foreign refugees into a nation grappling with one of the world’s fastest-growing internal displacement crises.

Destination

AI Insight: Bar chart of the top 10 destination countries for forcibly displaced people from Burkina Faso as of 2024, where one country hosts a vastly disproportionate number of people, over 11.3 million., This column chart displays the top ten destination countries for people forcibly displaced from Burkina Faso as of 2024. The data reveals a highly skewed distribution, with one destination country hosting the overwhelming majority of this population. The top destination provides asylum to over 11.3 million people. In contrast, the other nine countries host significantly fewer people. The median number of displaced persons among the top ten countries is approximately 83,000, and 75% of these destination countries host fewer than 170,000 people each. The smallest number of displaced people in this top-ten list is just under 10,000. This stark contrast highlights a heavy concentration of asylum seekers from Burkina Faso in a single primary destination, while the remaining top destinations accommodate populations that are orders of magnitude smaller.

Asylum System

Asylum Systems Under Pressure

The escalating instability and humanitarian crisis in Burkina Faso has precipitated a dramatic surge in people seeking international protection. Asylum applications lodged by Burkinabe nationals, previously modest, have shown extreme growth in recent years, with the volume of new cases skewing historical averages and signaling a severe and worsening protection crisis. Behind these stark numbers are individuals and families fleeing violence and upheaval.

At the same time, Burkina Faso continues to operate as an important country of asylum, though its national systems are under immense strain. The data reveals a widening gap between the cumulative number of asylum applications registered and the decisions rendered. This growing backlog has extended the average processing time to a staggering 966 days by 2024, leaving many asylum-seekers in a protracted state of uncertainty. To manage the influx, the authorities have increasingly relied on group-based recognition. In 2024, of nearly 15,000 asylum decisions, a remarkable 73 per cent were granted on a prima facie basis, a critical tool for providing protection efficiently during mass displacement events.

However, outcomes vary significantly. For those whose claims are assessed individually in Burkina Faso, recognition rates are highly dependent on country of origin, ranging from 51.4 per cent for nationals from Mali down to just 3.1 per cent for those from Côte d’Ivoire. This divergence in protection outcomes is even more pronounced for Burkinabe nationals seeking safety abroad. The data reveals a stark disparity: while some countries of asylum granted refugee status to nearly 100 per cent of applicants from Burkina Faso in 2024, others had recognition rates approaching zero. This highlights the reality that access to international protection for those fleeing the same crisis can be profoundly dependent on the jurisdiction in which they file their claim.

AI Insight: Bar chart of asylum applications and decisions for Burkina Faso from 2019 to 2024, where the numbers remained relatively low before a dramatic spike in the most recent years., This bar chart displays the annual totals of asylum applications and decisions for individuals originating from Burkina Faso between 2019 and 2024. The data is broken down by the stage of the asylum process.

A statistical analysis reveals a trend of extreme growth. For most of the period, the number of cases was modest, with a median value of just 34.5 cases. However, the data shows a maximum value of 11,689, indicating a massive and sudden increase in at least one of the recent years. This outlier dramatically skews the mean to 1,496, which does not reflect the typical numbers seen in the earlier part of the period.

This trend directly correlates with the escalating political instability and humanitarian crisis in Burkina Faso, particularly following the coups in 2022, which have led to widespread displacement and a surge in people seeking international protection. The subtitle notes that one person may have more than one application, meaning the figures represent the volume of cases processed, not necessarily unique individuals.

AI Insight: Sankey diagram of Refugee Status Determination decisions in Burkina Faso in 2024, where out of 14,992 total decisions, the vast majority resulted in refugee status recognition, primarily through the prima facie approach., This Sankey diagram provides a detailed visualization of the 14,992 Refugee Status Determination (RSD) decisions made in Burkina Faso in 2024. The chart shows the flow of asylum cases through different decision types and their final outcomes, with the width of the flows representing the number of individuals.

The data is dominated by a single, large flow. Out of the total 14,992 decisions, the overwhelming majority, 10,954 individuals (approximately 73%), were recognized on a ‘prima facie’ basis. This means they were granted refugee status as part of a group, typically in a mass influx situation, without requiring individual interviews.

The remaining 4,038 decisions were processed through other means. A smaller flow represents cases that underwent individual RSD procedures, resulting in either recognition or rejection. The rest of the decisions fall under ‘Otherwise closed’, which can include administrative closures, cases where the applicant is unreachable, or withdrawn applications.

In summary, the chart highlights the critical reliance on the prima facie recognition process in Burkina Faso’s protection response for 2024, efficiently handling a large caseload and resulting in a high overall recognition rate.

AI Insight: Area chart of cumulative asylum applications versus decisions in Burkina Faso from 2020 to 2024, where the gap between applications and decisions widens significantly, indicating an increasing case backlog and an average processing time of 966 days by 2024., This visualization presents a comparative analysis of the cumulative number of asylum applications registered and first instance decisions made in Burkina Faso for the period 2020 to 2024. The chart uses two stacked areas to represent these flows over time.

The x-axis represents the years, and the y-axis shows the cumulative total of cases. The upper line tracks the total number of registered asylum applications, while the lower line tracks the total number of first instance decisions. The shaded area between these two lines visually represents the ‘gap’ or the backlog of pending cases.

Key observations from the data indicate that while both applications and decisions have increased since 2020, the rate of new applications has consistently outpaced the processing capacity. This has resulted in a progressively widening gap between the two cumulative totals, signifying a growing backlog. A vertical segment annotated with text highlights that as of 2024, the average processing time from registration to decision has reached 966 days. This substantial delay underscores the operational challenges in managing the asylum caseload in the country and the prolonged uncertainty faced by asylum seekers.

Recognition Rates

AI Insight: Bar chart of 2024 refugee recognition rates in Burkina Faso for the top 10 countries of origin by decision volume, where rates range from 51.4% for Mali down to 3.1% for Côte d’Ivoire., This bar chart displays the refugee recognition rates in Burkina Faso for 2024, focusing on the 10 countries of origin with the highest number of asylum decisions. The chart is ordered by the total volume of decisions made, not by the recognition rate itself.

Statistical analysis indicates significant variation in outcomes. The recognition rates for these top 10 nationalities range from a high of 51.4% to a low of 3.1%. The average recognition rate across these groups is 27.9%, with a median of 29.5%. The data shows a strong skew in the volume of decisions; while the total decisions for one country of origin can be as low as 87, the maximum reaches 1,254 cases, indicating that a single nationality accounts for a large proportion of the asylum claims processed.

The country with the highest number of decisions (1,254), Mali, also has the highest recognition rate at 51.4%. Conversely, the country with the lowest rate is Côte d’Ivoire at 3.1%. The role of complementary protection is minimal, with an average of only one case per country of origin, meaning the refugee recognition rate is the primary indicator of positive outcomes. The visualization highlights that protection needs and recognition outcomes are highly dependent on the specific country of origin.

AI Insight: Column chart of the 2024 Refugee Recognition Rate for nationals from Burkina Faso in the top 10 countries of asylum, where rates vary significantly, with several countries showing rates near 100% while others are close to 0%., This column chart presents a comparative analysis of the Refugee Recognition Rate in 2024 for asylum seekers from Burkina Faso. The comparison is made across the 10 countries of asylum that have processed the highest number of applications (‘Total Decided’).

The underlying data covers 10 asylum countries. The total number of decisions made per country ranges from 1,517 to 41,990, with an average of approximately 10,000 decisions. The primary focus, the Refugee Recognition Rate, shows extreme variation across these countries. The rate spans the full possible range, from a minimum of 0% to a maximum of 100%.

Statistically, the average recognition rate is 47.3%, but the median is much lower at 26.5%. This indicates that the average is skewed high by a few countries with very high rates. In fact, the top 25% of these countries have recognition rates of 99.5% or higher, while the bottom 25% have rates below 6.2%. This stark divergence highlights a significant disparity in asylum outcomes for Burkinabe nationals depending on the country in which they seek protection. When including complementary protection (‘Total Recognition Rate’), the average rate increases to 55.2%, but the wide variance in outcomes remains.

Solutions

Durable Solutions: A Volatile Path Forward

In a region beset by escalating conflict and displacement, the pursuit of durable solutions remains a paramount, yet complex, challenge. The data from Burkina Faso offers a compelling case study, illustrating both the potential for progress and the fragility of such gains in a volatile security environment.

The analysis reveals a striking anomaly in 2020, when the number of solutions for refugees and other forcibly displaced people reached an unprecedented peak. The data shows that 6,052 solutions were achieved for refugees that year, a figure that stands in stark contrast to the 1,039 recorded in 2019 and the sharp decline that followed. This surge, likely linked to a specific window of opportunity for local integration or repatriation, proved to be an isolated event rather than the start of a sustainable trend. In the subsequent years, the number of available solutions fell sharply, declining to just 316 by 2023.

Behind these stark numbers lies a more nuanced reality. A deeper look at the data reveals that the capacity to provide durable solutions has, for years, consistently outpaced the number of new individuals being granted refugee status. This disparity was most pronounced during the 2020 peak, with 6,052 solutions recorded against just 29 new refugee recognitions. While this gap narrowed considerably in 2024, it was primarily driven by an anomalous spike in new recognitions (327) rather than a significant and sustained increase in the availability of solutions.

Ultimately, the case of Burkina Faso underscores the volatile nature of progress on durable solutions in active conflict zones. The exceptional achievements of one year can be difficult to sustain, highlighting the persistent need for stability, political will, and comprehensive strategies to translate temporary opportunities into lasting peace and integration for the displaced.

AI Insight: Column chart of solutions for forcibly displaced people in Burkina Faso from 2019 to 2025, where there was a dramatic peak in 2020 followed by a significant decline in subsequent years., This column chart illustrates the annual number of solutions for forcibly displaced people from Burkina Faso for the years 2019 through 2025. The data reveals a highly volatile trend. In 2019, the average number of solutions was approximately 260. This figure experienced an exceptional surge in 2020, reaching a peak average of 1,513. Following this spike, the number of solutions dropped sharply to 274 in 2021 and continued to decrease to 118 in 2022 and a low of 79 in 2023. A minor recovery is observed in 2024 with 136 solutions, before dropping again to a projected 62 in 2025. The dominant feature of the chart is the 2020 peak, which is more than five times higher than any other year in the period, indicating an unusual event or reporting change for that year.

AI Insight: Dual-axis line chart comparing refugee recognitions and available solutions in Burkina Faso from 2019 to 2025, where the number of solutions consistently and significantly exceeds the number of new refugee recognitions., This dual-axis line chart presents a comparison between the annual number of new refugee recognitions and the number of available durable solutions in Burkina Faso from 2019 to 2025. The x-axis represents the years, and the y-axis represents the count of individuals. A blue line tracks refugee recognitions, while a turquoise line tracks solutions. The shaded area between the lines visually represents the gap between these two metrics.

Footnotes clarify that ‘refugee recognitions’ (a) refer to new cases recognized within the year, not the cumulative total, while ‘solutions’ (b) refer to durable solutions such as resettlement, voluntary repatriation, or local integration.

Statistical Analysis

Solutions (Turquoise Line): The number of available solutions started at 1,039 in 2019 and experienced a massive spike to a peak of 6,052 in 2020. Following this peak, the number decreased sharply to 1,098 in 2021 and continued to fall to 472 in 2022 and 316 in 2023. There was a slight recovery to 546 in 2024, with a projected decline to 247 in 2025.

Refugee Recognitions (Blue Line): The number of new refugee recognitions remained very low and stable initially, at 29 for both 2019 and 2020. It saw minor fluctuations, rising to 35 in 2021, dipping to 31 in 2022, and hitting a low of 10 in 2023. A significant anomaly occurred in 2024 with a sharp increase to 327 recognitions, before being projected to drop back to 5 in 2025.

Key Insights

A significant and persistent gap exists between the number of available solutions and new refugee recognitions throughout the entire period. The number of solutions consistently outpaces recognitions by a large margin. The disparity was most pronounced in 2020, with 6,052 solutions compared to only 29 recognitions. The gap narrowed considerably in 2024, primarily due to the spike in recognitions and a relatively lower number of solutions (546 solutions vs. 327 recognitions). Overall, the data indicates that in Burkina Faso, the capacity for providing durable solutions has consistently exceeded the number of new individuals being granted refugee status annually.