Vulnerability Profile of Burkina Faso

The report identifies Burkina Faso as highly vulnerable to climatic shocks, epidemics, and environmental degradation, with 44.5% of the population living below the absolute poverty line. It highlights the critical role of agriculture, particularly cotton, and the risks associated with rainfall variability and drought. The document details the sensitivity of vulnerable groups—especially women, children, and nomadic pastoralists—and examines migration as a key coping strategy. It concludes that reducing vulnerability requires integrated environmental management, improved food security, and targeted support for marginalized populations.

• Burkina Faso is ranked as the 24th most vulnerable nation out of 141 countries according to the Global Leaders for Tomorrow Environment Task Force (2002), with 44.5% of the population living below the threshold of absolute poverty.
• The economy is heavily dependent on agriculture, with cotton alone generating approximately 73% of export revenues, though this creates vulnerability to world market volatility and increases the workload for women and children.
• Large-scale disasters are frequent, with an annual average frequency of 1.25 since 1970, primarily consisting of droughts, famines, food shortages, epidemics, and floods.
• Health services are severely limited, particularly in rural areas where patients travel an average of 10 km to the nearest facility; malaria accounts for 23% of the disease burden.
• HIV/AIDS prevalence is between 6-7%, with the disease disproportionately affecting the poor and undermining food security by depleting human labour and household assets.
• Extreme rainfall variability and a general reduction in precipitation have led to a shift in isohyets, increasing the risk of drought and desertification, particularly in the Western Sahel.
• Water demand is projected to increase from 110 million m3 in 1975 to 1,200 million m3 by 2025, driven primarily by irrigation, which may lead to conflicts between farmers and pastoralists.
• Environmental degradation is driven by unsustainable practices such as short fallow periods, overgrazing, and deforestation for fuelwood, which are exacerbated by population growth and migration to the southwest.
• Food insecurity remains a major issue, with 33% to 45% of children under five being malnourished and a daily dietary energy deficit of 290 kcal/person/day for undernourished people.
• Migration serves as a critical coping strategy for rural households to reduce poverty, though it introduces new vulnerabilities, including the risk of HIV/AIDS for migrants and increased workloads for those left behind.
• Child labour migration is prevalent, with an estimated 330,000 children having left their parents, primarily moving to Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Benin.

APA

Simonsson, L. (2005). Vulnerability Profile of Burkina Faso. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Risk-livelihoods/SEI_Simonsson_Vulnerability_Burkina_Faso_2005.pdf

Chicago

Simonsson, Louise. Vulnerability Profile of Burkina Faso. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2005. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Risk-livelihoods/SEI_Simonsson_Vulnerability_Burkina_Faso_2005.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Simonsson |first1=Louise |title=Vulnerability Profile of Burkina Faso |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=March 2005 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Risk-livelihoods/SEI_Simonsson_Vulnerability_Burkina_Faso_2005.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{simonsson2005vulnerability, author = {Simonsson, Louise}, title = {{Vulnerability Profile of Burkina Faso}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2005}, month = mar, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Risk-livelihoods/SEI_Simonsson_Vulnerability_Burkina_Faso_2005.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }