Regions of Burkina Faso: population and official figures
Burkina Faso is divided into 13 regions. The largest by population is Centre with 3,891,214 people (15.7% of the total); the smallest is Centre-Sud with 912,304. Population figures are INSD projections for 2026 from the 2019 census. In July 2025 the government replaced the 13 regions with 17 renamed regions; the official statistics on these pages are still published for the 13 former regions, so each page covers one former region. Poverty, spending and literacy come from the INSD household living-conditions surveys (EHCVM 2018 and 2021); schools, health services, electricity, roads, harvests and regional council accounts from the INSD Annuaire statistique 2024; child health from the 2021 Demographic and Health Survey, which could not cover large parts of the Sahel and Est regions.
Who governs Burkina Faso's regions?
Regions (17 since the July 2025 reorganisation; 13 before): Governor appointed by central government; the elected regional council has been replaced by an appointed special delegation since 2022. Both a state administrative area and, in law, a local government for planning and development.
How local power works in Burkina Faso · Level 5: devolved and state governments worldwide
All 13 regions, largest first
| # | Region | Population | Year | Growth (1 yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Centre | 3,891,214 | 2026 | +3.6% |
| 2 | Hauts-Bassins | 2,723,874 | 2026 | +2.9% |
| 3 | Est | 2,375,271 | 2026 | +2.9% |
| 4 | Centre-Nord | 2,252,997 | 2026 | +2.7% |
| 5 | Boucle du Mouhoun | 2,222,560 | 2026 | +2.4% |
| 6 | Nord | 2,039,335 | 2026 | +2.5% |
| 7 | Centre-Ouest | 1,961,304 | 2026 | +2.5% |
| 8 | Centre-Est | 1,882,070 | 2026 | +2.6% |
| 9 | Sahel | 1,282,085 | 2026 | +2.3% |
| 10 | Plateau-Central | 1,151,005 | 2026 | +2.4% |
| 11 | Sud-Ouest | 1,037,896 | 2026 | +2.5% |
| 12 | Cascades | 1,004,913 | 2026 | +3.1% |
| 13 | Centre-Sud | 912,304 | 2026 | +2.2% |
Cities: the largest cities of Burkina Faso.
More on Burkina Faso: official statistics · government and power · local power
Sources
- Institut national de la statistique et de la démographie (INSD): RGPH 2019, Volume 4: Projections démographiques 2020-2035 (national synoptic table and regional tables by year), read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 6d6b78160572…)
- Institut national de la statistique et de la démographie (INSD): Annuaire statistique national 2024 (census, EHCVM poverty, education, health, energy, water, roads, agriculture, regional council accounts, road accidents by region), read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 9f9fc3790552…)
- INSD and ICF (The DHS Program): Enquête démographique et de santé du Burkina Faso 2021: rapport des indicateurs clés (Tables 9, 10, 12 and 20 by region), read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 36556756d8db…)
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