Summary
- Exports
- $9.5billion
- Imports
- $6.5billion
- Trade balance
- +$2.9billion
Products
What it exports
Gold (87.2%) and raw cotton (3.7%) together make up 90.9% of its exports.
What it imports
Refined petroleum (28%) and medicines in measured doses or retail packs (3%) together make up 31% of its imports.
By Harmonized System chapter (96)
| Chapter | Exports | Imports |
|---|---|---|
| 71 · Gems and precious metals | $8.3 billion | $2 million |
| 52 · Cotton | $353 million | $11 million |
| 12 · Oilseeds and grains | $213 million | $26 million |
| 08 · Fruit and nuts | $205 million | $5 million |
| 25 · Salt, stone and cement | $72 million | $195 million |
| 27 · Oil, gas and coal | $49 million | $2.1 billion |
| 84 · Mechanical machinery | $43 million | $574 million |
| 15 · Fats and oils | $38 million | $103 million |
| 07 · Vegetables | $35 million | $6 million |
| 87 · Vehicles | $24 million | $422 million |
| 01 · Live animals | $20 million | $2 million |
| 72 · Iron and steel | $19 million | $150 million |
| 23 · Animal feed and food waste | $19 million | $5 million |
| 24 · Tobacco | $16 million | $63 million |
| 22 · Beverages and spirits | $14 million | $56 million |
| 78 · Lead | $12 million | $112 thousand |
| 85 · Electrical and electronic equipment | $9 million | $459 million |
| 10 · Cereals | $9 million | $256 million |
| 36 · Explosives and matches | $6 million | $35 million |
| 90 · Precision and medical instruments | $5 million | $77 million |
| 20 · Preserved fruit and vegetables | $5 million | $17 million |
| 73 · Iron and steel products | $4 million | $197 million |
| 76 · Aluminum | $3 million | $23 million |
| 88 · Aircraft and spacecraft | $3 million | $14 million |
| 19 · Baked goods and cereal products | $3 million | $69 million |
| 82 · Tools and cutlery | $2 million | $16 million |
| 40 · Rubber | $2 million | $65 million |
| 38 · Miscellaneous chemicals | $2 million | $55 million |
| 39 · Plastics | $2 million | $175 million |
| 41 · Hides and leather | $2 million | $11 thousand |
| 94 · Furniture and lighting | $1 million | $49 million |
| 63 · Home textiles and used clothing | $1 million | $43 million |
| 09 · Coffee, tea and spices | $955 thousand | $12 million |
| 28 · Inorganic chemicals | $941 thousand | $90 million |
| 30 · Pharmaceuticals | $935 thousand | $261 million |
| 48 · Paper and paperboard | $906 thousand | $72 million |
| 97 · Art and antiques | $809 thousand | $17 thousand |
| 21 · Food preparations | $808 thousand | $107 million |
| 26 · Ores and slag | $653 thousand | $176 thousand |
| 64 · Footwear | $646 thousand | $19 million |
| 32 · Dyes, paints and tanning agents | $598 thousand | $13 million |
| 34 · Soap and cleaning products | $589 thousand | $34 million |
| 33 · Perfumes and cosmetics | $519 thousand | $22 million |
| 70 · Glass | $427 thousand | $14 million |
| 11 · Milling products and malt | $420 thousand | $33 million |
| 83 · Miscellaneous metal goods | $348 thousand | $15 million |
| 42 · Leather goods and bags | $311 thousand | $8 million |
| 17 · Sugar and sweets | $261 thousand | $94 million |
| 31 · Fertilizers | $213 thousand | $86 million |
| 46 · Wicker and basketware | $213 thousand | $4 million |
| 86 · Railway equipment | $209 thousand | $2 million |
| 69 · Ceramics | $203 thousand | $41 million |
| 06 · Live plants and flowers | $203 thousand | $253 thousand |
| 61 · Knitted clothing | $195 thousand | $15 million |
| 62 · Woven clothing | $170 thousand | $14 million |
| 95 · Toys and sports gear | $162 thousand | $3 million |
| 44 · Wood | $155 thousand | $23 million |
| 18 · Cocoa and chocolate | $137 thousand | $2 million |
| 93 · Weapons and ammunition | $128 thousand | $14 million |
| 74 · Copper | $117 thousand | $6 million |
| 04 · Dairy, eggs and honey | $105 thousand | $40 million |
| 29 · Organic chemicals | $98 thousand | $13 million |
| 49 · Books and printed matter | $93 thousand | $12 million |
| 02 · Meat and offal | $78 thousand | $1 million |
| 68 · Stone, plaster and cement articles | $55 thousand | $5 million |
| 92 · Musical instruments | $42 thousand | $171 thousand |
| 56 · Felt, nonwovens and rope | $34 thousand | $6 million |
| 75 · Nickel | $31 thousand | $50 thousand |
| 35 · Glues, starches and enzymes | $30 thousand | $4 million |
| 16 · Prepared meat and fish | $29 thousand | $6 million |
| 65 · Hats | $28 thousand | $1 million |
| 96 · Other manufactured goods | $27 thousand | $8 million |
| 03 · Fish and seafood | $27 thousand | $107 million |
| 13 · Gums and plant extracts | $25 thousand | $2 million |
| 57 · Carpets and rugs | $25 thousand | $3 million |
| 54 · Synthetic filaments | $19 thousand | $4 million |
| 05 · Other animal products | $18 thousand | $522 thousand |
| 51 · Wool | $11 thousand | $1 million |
| 55 · Synthetic staple fibers | $10 thousand | $15 million |
| 79 · Zinc | $8 thousand | $38 thousand |
| 58 · Special fabrics and lace | $8 thousand | $1 million |
| 60 · Knitted fabric | $7 thousand | $928 thousand |
| 67 · Feathers and artificial flowers | $7 thousand | $1 million |
| 59 · Coated and technical textiles | $5 thousand | $2 million |
| 91 · Watches and clocks | $4 thousand | $184 thousand |
| 53 · Other plant fibers | $2 thousand | $781 thousand |
| 47 · Wood pulp | $2 thousand | $131 thousand |
| 37 · Photographic goods | $1 thousand | $954 thousand |
| 14 · Other plant products | $397 | $52 thousand |
| 66 · Umbrellas and canes | $252 | $284 thousand |
| 43 · Fur and fur goods | $0 | $273 thousand |
| 89 · Ships and boats | $0 | $115 thousand |
| 50 · Silk | $0 | $45 thousand |
| 81 · Other base metals | $0 | $33 thousand |
| 45 · Cork | $0 | $15 thousand |
| 80 · Tin | $0 | $7 thousand |
Trading partners
Its main destination is Switzerland (66.8% of exports) and its main source is China (16.4% of imports).
Who it sells to
| Partner | Value (USD billions) | Share | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | 6.3 | 66.8% | Air |
| United Arab Emirates | 1.5 | 15.6% | Air |
| Uganda | 0.43 | 4.6% | Air |
| India | 0.17 | 1.8% | Sea |
| Côte d'Ivoire | 0.17 | 1.8% | Land |
| Mali | 0.13 | 1.4% | Land |
| Ghana | 0.08 | 0.89% | Land |
| Togo | 0.08 | 0.85% | Land |
| Greece | 0.06 | 0.58% | Sea |
| South Africa | 0.05 | 0.58% | Air |
Who it buys from
| Partner | Value (USD billions) | Share | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 1.1 | 16.4% | Sea |
| Russia | 0.75 | 11.5% | Sea |
| Côte d'Ivoire | 0.7 | 10.7% | Land |
| Ghana | 0.57 | 8.8% | Land |
| India | 0.33 | 5.1% | Sea |
| France | 0.33 | 5.1% | Sea |
| Belgium | 0.23 | 3.5% | Sea |
| United States | 0.18 | 2.8% | Sea |
| Senegal | 0.15 | 2.2% | Sea |
| Togo | 0.13 | 2.1% | Land |
Overview 1995–2024
In 2024, Burkina Faso accounted for 0.04% of world exports, compared with 0.01% in 1995.
Exports and imports
Exports grew 34.3-fold since 1995
USD billions (current). Bars: trade balance (green surplus, red deficit).
- Exports 9.5
- Imports 6.5
- Balance +2.9
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Exports | Imports | Trade balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | $276 million | $557 million | -$281 million |
| 1996 | $319 million | $676 million | -$357 million |
| 1997 | $247 million | $816 million | -$569 million |
| 1998 | $309 million | $1 billion | -$706 million |
| 1999 | $293 million | $951 million | -$658 million |
| 2000 | $315 million | $831 million | -$516 million |
| 2001 | $263 million | $866 million | -$602 million |
| 2002 | $315 million | $735 million | -$420 million |
| 2003 | $498 million | $1 billion | -$540 million |
| 2004 | $699 million | $1.2 billion | -$492 million |
| 2005 | $536 million | $1.4 billion | -$817 million |
| 2006 | $688 million | $1.7 billion | -$970 million |
| 2007 | $875 million | $1.9 billion | -$1.1 billion |
| 2008 | $887 million | $2.4 billion | -$1.5 billion |
| 2009 | $1.2 billion | $2.5 billion | -$1.3 billion |
| 2010 | $1.8 billion | $2.5 billion | -$699 million |
| 2011 | $2.9 billion | $3.2 billion | -$261 million |
| 2012 | $4.1 billion | $3.8 billion | $329 million |
| 2013 | $4 billion | $4.6 billion | -$657 million |
| 2014 | $3.5 billion | $4.1 billion | -$651 million |
| 2015 | $3.7 billion | $3.6 billion | $109 million |
| 2016 | $4.3 billion | $3.7 billion | $511 million |
| 2017 | $5.3 billion | $4.3 billion | $988 million |
| 2018 | $5.7 billion | $4.8 billion | $971 million |
| 2019 | $6.1 billion | $4.6 billion | $1.6 billion |
| 2020 | $8.3 billion | $4.6 billion | $3.8 billion |
| 2021 | $9.3 billion | $5.4 billion | $3.9 billion |
| 2022 | $8.4 billion | $6.2 billion | $2.2 billion |
| 2023 | $8.3 billion | $6.4 billion | $1.9 billion |
| 2024 | $9.5 billion | $6.5 billion | $2.9 billion |
World rank
Burkina Faso rose from 139th to 107th among the world's exporters
Rank among 222 countries by export value (1st at the top).
- 139th in 1995
- 107th in 2024
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 139th |
| 1996 | 144th |
| 1997 | 157th |
| 1998 | 150th |
| 1999 | 151st |
| 2000 | 158th |
| 2001 | 160th |
| 2002 | 160th |
| 2003 | 155th |
| 2004 | 151st |
| 2005 | 161st |
| 2006 | 158th |
| 2007 | 154th |
| 2008 | 158th |
| 2009 | 149th |
| 2010 | 139th |
| 2011 | 132nd |
| 2012 | 124th |
| 2013 | 124th |
| 2014 | 128th |
| 2015 | 120th |
| 2016 | 119th |
| 2017 | 116th |
| 2018 | 116th |
| 2019 | 112th |
| 2020 | 96th |
| 2021 | 105th |
| 2022 | 112th |
| 2023 | 113th |
| 2024 | 107th |
What it sells
Gems and precious metals became its top export group: from 12% to 87%
% of exports by Harmonized System chapter.
- Other 2%
- Fats and oils 0%
- Mechanical machinery 0%
- Oil, gas and coal 1%
- Salt, stone and cement 1%
- Fruit and nuts 2%
- Oilseeds and grains 2%
- Cotton 4%
- Gems and precious metals 87%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Chapter | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Gems and precious metals | 11.8% | 87.3% |
| Cotton | 56.7% | 3.7% |
| Oilseeds and grains | 3.3% | 2.3% |
| Fruit and nuts | 0.68% | 2.2% |
| Salt, stone and cement | 0.1% | 0.76% |
| Oil, gas and coal | 1% | 0.52% |
| Mechanical machinery | 0.42% | 0.46% |
| Fats and oils | 0.01% | 0.4% |
| Other | 26% | 2.4% |
Who it trades with
Switzerland went from 0.7% to 40% of Burkina Faso's trade
% of total trade (exports + imports) with each partner.
- Switzerland 40%
- United Arab Emirates 10%
- China 7%
- Côte d'Ivoire 5%
- Russia 5%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Partner | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | 0.74% | 39.6% |
| United Arab Emirates | 0% | 9.7% |
| China | 1% | 7.1% |
| Côte d'Ivoire | 25.2% | 5.4% |
| Russia | 0.03% | 4.7% |
Production hubs
Largest industrial emission sources (Climate TRACE, 2025)
No hubs above the globe threshold.
View on the globeSources and methodology
Sources and licenses
- CEPII BACI · Licence Ouverte Etalab 2.0
- Climate TRACE · CC BY 4.0 (emissions by asset; the 3 largest per country are shown)
- Kummu et al., gridded GDP · CC BY 4.0 (hubs aggregated by this site)
- Natural Earth · Public domain
Methodology
Goods trade from CEPII BACI (BACI_HS92_V202601), in current US dollars, with exports and imports reconciled between countries. The transport mode is our own estimate based on value per kilo and geography. Ranks are computed among the countries with data each year. Services are not included. Data up to 2024.