Country Summary
This page presents high-level information for Burkina Faso's climate zones and its seasonal cycle for mean temperature and precipitation for the latest climatology, 1991-2020. Climate zone classifications are derived from the Köppen-Geiger climate classification system, which divides climates into five main climate groups divided based on seasonal precipitation and temperature patterns. The five main groups are A (tropical), B (dry), C (temperate), D (continental), and E (polar). All climates except for those in the E group are assigned a seasonal precipitation sub-group (second letter). Climate classifications are identified by hovering your mouse over the legend. A narrative overview of Burkina Faso's country context and climate is provided following the visualizations.
Burkina Faso is a landlocked country located in the middle of the West African Sahel region. It is a low-income Sahelian country with limited natural resources. Its economy is largely based on agriculture, which employs 80% of the workforce, although gold exports have increased. Burkina Faso faces a number of development challenges. It currently ranks 144th among 157 countries (2020) on the human capital index. The country’s population is approximately 20.1 million (2020) people, of which 40.1% of its population lives below the national poverty line. Burkina Faso is prone to chronic drought, flash floods, windstorms, and disease outbreaks from impacts of climate change. The country’s soils are largely degraded and when rainfall declines, dust storms occur, or temperature spikes, food supplies/yields are immediately affected, thus further impacting its population and economy.