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This country profile is part of a series of 49 priority country briefs developed by the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) and the Global Support Programme of the Climate Investment Funds (CIF). This profile synthesizes most relevant data and information for Disaster Risk Reduction and Adaptation to Climate Change and is designed as a quick reference source for development practitioners to better integrate climate resilience in development planning and operations.

Burkina Faso is a landlocked country located in the middle of the West African Sahel region and occupying over 274,000 square kilometers (sq km). With limited natural resources and a highly variable climate, Burkina Faso struggles to provide its dense population with food security and economic opportunity. One of the smallest economies in the world, Burkina Faso is deeply dependent on agriculture, with roughly 80% of employment linked to subsistence farming. The country’s soils tend to be poor in nutrients, have low water-holding capacity, and are largely degraded. When rainfall declines, dust storms occur, or temperature spikes, food supplies/yields are immediately affected. As a result of this fragility, Burkina Faso remains at the bottom of the UN’s Human Development Index, ranking 162 out of 169 countries, with 46% of the population below the poverty line. Located between the Sahara Desert to the north and coastal rainforests to the south, Burkina Faso is prone to chronic drought, flash floods, wind storms, and disease outbreaks.