World Sites & Apps
Africa · #85 · 2025–2026

Burkina Faso: internet and everyday apps

Burkina Faso has about 7 million people online — a penetration rate of 30.4% and rank #85 worldwide. This page walks through the local digital scene, the app categories people lean on, and 9 apps worth knowing.

Internet users 7 million Penetration 30.4% World rank #85 Updated 2026-11-12
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TL;DR
  • Burkina Faso has roughly 7 million internet users (7,000,000 people) — about 30.4% of the population and rank #85 globally.
  • The apps people open most: WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube. They cover Messaging, Social, Video, Shopping, Mobility, News, Payments and more.
  • The one to know first: WhatsApp — The most widely used messenger on earth.

Burkina Faso in numbers

2025–2026
Internet users
7 million7,000,000 · #85
Penetration
30.4%#195
Population
23 million23,000,000 · #61
GDP
$23B#127
GDP growth
+4.8%#53
GDP per person
$1,004#200
Land area
273.0k km²#75
Capital
Ouagadougou
Region
Africa
Official languages
French

How Burkina Faso goes online

Ouagadougou wakes up on WhatsApp and Facebook: one for family, the other for news and the notices that announce a death in the neighbourhood. Money moves on Orange Money or Moov Money, down to very small sums sent to a cousin. But there are places where the signal simply stops, less for technical reasons than for security ones, and a damaged mast can take months to come back. So people say where they are going before they leave, and keep cash in a pocket.

Around 30.4%. With a population of about 23 million and 7 million online, roughly 16 million people are still offline — mostly because of rural coverage, device cost and age.

All 9 apps below are grouped by category.

What people actually use

9 Most-used apps

Messaging

1 Most-used apps →
WhatsApp Messaging · Meta · 2009

Social

2 Most-used apps →
Facebook Social · Meta · 2004 Instagram Social · Meta · 2010

Video

2 Most-used apps →
YouTube Video · Google · 2005 TikTok Video · ByteDance · 2016

Shopping

1 Most-used apps →
Jumia Shopping · Jumia Technologies · 2012

Mobility

1 Most-used apps →
Yassir Mobility · Yassir · 2017

News

1 Most-used apps →
BBC News · BBC（英国公共广播机构） · 1997

Payments

1 Most-used apps →
Wave Payments · Wave Mobile Money · 2018

Websites people in Burkina Faso actually use

8

The 8 sites locals open most often — news, shopping, search, banking and government services. Every link goes to the official site.

News3Telecom2Classifieds1Utilities1Government1
Lefaso.netNewslefaso.netVeteran Burkinabè news site with politics, security and society. Burkina24Newsburkina24.comPopular news outlet covering national politics and everyday life. SidwayaNewssidwaya.infoThe state daily. Orange Burkina FasoTelecomorange.bfOperator site for top-ups and Orange Money payments across Burkina Faso. OnatelTelecomonatel.bfThe incumbent operator. CoinAfriqueClassifiedscoinafrique.comClassifieds app where people trade furniture, phones and cars locally. SONABELUtilitiessonabel.bfBurkina Faso's national power company — prepaid meters, bills and the load-shedding notices for Ouagadougou. Government of Burkina FasoGovernmentgouvernement.gov.bfThe ministries, and cabinet statements.

2808 websites →

Frequently asked questions

6 Q&A
How many people in Burkina Faso are online?

About 7 million (7,000,000 people). That works out to roughly 30.4% of the population, which puts Burkina Faso at #85 in the world for total internet users. Figures come from DataReportal’s Digital 2026, which draws on ITU and national statistics.

Which apps do people in Burkina Faso use most?

Mostly WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube — they cover Messaging, Social, Video, Shopping, Mobility, News, Payments. The full list, grouped by category, is further down this page.

What is the leading Messaging app in Burkina Faso?

WhatsApp dominate this space. The best-known is WhatsApp — The most widely used messenger on earth.

How high is internet penetration in Burkina Faso?

Around 30.4%. With a population of about 23 million and 7 million online, roughly 16 million people are still offline — mostly because of rural coverage, device cost and age.

Where do these app facts come from?

Usage figures come from DataReportal’s Digital 2026 (Kepios, based on ITU and national statistics); app details come from each product’s official site. Updated 2026-11-12.

Which websites are most popular in Burkina Faso?

The everyday ones are Lefaso.net, Burkina24, Orange Burkina Faso, plus the other 8 sites listed above. They cover news, shopping, search, banking and official paperwork, and every link points to the official site.

Sources

Updated 2026-11-12
Cite this pageWorld Sites & Apps. “Burkina Faso: internet and everyday apps”. 2026. https://abcvv.com/c/bf-en.html