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Burkina Faso vs Zambia

Flag of Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso

24,074,580#59 · +2.21%/yr
vs
Flag of Zambia

Zambia

21,913,874#61 · +2.77%/yr

Burkina Faso has 10% more people than Zambia: 24,074,580 vs 21,913,874, a gap of 2.2 million. Zambia is growing faster (+2.77% vs +2.21% a year), adding about 607,255 people a year against +531,626. Using continuous exponential growth from the stated base year, if these rates held, Zambia would overtake Burkina Faso in about 17 years (from the 2025 population bases, around 2042) — a projection, not a forecast. Burkina Faso is 3.0× as densely populated (84.2 vs 27.9 people per km²). People in Zambia live 5.2 years longer on average (66.5 vs 61.3).

Country/territory population bases: World Bank 2025 (Burkina Faso) and 2025 (Zambia); growth years 2025 / 2025. Annual source values, not live counts; years may differ. Growth is national, not local.

Burkina Faso vs Zambia — side by side

Flag of Burkina Faso Burkina FasoFlag of Zambia Zambia
Population24,074,580202521,913,8742025
Growth rate / yr+2.21%2025+2.77%2025
Births per 1,00031.3202432.72024
Deaths per 1,0007.920245.22024
Children per woman4.1120244.042024
Life expectancy61.3 yrs202466.5 yrs2024
Aged 0–1441.2%202541.0%2025
Aged 65+2.7%20252.0%2025
Density84.2 /km²202327.9 /km²2023
Area274,200 km²2023752,610 km²2023
Urban population28.9%202545.9%2025
Net migration / yr-27,1302025+6,5622025
GDP per capita$1,1482025$1,3182025
Country population rank (available records)#59#61
Base / world population (World Bank 2025)0.29%0.27%

Highlighted cell = the higher value (not "better"). Small print under each value is its own data year. Source: World Bank; country/territory population bases may have different years. These are not live counts.

Population since 1960

World Bank population history (not the separate UN WPP timeline). Burkina Faso: 5.0× from 1960 to 2025; Zambia: 6.9× from 1960 to 2025. Left: absolute population. Right: each series indexed to its own first available year = 100; baseline years may differ.

06.4M12.8M19.1M25.5M1960197019801990200020102020Burkina FasoZambia01843685527371960197019801990200020102020Burkina FasoZambia

More comparisons

Region: Sub-Saharan Africa · rankings

Burkina Faso: Burkina Faso vs North Korea, Burkina Faso vs Syria, Burkina Faso vs Mali, Burkina Faso vs Malawi, Burkina Faso vs Zambia, Burkina Faso vs Sri Lanka.

Zambia: Zambia vs Mali, Zambia vs Burkina Faso, Zambia vs Malawi, Zambia vs Sri Lanka, Zambia vs Chad, Zambia vs Kazakhstan.

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This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.

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Interpretation reviewed 12 October 2026. Underlying reference years are stated on the page; this is not a fresh census or dataset refresh.