Life stages in Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso has no single government body and no binding national age structure covering all life stages. Responsibilities are distributed among government bodies responsible for civil registration, education, employment, social protection, health and social action, as well as humanitarian organisations and local communities. According to the 2019 General Population and Housing Census (RGPH 2019), 77.9 percent of the population was under 35 years old; the population was approximately 23 million in 2023. Life expectancy in 2021 was 59.9 years for men and 64.6 years for women. Registering a birth with the civil status service (état civil) often forms the basis for identity, schooling, inheritance and social support. A birth should be reported within 60 days, or two months. The father, mother, grandparents or a relative present at the birth may make the report. Registration offices exist, among other places, in municipal and departmental capitals and in health facilities. A current register extract is available to Burkinabè nationals and people who are lawfully resident; costs and processing times vary, with three to 14 working days often stated. Basic education is generally compulsory from age six to 16. The minimum employment age is 16, and hazardous child labour is prohibited. Alongside formal schooling, there is non-formal education, accelerated learning programmes and a transition programme (SSAP), lasting approximately one year and potentially facilitating re-entry into formal school. The security situation strongly affects these pathways: in 2025, almost 1.9 million children urgently needed education assistance, more than 5,300 schools were non-functional, and more than 818,000 children were affected. Adolescents and young adults often move between school, agriculture, paid work, vocational training and entrepreneurship. The Ministry of Sports, Youth and Employment is responsible for government youth and employment policy. Programmes such as community entrepreneurship and the Agropastoral and Fisheries Offensive (Agropastorale- und Fischereioffensive) are intended to promote income and employment. Access is nevertheless made more difficult by missing civil-status documents, interrupted education, limited information and services for sexual and reproductive health, displacement and gender-specific protection risks. A UNFPA project reached approximately 338,695 adolescents and young adults in Centre and Centre-Ouest between 2020 and 2023. In adulthood, work, income, self-employment, civil majority, marriage and social insurance are central concerns. There is no evidence of a general government cash payment solely because someone has reached adulthood. The labour market is highly informal, and young people and women often have poorer access to income and employment. The age of civil majority was lowered to 18 by the Personal and Family Code (Code des personnes et de la famille), adopted on 1 September 2025. The legal marriage age is also 18 for both sexes; a judicial exception may be provided. For a civil marriage, the usual requirements are a current birth-register extract, copies of the Burkinabè national identity card (CNIB), a certificate of being single or not having remarried that is no more than three months old, and adult witnesses. The procedure takes place in the municipality of residence or usual stay and takes approximately one month, including publication of the banns. Public fee information states that the marriage itself is free, while additional fees may apply for a ceremony at the town hall. According to UNICEF, half of girls are married before their 18th birthday; legal marriage age, consent and protection from child marriage therefore remain important transition and protection issues. Older people have contributory pensions, but there is no documented general non-contributory old-age pension. Under the National Social Security Fund (CNSS), retirement ages differ according to occupational status: 56 for workers, 58 for employees, 60 for senior employees and executives, and 63 for private doctors and university teachers. At least 15 years of contributions are usually required, as is the end of dependent employment. CNSS recommends preparing the application about six months before retirement. For public-sector employees, the CARFO public-service pension scheme (CARFO) manages retirement provision; among other requirements, it requires 180 months, or 15 years, of contributions, the applicable retirement age and the definitive end of employment. Support for people needing care is provided mainly by households, relatives and communities. Formal alternatives include social services, health and psychosocial services, centres for older people, disability services, non-governmental organisations and associations. There is no documented nationwide care insurance or general cash entitlement for home care. For disability advice, the government service portal lists Burkinabè nationals and lawfully resident persons as eligible; it requires a stamped application, a certified identity document and case-specific supporting documents. The advice is described as free, although stamp or other variable costs may arise depending on the office; processing is stated as three to 14 working days. For older people, structures include the older-person support structure (DPPALES) and DSF, as well as the older-person centre (CESLPA) in Ouagadougou and the older-person centre (CAES/PA) in Bobo-Dioulasso, but their capacity and coordination remain limited. Crises interrupt these transitions through armed conflict, displacement, return, food insecurity, climate shocks, school closures, orphanhood, violence, exploitation, child marriage and recruitment risks. An estimated two million internally displaced people lived in the country in 2023, approximately nine percent of the population. By March 2026, around 1.2 million displaced people had returned, while new displacement was also documented in 2025. For 2026, 4.5 million people were expected to need assistance, including 2.9 million children; more than 1.3 million children under five and pregnant and breastfeeding women needed nutritional assistance. According to the available protection indicators, more than 85 percent of affected children showed signs of psychological distress, and at least 88 percent of displaced children had no birth certificate. During displacement, physical violence was reported in two percent of cases and sexual violence in six percent. Practical support includes child protection, temporary learning spaces, non-formal education, psychosocial assistance, late birth registration, social protection and referrals to responsible authorities. The Unified Social Registry (RSU) provides access to certain programmes; registration does not create a general entitlement to every service. The PAMPV programme established in 2024 had, according to the research, not yet become operational. A resilience programme for economic opportunities from 2026 to 2031 targets poor and vulnerable households, internally displaced people, returnees and host communities. Documents, school continuity, income and accessible local services therefore connect many everyday transitions.