Burkina Faso Frontier

Economy & industry overview

Burkina Faso is a landlocked, low-income West African economy whose base rests primarily on subsistence agriculture and gold mining. Gold accounts for approximately 77% of export earnings and around 16% of GDP, while cotton is the principal cash crop. The economy grew 4.9% in 2024, driven by services and agriculture, though ongoing security challenges from jihadist insurgency continue to weigh on industrial mining and foreign investment. The country uses the West African CFA franc as part of the WAEMU monetary union and participates in the regional BRVM stock exchange headquartered in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. Structural constraints include limited infrastructure, high informality (approximately 90% of production units), low domestic savings, and restricted access to electricity.

Key sectors

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Macro

GDP nominal, USD	$23.25B
GDP growth real, annual	4.9%
Inflation annual	4.2%
Population people	22.7M
GDP per capita USD	$1,024
Market cap total listed, USD	$245.00M
Market cap / GDP	1.1%
Unemployment	5.2%
Listed companies	2
Exchange	Bourse Régionale des Valeurs Mobilières (BRVM) — Burkina Faso market office (BRVM)

Data year: 2024. Sources: World Bank (April 2025 Burkina Faso Economic Update), IMF Country Report No. 25/81 (2025), African Development Bank Economic Outlook 2025, BRVM (brvm.org), Trading Economics, african-markets.com, Dabafinance BRVM Country Guide, Wikipedia – Economy of Burkina Faso, Worldometer GDP 2024.

Local exchange & access

Exchange	Bourse Régionale des Valeurs Mobilières (BRVM) — Burkina Faso market office
Code	BRVM
Website	www.brvm.org
Currency	XOF

Local broker access

Burkina Faso-domiciled equities are listed on the regional BRVM exchange (based in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire). Access for foreign investors is facilitated through BRVM-licensed brokerage firms ('Sociétés de Gestion et d'Intermédiation', SGIs) operating in the WAEMU region. Several fintech platforms such as Daba Finance also provide retail access to BRVM-listed stocks for diaspora and international investors. There are no US-based brokers offering direct BRVM access; investors typically route orders through regional SGIs. Settlement is T+3 and the exchange is fully electronic.

Global brokers with foreign-market access

• Interactive Brokers — Direct access to 90+ markets worldwide, including many emerging exchanges.
• Saxo Bank — Multi-market access across Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
• Charles Schwab (Global) — Foreign ordinary shares on select markets; US-listed ADRs and ETFs.
• Fidelity International Trading — International stock trading on a number of developed and emerging markets.

Listed for convenience only — not a recommendation. Available markets, fees and onboarding rules differ by broker and by your country of residence.

Relocation & residency

Foreign-investor access

Burkina Faso is currently under a military transitional government following coups in 2022. The country faces a serious jihadist insurgency across large parts of its territory, with multiple governments having issued 'Do Not Travel' advisories. Foreigners wishing to reside must obtain a visa and residence permit through standard immigration procedures administered by the Ministry of Security. The country withdrew from ECOWAS in early 2025 along with Mali and Niger, forming the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).