Key Findings from the 3rd Edition of the Statistical Café

• Poorer recording compared to 2018-2019

• Access to electricity has improved thanks to the sun

• The worst form of labour: 32 children out of 100 take part

Results of the Harmonization Survey on Household Living Conditions (EHCVM 2)

The National Institute of Statistics and Demography (INSD) hosted the 3rd edition of its Statistical Café on August 30, 2024, in Ouagadougou. The main objective of this meeting was to share the statistical data produced by the organization to the press. Results of two surveys carried out between 2021 and 2022. These are the national survey on child labor in Burkina (ENTE) and the second harmonization survey on living conditions at home (EHCVM 2).

Data analysis showed that the incidence of poverty increased by 1.8 percentage points between 2018 and 2021, driven by inflation. In other words, the survey showed that the number of people below the poverty line, compared to the population as a whole, has increased.

The intensity (depth) of poverty, that is, the relative gap between the average income of poor people and the poverty threshold, increased by 0.7 percentage points. Therefore, this survey shows that there are more poor people in Burkina Faso, compared to 2018, and that these people are even poorer in 2021-2022 than they were during the years 2018-2019.

The increase in poverty relates to both rural and urban areas, but is more pronounced in urban areas. According to Zakaria Koncobo from the INSD, the number of poor people increased from 8,342,791 in 2018/2019 to 9,294,205 in 2021/2022.

Other information to always remember in the harmonization survey on household living conditions (EHCVM 2), the poverty threshold (Editor’s Note: the minimum resources a person needs for food, clothing and housing) increased per person and the year significantly, from 194,629 FCFA in 2018 to 247,862 FCFA in 2021.

Access to Electricity has Improved Thanks to Solar Energy

In terms of forecasts, the technical coordinator of ECHVM-2 explains that what should be noted from this survey is an improvement in education indicators, a reduction in the agricultural population and the workforce, the rate of Access to drinking water remained stable ( 77%), better access to electricity thanks to solar energy, poverty increased due to high inflation.

Child Labour: Incidence Rate Falling

The second study which was the subject of presentation/discussion is the national survey on child labour, an operation carried out in 2022, in collaboration with the ministry responsible for social protection. From the results of the said survey, we note a general reduction in the rate of the number of cases of children taking part in economic activity. This rate increased from 41.1% in 2006 to 40.3% in 2022. The percentage of boys who are economically active has decreased compared to 2006. On the other hand, there is an increase in the girls who take part in economic activities (44.4% in 2022). In terms of the worst types of work, survey data reveals that around 32 out of every 100 children are involved in hazardous types of work in fields, mines, streets and homes.

Issa SAWADOGO (Contributor)