Health and sanitary conditions are poor. The infant mortality rate is very high, and life expectancy is only about 48 years for men and 51 years for women. School enrollment is among the lowest in Africa. Less than 19 percent of the population above the age of 15 is literate. The only institution of higher learning in Burkina Faso is the University of Ouagadougou.
Agriculture is the chief industry, with most people engaged in subsistence farming or stock raising.
Goats, sheep, and cattle are raised in large numbers, and live animals are exported. Cotton, meat, hides, and skins are also exported. Severe drought conditions have made the economy suffer, resulting in substantial migration to C te d'Ivoire and Ghana each year. Small quantities of gold are mined, and large deposits of manganese and bauxite are known to exist. Manufacturing plants include cotton gins, rice and flour mills, a sugar refinery, and a textile mill.