Burkina Faso
Criminalized since September 1, 2025 (two to five years plus a fine; deportation of non-nationals). Reinstating the death penalty has been mooted.
Updated
- Same-sex activity
- Illegal
- Recognition
- No legal recognition
- Death penalty
- No
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Cities covered
- 1
- Confidence
- High
- Reviewed
- September 16, 2026
Sources:UK FCDO travel adviceEqualdexLinks checked Every country in one table
Why this tier
Had no sodomy law before 2025.
Travel advice
Avoid open conduct and any public affection. In death-penalty jurisdictions do not travel openly as a couple, and check FCDO or State Department advice before any trip.
Check the UK FCDO or US State Department advice before you book.
Where the boys go
1 place in Burkina Faso. Every city we cover →
Questions people ask
Safety and the law
Is Burkina Faso safe for gay travelers?
No. Burkina Faso is Tier 4: same-sex acts are criminalized or dangerous. Criminalized since September 1, 2025 (two to five years plus a fine; deportation of non-nationals). Reinstating the death penalty has been mooted. Avoid open conduct and public affection.
Is it legal to be gay in Burkina Faso?
No. Same-sex activity is criminalized in Burkina Faso. Criminalized since September 1, 2025 (two to five years plus a fine; deportation of non-nationals). Reinstating the death penalty has been mooted. Read more →
Is same-sex marriage legal in Burkina Faso?
No. Burkina Faso has no legal recognition of same-sex couples, and being gay itself is a crime.
Does Burkina Faso have the death penalty for being gay?
No. Prison rather than death, which is still Tier 4: keep everything private, and check FCDO or State Department advice before you book.
Can gay tourists visit Burkina Faso?
People do, every day, and the law makes no exception for them. Nobody is checked for being gay at the border; what gets travelers into trouble is being open: the apps, public affection and, in some countries, what is on your phone.
Can gay couples hold hands in Burkina Faso?
No. Public affection between men is exactly what gets travelers into trouble here. Criminalized or dangerous. Not as a couple, not openly.
Are dating apps safe to use in Burkina Faso?
No. Where being gay is criminalized or persecuted, police have used dating apps to entrap and arrest gay men. Keep them off your phone in Burkina Faso.
Can two men share a hotel room in Burkina Faso?
Sharing a room is normal in Burkina Faso and is not, by itself, what gets people into trouble. Book twin beds, keep affection private and keep the apps off your phone.
Why is Burkina Faso Tier 4?
Had no sodomy law before 2025. Tier 4, don't go, means same-sex activity illegal in law or in practice, or severe persecution. Death-penalty jurisdictions are flagged separately. Where two tiers are plausible we choose the more cautious one. Read more →
The scene
Is there a gay scene in Burkina Faso?
Nothing open. A scene that has to stay hidden: same-sex activity is criminalized or dangerous in this country, so anything that exists runs on private parties, word of mouth and closed apps. Do not look for a scene. Keep affection private, use apps with care, and check FCDO or State Department advice before you book.
Planning the trip
Which countries are in the same tier as Burkina Faso?
Tier 4 also holds Guyana, Iran, Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Jamaica and 62 more. Criminalized or dangerous. Not as a couple, not openly. Read more →
What changed recently in Burkina Faso?
Sep 2025: Criminalizes same-sex acts: two to five years, deportation for non-nationals. On our radar: a mooted reinstatement of the death penalty. Every change since 2024 is on the ranking timeline. Read more →
How reliable is this rating for Burkina Faso?
Confidence is high. The tier comes from ILGA World, the ILGA-Europe Rainbow Map, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Human Dignity Trust, the Williams Institute, Pew, the Spartacus Gay Travel Index, Equaldex and court rulings, last reviewed September 2026. Spotted a change? Tell us and it moves. Read more →
Method
Tiered on the legal status and social acceptance of gay men and LGB people using ILGA World, the ILGA-Europe Rainbow Map, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Human Dignity Trust, the Williams Institute, Pew, the Spartacus Gay Travel Index, Equaldex and court rulings. Where two tiers are plausible we choose the more cautious one. How we tier. Last reviewed September 2026.