Bamako vs Ouagadougou

Bamako and Ouagadougou are level on the CIRA Index at 40. Bamako grades better on 5 measures, Ouagadougou on 3; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Bamako 40, Ouagadougou 40
• OECD: Bamako 37, Ouagadougou 33
• UN Tourism: Bamako 50, Ouagadougou 44
• UNDRR: Bamako 29, Ouagadougou 27

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Bamako 38, Ouagadougou 45
• Economy and jobs: Bamako 58, Ouagadougou 25
• Climate and hazards: Bamako 10, Ouagadougou 15
• Water and environment: Bamako 44, Ouagadougou 38
• Community and housing: Bamako 100, Ouagadougou 100
• Access and continuity: Bamako 21, Ouagadougou 17

Where Bamako is stronger

• Recovery against 2019: 243.2 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (country figure) (Institut National de la Statistique (INSTAT) Mali / Direction Nationale du Tourisme et de l'Hôtellerie (DNTH), Annuaire statistique national du Mali 2021, 2021). At or above 110: grade 4/4.
• Unemployment rate: 5.7 % of the labour force (country figure) (Institut National de la Statistique (INSTAT) Mali, Enquête Modulaire et Permanente auprès des Ménages (EMOP), 2025). Between 5 and 8: grade 3/4.
• Water scarcity: medium (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 2/4.
• Green space: 15.1 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (MDPI Land, 'Urban Green Spaces in Bamako and Sikasso, Mali: Land Use Changes and Perceptions', 2020). Between 10 and 20: grade 1/4.
• Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source such as a tourist tax or levy (Journal Officiel de la République du Mali / FAOLEX, 2023). Grade 2/4.

Where Ouagadougou is stronger

• Domestic share of nights: 78 % of nights by residents of the same country (country figure) (Institut National de la Statistique et de la Démographie (INSD) / Direction Générale du Tourisme, Journal Burkinabè de la Statistique N° 021, 2025). At or above 45: grade 4/4.
• Flood hazard: medium (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 2/4.
• Wastewater safely treated: 52.4 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (country figure) (WHO / UNICEF / UN-Habitat via UN SDG Country Profile (Burkina Faso), 2024). Between 50 and 70: grade 1/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• Mali: #110 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Bamako in full · Ouagadougou in full

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