List of Famous people born in Burkina Faso

Thomas Isidore Noël Sankara was a Burkinabé military officer and socialist revolutionary who served as the President of Burkina Faso from 1983 to 1987. A Marxist–Leninist and pan-Africanist, he was viewed by supporters as a charismatic and iconic figure of revolution and is sometimes referred to as "Africa's Che Guevara".

Bertrand Isidore Traoré is a Burkinabé professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Aston Villa and the Burkina Faso national team.

Blaise Compaoré is a Burkinabé politician who was president of Burkina Faso from 1987 to 2014. He was a top associate of President Thomas Sankara during the 1980s, and in October 1987, he led a coup d'état during which Sankara was killed. Subsequently, he introduced a policy of "rectification", overturning the leftist and Third Worldist policies pursued by Sankara. He won elections in 1991, 1998, 2005, and 2010 in what were considered unfair circumstances. His attempt to amend the constitution to extend his 27-year term caused the 2014 Burkinabé uprising. On 31 October 2014, Compaoré resigned, whereupon he fled to the Ivory Coast.

Lassina Chamste Soudine Franck Traoré is a Burkinabé professional footballer who plays as a forward for Dutch club Ajax in the Eredivisie and for the national team of Burkina Faso.

Alban Marc Lafont is a French professional footballer who plays as goalkeeper for Ligue 1 club Nantes on loan from Serie A side Fiorentina.

Roch Marc Christian Kaboré is a Burkinabé politician who has served as the President of Burkina Faso since 2015. He was the Prime Minister of Burkina Faso between 1994 and 1996 and President of the National Assembly of Burkina Faso from 2002 to 2012. Kaboré also served as President of the Congress for Democracy and Progress (CDP) until his departure from the party in 2014. He founded the People's Movement for Progress party that same year.

Fulgence Ouedraogo is a French rugby union player. He currently plays for Montpellier Hérault RC in the Top 14 championship. His usual position is as a flanker.

Sibiri Alain Traoré is a Burkinabé footballer who plays as a striker for RS Berkane, and the Burkina Faso national team. He started his career with local side Planète Champion, before moving to France as a 17-year-old.

Niguimbe Préjuce Nakoulma is a Burkinabé professional footballer who most recently played as a striker for US Orléans and the Burkina Faso national team.

Idrissa Ouédraogo was a Burkinabé filmmaker. His work often explored the conflict between rural and city life and tradition and modernity in his native Burkina Faso and elsewhere in Africa. He is best known for his feature film Tilaï, which won the Grand Prix at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival and Samba Traoré (1993), which was nominated for the Silver Bear award at the 43rd Berlin International Film Festival.

Beninwende Yann Jonathan Pitroipa is a Burkinabé professional footballer who plays as a winger. He is currently a free agent.

Jacky Ido is a Burkinabe-born French actor. His first role was as Lemalian in the 2005 German film, The White Masai. He is best known to English-language audiences for his role as Marcel, the film projectionist in Quentin Tarantino's 2009 film, Inglourious Basterds. Ido's brother Cédric Ido, who is also an actor, has directed him in the short Hasaki Ya Suda. Ido works and resides in Paris, France and is working on an album of slam poetry.

Gilbert Diendéré is a Burkinabé military officer and the Chairman of the National Council for Democracy, the military junta that briefly seized power in Burkina Faso in the September 2015 coup d'état. He was a long-time aide to President Blaise Compaoré, serving as commander of the Regiment of Presidential Security (RSP) during Compaoré's rule. He was appointed as chairman of the junta on 17 September 2015.

Salif Diallo was a Burkinabé politician who was President of the National Assembly of Burkina Faso from 2015 to 2017. He was a key associate of President Blaise Compaoré from the 1980s to the 2000s, serving in various posts during that period, including as Director of the Cabinet of the President from 1987 to 1989, Minister of Environment and Water from 1995 to 1999, and Minister of Agriculture from 2000 to 2008. He was appointed as Burkina Faso's Ambassador to Austria later in 2008. He also served as Vice-President of the Congress for Democracy and Progress, the ruling party.

Bakary Koné is a Burkinabé professional footballer who plays as a centre back for the Indian Super League club Kerala Blasters FC and the Burkina Faso national team.

Charles Kaboré is a Burkinabé professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Russian club FC Dynamo Moscow and the Burkina Faso national team. A Burkina Faso international since 2006, he has become the country's most capped player.

Dani Kouyaté is a film director and griot from Burkina Faso, which the BBC describes as "Africa's most important film-making country".

Hugues Fabrice Zango is a Burkinabé athlete who specialises in the triple jump and the long jump. Pending ratification, he is the world indoor record holder in the triple jump with a jump of 18.07 m set in 2021. Zango competed in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. At the Olympics, he competed in the triple jump. He has also competed in World Championships, two African athletics championships, a Jeux de la Francophonie, two Summer Universiades and two African Games. He became the first ever medalist for Burkina Faso with a bronze medal and African record at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha.

Michel Kafando is a Burkinabé diplomat who served as the transitional President of Burkina Faso from 2014 to 2015. He served in the government as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1982 to 1983 and was the Permanent Representative (Ambassador) of Burkina Faso to the United Nations from 1998 to 2011.

Jean-Baptiste Natama was a Burkinabé politician, diplomat, writer, and former candidate for the Presidency in the country's 2015 election.