Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Ethiopia, you would:

Health

live 4.8 years less

In Ethiopia, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2022. In Burkina Faso, that number is 63 years (62 years for men, 65 years for women) as of 2022.

be 24.4% more likely to be obese

In Ethiopia, 4.5% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Burkina Faso, that number is 5.6% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 4.4 times more likely to be unemployed

In Ethiopia, 17.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2012. In Burkina Faso, that number is 77.0% as of 2004.

be 76.2% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Ethiopia, 23.5% live below the poverty line as of 2015. In Burkina Faso, however, that number is 41.4% as of 2018.

Life

be 20.2% less likely to die during childbirth

In Ethiopia, approximately 401.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Burkina Faso, 320.0 women do as of 2017.

have 10.1% more children

In Ethiopia, there are approximately 30.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Burkina Faso, there are 33.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.

be 24.1% less likely to be literate

In Ethiopia, the literacy rate is 51.8% as of 2017. In Burkina Faso, it is 39.3% as of 2018.

be 47.5% more likely to die during infancy

In Ethiopia, approximately 33.5 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Burkina Faso, on the other hand, 49.4 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 53.2% less likely to have access to electricity

In Ethiopia, approximately 47% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 34% in rural areas) as of 2019. In Burkina Faso, that number is 22% of people on average (69% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2019.

Expenditures

spend 13.7% more on education

Ethiopia spends 5.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2018. Burkina Faso spends 5.8% of total GDP on education as of 2019.

spend 71.9% more on healthcare

Ethiopia spends 3.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Burkina Faso, that number is 5.5% of GDP as of 2019.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

Burkina Faso: At a glance

Burkina Faso is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 273,800 sq km. Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) achieved independence from France in 1960. Repeated military coups during the 1970s and 1980s were followed by multiparty elections in the early 1990s. Current President Blaise COMPAORE came to power in a 1987 military coup and has won every election since then. There have been increasing protests over the belief that the president may try to run for a currently unconstitutional third term in the 2015 presidential elections. Burkina Faso's high population growth and limited natural resources result in poor economic prospects for the majority of its citizens.
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How big is Burkina Faso compared to Ethiopia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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