Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Barbados, you would:
Health
be 80.5% less likely to be obese
In Barbados, 39.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.7% of people as of 2024.
live 15.0 years less
In Barbados, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 61 years (59 years for men, 63 years for women) as of 2024.
see 80.6% less spent on your healthcare
Barbados spends $1,153 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burkina Faso spends $224 as of 2023.
have 95.0% fewer doctors per person
Barbados has 29.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Burkina Faso has 1.5 as of 2022.
have 48.1% less access to essential health services
Barbados scores 77 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burkina Faso scores 40 as of 2021.
be 2.4 times more likely to die by suicide
Barbados has a suicide rate of 3.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 46.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Barbados, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burkina Faso, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
make 96.0% less money
Barbados has a GDP per capita of $28,365 as of 2025, while in Burkina Faso, the GDP per capita is $1,148 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.8 times more children
In Barbados, there are approximately 11.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, there are 31.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 6.9 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Barbados, approximately 35.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, 242.0 women do as of 2023.
be 4.8 times more likely to die during infancy
In Barbados, approximately 9.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, on the other hand, 43.6 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 78.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In Barbados, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, that number is 22% of people on average (63% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 59.8% less likely to have internet access
In Barbados, approximately 70.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, about 28.2% do as of 2024.
be 49.6% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Barbados, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, 50% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 49.7% more on education
Barbados spends 3.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 44.4% more on healthcare
Barbados spends 5.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 2.8 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Barbados, road accidents kill 10.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, they kill 27.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 91.1% less strain on fresh water
Barbados withdraws 88% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burkina Faso withdraws 8% as of 2022.
find 97.7% less home broadband
Barbados has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Burkina Faso has 0.8 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 89.3% less CO2
Barbados emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 4.4 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Barbados, air pollution causes 19.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Burkina Faso, it causes 84.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Barbados vs. Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: At a glance
How big is Burkina Faso compared to Barbados? See an in-depth size comparison.