Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Benin, you would:
Health
be 37.2% less likely to be obese
In Benin, 12.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.7% of people as of 2024.
see 62.4% more spent on your healthcare
Benin spends $138 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burkina Faso spends $224 as of 2023.
have 31.5% fewer doctors per person
Benin has 2.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Burkina Faso has 1.5 as of 2022.
be 19.4% more likely to die by suicide
Benin has a suicide rate of 7.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Benin, 1.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burkina Faso, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
be 19.3% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Benin, 36.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, however, that number is 43.2% as of 2021.
make 30.8% less money
Benin has a GDP per capita of $1,658 as of 2025, while in Burkina Faso, the GDP per capita is $1,148 as of 2025.
Life
be 53.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Benin, approximately 518.0 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 19.1% less likely to be literate
In Benin, the literacy rate is 51.4% as of 2022. In Burkina Faso, it is 41.6% as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 61.9% less likely to have access to electricity
In Benin, approximately 57% of people have electricity access (70% in urban areas, and 44% 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 16.9% less likely to have internet access
In Benin, approximately 34.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, about 28.2% do as of 2024.
be 28.2% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Benin, approximately 70% of people have access to drinking water (76% in urban areas, and 63% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 50% of people on average (81% in urban areas, and 34% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 65.0% more on education
Benin spends 3.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.3 times more on healthcare
Benin spends 3.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 10.6% more likely to be murdered
Benin has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2017. In Burkina Faso, that number is 1.2 per 100,000 as of 2017.
be 12.1% more likely to die in a road accident
In Benin, road accidents kill 24.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, they kill 27.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.0 times more home broadband
Benin has 0.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Burkina Faso has 0.8 as of 2024.
use 16.3% more electricity
Benin uses 115 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Burkina Faso uses 133 kWh as of 2023.
live with 8.0 times more strain on fresh water
Benin withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burkina Faso withdraws 8% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 44.9% less CO2
Benin emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Benin vs. Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: At a glance
How big is Burkina Faso compared to Benin? See an in-depth size comparison.