Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burma instead of Bhutan, you would:
Health
be 37.8% less likely to be obese
In Bhutan, 13.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burma, that number is 8.1% of people as of 2024.
have 36.9% more doctors per person
Bhutan has 5.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Burma has 7.6 as of 2019.
be 41.0% less likely to die by suicide
Bhutan has a suicide rate of 4.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burma, it is 2.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 6.2 years less
In Bhutan, the average life expectancy is 73 years (72 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024. In Burma, that number is 67 years (64 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024.
see 58.2% less spent on your healthcare
Bhutan spends $677 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burma spends $283 as of 2023.
have 13.3% less access to essential health services
Bhutan scores 60 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burma scores 52 as of 2021.
Economy
make 66.9% less money
Bhutan has a GDP per capita of $4,493 as of 2025, while in Burma, the GDP per capita is $1,489 as of 2025.
Life
be 44.1% more likely to be literate
In Bhutan, the literacy rate is 64.9% as of 2022. In Burma, it is 93.5% as of 2020.
have 31.4% more children
In Bhutan, there are approximately 12.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burma, there are 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.9 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Bhutan, approximately 47.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Burma, 185.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.4 times more likely to die during infancy
In Bhutan, approximately 13.7 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Burma, on the other hand, 32.8 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 23.2% less likely to have access to electricity
In Bhutan, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Burma, that number is 77% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 69% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 51.8% less likely to have internet access
In Bhutan, approximately 91.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burma, about 44.0% do as of 2021.
be 13.9% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Bhutan, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Burma, that number is 86% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 81% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Safety
be 58.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Bhutan, road accidents kill 12.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burma, they kill 19.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 4.1 times more strain on fresh water
Bhutan withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burma withdraws 6% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 71.1% less CO2
Bhutan emits 2.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burma emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 24.6% more likely to die from air pollution
In Bhutan, air pollution causes 57.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Burma, it causes 71.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Bhutan vs. Burma
Burma: At a glance
How big is Burma compared to Bhutan? See an in-depth size comparison.