Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Cameroon instead of Burkina Faso, you would:
Health
live 2.7 years longer
In Burkina Faso, the average life expectancy is 61 years (59 years for men, 63 years for women) as of 2024. In Cameroon, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.
have 10.0% more access to essential health services
Burkina Faso scores 40 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Cameroon scores 44 as of 2021.
be 5.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Burkina Faso, 0.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Cameroon, that number is 2.5% of people as of 2024.
be 2.1 times more likely to be obese
In Burkina Faso, 7.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Cameroon, that number is 16.0% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 12.7% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Burkina Faso, 43.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Cameroon, however, that number is 37.7% as of 2021.
make 71.9% more money
Burkina Faso has a GDP per capita of $1,148 as of 2025, while in Cameroon, the GDP per capita is $1,972 as of 2025.
Basic Needs
be 3.3 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Burkina Faso, approximately 22% of people have electricity access (63% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Cameroon, that number is 72% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 26% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 63.8% more likely to have internet access
In Burkina Faso, approximately 28.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Cameroon, about 46.3% do as of 2024.
be 42.8% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Burkina Faso, approximately 50% of people have access to drinking water (81% in urban areas, and 34% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Cameroon, that number is 71% of people on average (82% in urban areas, and 56% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 46.7% less on education
Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Cameroon spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 41.7% less on healthcare
Burkina Faso spends 7.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Cameroon, that number is 4.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 61.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Burkina Faso, road accidents kill 27.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Cameroon, they kill 10.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.5 times more home broadband
Burkina Faso has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Cameroon has 2.1 as of 2022.
live with 80.1% less strain on fresh water
Burkina Faso withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Cameroon withdraws 2% as of 2022.
use 69.6% more electricity
Burkina Faso uses 133 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Cameroon uses 226 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 20.2% more likely to die from air pollution
In Burkina Faso, air pollution causes 84.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Cameroon, it causes 101.0 as of 2019.
emit 29.6% more CO2
Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Cameroon emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Burkina Faso vs. Cameroon
Cameroon: At a glance
How big is Cameroon compared to Burkina Faso? See an in-depth size comparison.