Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Madagascar instead of Burkina Faso, you would:
Health
live 2.6 years longer
In Burkina Faso, the average life expectancy is 61 years (59 years for men, 63 years for women) as of 2024. In Madagascar, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.
be 41.4% less likely to be obese
In Burkina Faso, 7.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Madagascar, that number is 4.5% of people as of 2024.
have 16.2% more doctors per person
Burkina Faso has 1.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Madagascar has 1.7 as of 2022.
be 28.4% less likely to die by suicide
Burkina Faso has a suicide rate of 8.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Madagascar, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 71.9% less spent on your healthcare
Burkina Faso spends $224 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Madagascar spends $63 as of 2023.
have 12.5% less access to essential health services
Burkina Faso scores 40 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Madagascar scores 35 as of 2021.
Economy
be 12.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Burkina Faso, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Madagascar, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.
be 74.1% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Burkina Faso, 43.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Madagascar, however, that number is 75.2% as of 2021.
make 47.8% less money
Burkina Faso has a GDP per capita of $1,148 as of 2025, while in Madagascar, the GDP per capita is $599 as of 2025.
Life
be 79.7% more likely to be literate
In Burkina Faso, the literacy rate is 41.6% as of 2023. In Madagascar, it is 74.7% as of 2021.
be 83.9% more likely to die during childbirth
In Burkina Faso, approximately 242.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Madagascar, 445.0 women do as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 81.6% 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 Madagascar, that number is 39% of people on average (76% in urban areas, and 15% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 10.7% 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 Madagascar, that number is 55% of people on average (78% in urban areas, and 39% in rural areas) as of 2024.
be 33.9% less likely to have internet access
In Burkina Faso, approximately 28.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Madagascar, about 18.7% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 42.8% less on education
Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Madagascar spends 3.0% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 56.0% less on healthcare
Burkina Faso spends 7.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Madagascar, that number is 3.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 19.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Burkina Faso, road accidents kill 27.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Madagascar, they kill 22.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 85.9% less home broadband
Burkina Faso has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Madagascar has 0.1 as of 2023.
live with 44.0% more strain on fresh water
Burkina Faso withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Madagascar withdraws 11% as of 2022.
use 39.9% less electricity
Burkina Faso uses 133 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Madagascar uses 80 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 31.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Burkina Faso, air pollution causes 84.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Madagascar, it causes 58.0 as of 2019.
emit 44.4% less CO2
Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Madagascar emits 0.1 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. Madagascar
Madagascar: At a glance
How big is Madagascar compared to Burkina Faso? See an in-depth size comparison.