Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Malawi instead of Burkina Faso, you would:
Health
live 6.3 years longer
In Burkina Faso, the average life expectancy is 61 years (59 years for men, 63 years for women) as of 2024. In Malawi, that number is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
have 20.0% more access to essential health services
Burkina Faso scores 40 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Malawi scores 48 as of 2021.
be 10.9% less likely to die by suicide
Burkina Faso has a suicide rate of 8.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Malawi, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 12.4 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 Malawi, that number is 6.2% of people as of 2024.
see 44.0% less spent on your healthcare
Burkina Faso spends $224 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Malawi spends $125 as of 2023.
have 63.5% fewer doctors per person
Burkina Faso has 1.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Malawi has 0.5 as of 2022.
Economy
be 45.7% more likely to be unemployed
In Burkina Faso, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Malawi, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
make 41.5% less money
Burkina Faso has a GDP per capita of $1,148 as of 2025, while in Malawi, the GDP per capita is $672 as of 2025.
Life
be 61.9% more likely to be literate
In Burkina Faso, the literacy rate is 41.6% as of 2023. In Malawi, it is 67.3% as of 2021.
be 12.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Burkina Faso, approximately 43.6 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Malawi, on the other hand, 38.0 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 46.1% 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 Malawi, that number is 73% of people on average (86% in urban areas, and 70% in rural areas) as of 2024.
be 28.1% less 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 Malawi, that number is 16% of people on average (58% in urban areas, and 6% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 32.9% less likely to have internet access
In Burkina Faso, approximately 28.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Malawi, about 19.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 48.4% less on education
Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Malawi spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 16.3% less on healthcare
Burkina Faso spends 7.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Malawi, that number is 6.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 27.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Burkina Faso, road accidents kill 27.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Malawi, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 89.4% less home broadband
Burkina Faso has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Malawi has 0.1 as of 2024.
live with 2.2 times more strain on fresh water
Burkina Faso withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Malawi withdraws 18% as of 2022.
Environment
be 48.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Burkina Faso, air pollution causes 84.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Malawi, it causes 43.0 as of 2019.
emit 18.5% less CO2
Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Malawi emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Burkina Faso vs. Malawi
Malawi: At a glance
How big is Malawi compared to Burkina Faso? See an in-depth size comparison.