Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Mali instead of Burkina Faso, you would:
Health
have 27.0% more doctors per person
Burkina Faso has 1.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Mali has 1.9 as of 2023.
be 51.1% less likely to die by suicide
Burkina Faso has a suicide rate of 8.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mali, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 0.6 years less
In Burkina Faso, the average life expectancy is 61 years (59 years for men, 63 years for women) as of 2024. In Mali, that number is 61 years (59 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024.
be 72.8% more likely to be obese
In Burkina Faso, 7.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Mali, that number is 13.3% of people as of 2024.
see 53.6% less spent on your healthcare
Burkina Faso spends $224 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mali spends $104 as of 2023.
Economy
be 18.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Burkina Faso, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Mali, that number is 2.8% as of 2025.
Life
have 26.1% more children
In Burkina Faso, there are approximately 31.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mali, there are 39.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 51.7% 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 Mali, 367.0 women do as of 2023.
be 14.3% less likely to be literate
In Burkina Faso, the literacy rate is 41.6% as of 2023. In Mali, it is 35.6% as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 2.5 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 Mali, that number is 54% of people on average (92% in urban areas, and 23% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 30.3% more likely to have internet access
In Burkina Faso, approximately 28.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Mali, about 36.8% do as of 2024.
be 72.7% 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 Mali, that number is 86% of people on average (94% in urban areas, and 80% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 21.6% less on education
Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Mali spends 4.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 51.2% less on healthcare
Burkina Faso spends 7.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Mali, that number is 3.8% 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 Mali, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Environment
be 22.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Burkina Faso, air pollution causes 84.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Mali, it causes 65.0 as of 2019.
emit 11.1% more CO2
Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Mali 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. Mali
Mali: At a glance
How big is Mali compared to Burkina Faso? See an in-depth size comparison.