Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Nigeria instead of Burkina Faso, you would:
Health
see 16.2% more spent on your healthcare
Burkina Faso spends $224 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Nigeria spends $260 as of 2023.
have 2.6 times more doctors per person
Burkina Faso has 1.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Nigeria has 3.8 as of 2023.
be 41.3% less likely to die by suicide
Burkina Faso has a suicide rate of 8.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Nigeria, it is 5.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.4 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 Nigeria, that number is 1.2% of people as of 2024.
live 6.7 years less
In Burkina Faso, the average life expectancy is 61 years (59 years for men, 63 years for women) as of 2024. In Nigeria, that number is 55 years (54 years for men, 55 years for women) as of 2024.
be 77.8% more likely to be obese
In Burkina Faso, 7.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Nigeria, that number is 13.7% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 12.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Burkina Faso, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Nigeria, that number is 3.1% as of 2025.
be 30.1% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Burkina Faso, 43.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Nigeria, however, that number is 56.2% as of 2022.
Life
be 69.4% more likely to be literate
In Burkina Faso, the literacy rate is 41.6% as of 2023. In Nigeria, it is 70.4% as of 2024.
be 4.1 times 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 Nigeria, 993.0 women do as of 2023.
be 60.1% more 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 Nigeria, on the other hand, 69.8 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 2.8 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 Nigeria, that number is 61% of people on average (85% in urban areas, and 33% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 45.9% more likely to have internet access
In Burkina Faso, approximately 28.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Nigeria, about 41.2% do as of 2024.
be 64.5% 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 Nigeria, that number is 82% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 67% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 94.0% less on education
Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Nigeria spends 0.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 46.3% less on healthcare
Burkina Faso spends 7.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Nigeria, that number is 4.2% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 38.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Burkina Faso, road accidents kill 27.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Nigeria, they kill 17.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 90.6% less home broadband
Burkina Faso has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Nigeria has 0.1 as of 2024.
live with 23.7% more strain on fresh water
Burkina Faso withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Nigeria withdraws 10% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 2.1 times more CO2
Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Nigeria emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Burkina Faso vs. Nigeria
Nigeria: At a glance
How big is Nigeria compared to Burkina Faso? See an in-depth size comparison.