Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Rwanda instead of Burkina Faso, you would:
Health
live 6.7 years longer
In Burkina Faso, the average life expectancy is 61 years (59 years for men, 63 years for women) as of 2024. In Rwanda, that number is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024.
be 27.4% less likely to be obese
In Burkina Faso, 7.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Rwanda, that number is 5.6% of people as of 2024.
have 22.5% more access to essential health services
Burkina Faso scores 40 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Rwanda scores 49 as of 2021.
be 4.0 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 Rwanda, that number is 2.0% of people as of 2024.
see 20.9% less spent on your healthcare
Burkina Faso spends $224 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Rwanda spends $177 as of 2023.
have 39.2% fewer doctors per person
Burkina Faso has 1.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Rwanda has 0.9 as of 2022.
Economy
be 36.6% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Burkina Faso, 43.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Rwanda, however, that number is 27.4% as of 2023.
be 3.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Burkina Faso, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Rwanda, that number is 11.4% as of 2025.
Life
be 89.5% more likely to be literate
In Burkina Faso, the literacy rate is 41.6% as of 2023. In Rwanda, it is 78.8% as of 2022.
be 32.6% 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 Rwanda, on the other hand, 29.4 children do as of 2024.
have 10.5% fewer children
In Burkina Faso, there are approximately 31.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Rwanda, there are 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 2.9 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 Rwanda, that number is 64% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 58% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 12.2% more likely to have internet access
In Burkina Faso, approximately 28.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Rwanda, about 31.7% do as of 2024.
be 22.8% 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 Rwanda, that number is 61% of people on average (88% in urban areas, and 56% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 13.5% less on education
Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Rwanda spends 4.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 34.2% less on healthcare
Burkina Faso spends 7.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Rwanda, that number is 5.1% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 58.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Burkina Faso, road accidents kill 27.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Rwanda, they kill 11.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.9 times more likely to be murdered
Burkina Faso has a homicide rate of 1.2 per 100,000 people as of 2017. In Rwanda, that number is 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2020.
Infrastructure
find 29.4% less home broadband
Burkina Faso has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Rwanda has 0.6 as of 2024.
live with 2.6 times more strain on fresh water
Burkina Faso withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Rwanda withdraws 20% as of 2022.
use 42.5% less electricity
Burkina Faso uses 133 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Rwanda uses 77 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 26.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Burkina Faso, air pollution causes 84.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Rwanda, it causes 62.0 as of 2019.
emit 40.7% less CO2
Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Rwanda emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Burkina Faso vs. Rwanda
Rwanda: At a glance
How big is Rwanda compared to Burkina Faso? See an in-depth size comparison.