Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Saudi Arabia instead of Burkina Faso, you would:
Health
live 17.7 years longer
In Burkina Faso, the average life expectancy is 61 years (59 years for men, 63 years for women) as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 79 years (77 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
see 15.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Burkina Faso spends $224 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Saudi Arabia spends $3,475 as of 2023.
have 23.0 times more doctors per person
Burkina Faso has 1.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Saudi Arabia has 34.1 as of 2023.
have 85.0% more access to essential health services
Burkina Faso scores 40 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Saudi Arabia scores 74 as of 2021.
be 88.8% less likely to die by suicide
Burkina Faso has a suicide rate of 8.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Saudi Arabia, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 5.2 times more likely to be obese
In Burkina Faso, 7.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 40.1% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 12.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Burkina Faso, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.
make 30.1 times more money
Burkina Faso has a GDP per capita of $1,148 as of 2025, while in Saudi Arabia, the GDP per capita is $34,537 as of 2025.
Life
be 97.1% less 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 Saudi Arabia, 7.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.4 times more likely to be literate
In Burkina Faso, the literacy rate is 41.6% as of 2023. In Saudi Arabia, it is 97.9% as of 2024.
be 89.2% 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 Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, 4.7 children do as of 2024.
have 47.4% fewer children
In Burkina Faso, there are approximately 31.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, there are 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 4.6 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 Saudi Arabia, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 3.5 times more likely to have internet access
In Burkina Faso, approximately 28.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, about 100.0% do as of 2024.
be 98.1% 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 Saudi Arabia, that number is 99% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 15.9% less on education
Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Saudi Arabia spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 27.1% less on healthcare
Burkina Faso spends 7.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 5.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 24.8% less likely to be murdered
Burkina Faso has a homicide rate of 1.2 per 100,000 people as of 2017. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2019.
be 33.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Burkina Faso, road accidents kill 27.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Saudi Arabia, they kill 18.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 51.8 times more home broadband
Burkina Faso has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Saudi Arabia has 44.1 as of 2024.
use 89.3 times more electricity
Burkina Faso uses 133 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Saudi Arabia uses 11,911 kWh as of 2023.
live with 124.6 times more strain on fresh water
Burkina Faso withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Saudi Arabia withdraws 974% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 68.4 times more CO2
Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Saudi Arabia emits 18.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Burkina Faso vs. Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: At a glance
How big is Saudi Arabia compared to Burkina Faso? See an in-depth size comparison.