Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sri Lanka instead of Burkina Faso, you would:
Health
live 16.4 years longer
In Burkina Faso, the average life expectancy is 61 years (59 years for men, 63 years for women) as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 78 years (74 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
see 2.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Burkina Faso spends $224 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sri Lanka spends $507 as of 2023.
have 7.7 times more doctors per person
Burkina Faso has 1.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Sri Lanka has 11.4 as of 2023.
have 67.5% more access to essential health services
Burkina Faso scores 40 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sri Lanka scores 67 as of 2021.
be 45.9% more likely to be obese
In Burkina Faso, 7.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 11.2% of people as of 2024.
be 73.4% more likely to die by suicide
Burkina Faso has a suicide rate of 8.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, it is 14.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 66.9% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Burkina Faso, 43.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, however, that number is 14.3% as of 2019.
make 4.4 times more money
Burkina Faso has a GDP per capita of $1,148 as of 2025, while in Sri Lanka, the GDP per capita is $5,002 as of 2025.
be 14.9% more likely to be unemployed
In Burkina Faso, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sri Lanka, that number is 4.0% as of 2025.
Life
be 92.6% 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 Sri Lanka, 18.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.2 times more likely to be literate
In Burkina Faso, the literacy rate is 41.6% as of 2023. In Sri Lanka, it is 92.7% as of 2024.
be 88.1% 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 Sri Lanka, on the other hand, 5.2 children do as of 2024.
have 67.8% fewer children
In Burkina Faso, there are approximately 31.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, there are 10.1 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 Sri Lanka, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 93.2% more likely to have internet access
In Burkina Faso, approximately 28.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, about 54.6% do as of 2024.
be 80.4% 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 Sri Lanka, that number is 90% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 88% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 65.7% less on education
Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Sri Lanka spends 1.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 52.8% less on healthcare
Burkina Faso spends 7.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sri Lanka, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 58.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In Burkina Faso, road accidents kill 27.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, they kill 11.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.6 times more likely to be murdered
Burkina Faso has a homicide rate of 1.2 per 100,000 people as of 2017. In Sri Lanka, that number is 3.3 per 100,000 as of 2019.
Infrastructure
find 10.0 times more home broadband
Burkina Faso has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sri Lanka has 8.5 as of 2024.
use 4.8 times more electricity
Burkina Faso uses 133 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Sri Lanka uses 644 kWh as of 2023.
live with 11.6 times more strain on fresh water
Burkina Faso withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sri Lanka withdraws 91% as of 2022.
Environment
be 56.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Burkina Faso, air pollution causes 84.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sri Lanka, it causes 37.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.9 times more CO2
Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sri Lanka emits 1.1 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. Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: At a glance
How big is Sri Lanka compared to Burkina Faso? See an in-depth size comparison.