Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zimbabwe instead of Burkina Faso, you would:
Health
live 1.8 years longer
In Burkina Faso, the average life expectancy is 61 years (59 years for men, 63 years for women) as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, that number is 63 years (60 years for men, 65 years for women) as of 2024.
have 37.5% more access to essential health services
Burkina Faso scores 40 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Zimbabwe scores 55 as of 2021.
be 19.6 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 Zimbabwe, that number is 9.8% of people as of 2024.
be 91.3% more likely to be obese
In Burkina Faso, 7.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, that number is 14.7% of people as of 2024.
see 53.9% less spent on your healthcare
Burkina Faso spends $224 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Zimbabwe spends $103 as of 2023.
be 2.0 times more likely to die by suicide
Burkina Faso has a suicide rate of 8.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Zimbabwe, it is 17.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 11.3% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Burkina Faso, 43.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Zimbabwe, however, that number is 38.3% as of 2019.
make 2.6 times more money
Burkina Faso has a GDP per capita of $1,148 as of 2025, while in Zimbabwe, the GDP per capita is $3,021 as of 2025.
be 2.7 times more likely to be unemployed
In Burkina Faso, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Zimbabwe, that number is 9.3% as of 2025.
Life
be 2.2 times more likely to be literate
In Burkina Faso, the literacy rate is 41.6% as of 2023. In Zimbabwe, it is 89.7% as of 2021.
be 47.9% 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 Zimbabwe, 358.0 women do as of 2023.
be 43.1% 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 Zimbabwe, on the other hand, 62.4 children do 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 Zimbabwe, that number is 62% of people on average (84% in urban areas, and 51% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 47.4% more likely to have internet access
In Burkina Faso, approximately 28.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, about 41.6% do as of 2024.
be 34.4% 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 Zimbabwe, that number is 67% of people on average (94% in urban areas, and 54% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 92.9% less on education
Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Zimbabwe spends 0.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 62.4% less on healthcare
Burkina Faso spends 7.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Zimbabwe, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 2.3 times more home broadband
Burkina Faso has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Zimbabwe has 1.9 as of 2024.
use 3.8 times more electricity
Burkina Faso uses 133 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Zimbabwe uses 504 kWh as of 2023.
live with 5.9 times more strain on fresh water
Burkina Faso withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Zimbabwe withdraws 46% as of 2022.
Environment
be 33.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Burkina Faso, air pollution causes 84.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Zimbabwe, it causes 56.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.9 times more CO2
Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Zimbabwe emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Burkina Faso vs. Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: At a glance
How big is Zimbabwe compared to Burkina Faso? See an in-depth size comparison.