Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Gambia instead of Burundi, you would:
Health
live 2.2 years longer
In Burundi, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.
have 15.4% more doctors per person
Burundi has 0.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Gambia has 0.9 as of 2023.
have 12.2% more access to essential health services
Burundi scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Gambia scores 46 as of 2021.
be 37.1% less likely to die by suicide
Burundi has a suicide rate of 7.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Gambia, it is 4.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 62.5% more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Burundi, 0.8% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 1.3% of people as of 2024.
be 2.4 times more likely to be obese
In Burundi, 5.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 12.4% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 3.9 times more money
Burundi has a GDP per capita of $234 as of 2025, while in Gambia, the GDP per capita is $919 as of 2025.
be 7.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Burundi, 0.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Gambia, that number is 6.5% as of 2025.
Life
be 30.9% less likely to be literate
In Burundi, the literacy rate is 74.7% as of 2021. In Gambia, it is 51.6% as of 2021.
have 10.1% fewer children
In Burundi, there are approximately 33.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Gambia, there are 29.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 5.8 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Burundi, approximately 12% of people have electricity access (65% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Gambia, that number is 67% of people on average (85% in urban areas, and 35% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 5.8 times more likely to have internet access
In Burundi, approximately 8.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Gambia, about 49.5% do as of 2024.
be 32.1% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Burundi, approximately 66% of people have access to drinking water (91% in urban areas, and 61% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 87% of people on average (92% in urban areas, and 78% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 37.6% less on education
Burundi spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2025. Gambia spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 68.2% less on healthcare
Burundi spends 9.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Gambia, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 78.9% more likely to die in a road accident
In Burundi, road accidents kill 12.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Gambia, they kill 22.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 26.0 times more home broadband
Burundi has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Gambia has 0.5 as of 2024.
live with 78.3% less strain on fresh water
Burundi withdraws 10% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Gambia withdraws 2% as of 2022.
Environment
be 26.8% more likely to die from air pollution
In Burundi, air pollution causes 71.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Gambia, it causes 90.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.6 times more CO2
Burundi emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Gambia emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Burundi vs. Gambia
Gambia: At a glance
How big is Gambia compared to Burundi? See an in-depth size comparison.