Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Rwanda instead of Burundi, you would:
Health
live 4.2 years longer
In Burundi, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024. In Rwanda, that number is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024.
see 76.9% more spent on your healthcare
Burundi spends $100 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Rwanda spends $177 as of 2023.
have 15.4% more doctors per person
Burundi has 0.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Rwanda has 0.9 as of 2022.
have 19.5% more access to essential health services
Burundi scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Rwanda scores 49 as of 2021.
be 2.5 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Burundi, 0.8% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Rwanda, that number is 2.0% of people as of 2024.
be 13.5% more likely to die by suicide
Burundi has a suicide rate of 7.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Rwanda, it is 8.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 46.3% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Burundi, 51.0% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Rwanda, however, that number is 27.4% as of 2023.
make 4.8 times more money
Burundi has a GDP per capita of $234 as of 2025, while in Rwanda, the GDP per capita is $1,124 as of 2025.
be 12.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Burundi, 0.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Rwanda, that number is 11.4% as of 2025.
Life
be 41.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In Burundi, approximately 392.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Rwanda, 229.0 women do as of 2023.
have 15.5% fewer children
In Burundi, there are approximately 33.2 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 5.5 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 Rwanda, that number is 64% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 58% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 3.7 times more likely to have internet access
In Burundi, approximately 8.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Rwanda, about 31.7% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 43.6% less on healthcare
Burundi spends 9.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Rwanda, that number is 5.1% of GDP as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 30.0 times more home broadband
Burundi has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Rwanda has 0.6 as of 2024.
live with 98.2% more strain on fresh water
Burundi withdraws 10% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Rwanda withdraws 20% as of 2022.
Environment
be 12.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Burundi, air pollution causes 71.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Rwanda, it causes 62.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.3 times more CO2
Burundi emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Rwanda emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Burundi vs. Rwanda
Rwanda: At a glance
How big is Rwanda compared to Burundi? See an in-depth size comparison.