Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Cameroon, you would:
Health
be 80.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Cameroon, 2.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 0.5% of people as of 2024.
be 52.1% less likely to be obese
In Cameroon, 16.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.7% of people as of 2024.
live 2.7 years less
In Cameroon, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 61 years (59 years for men, 63 years for women) as of 2024.
Economy
be 14.6% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Cameroon, 37.7% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, however, that number is 43.2% as of 2021.
make 41.8% less money
Cameroon has a GDP per capita of $1,972 as of 2025, while in Burkina Faso, the GDP per capita is $1,148 as of 2025.
Basic Needs
be 69.9% less likely to have access to electricity
In Cameroon, approximately 72% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 26% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, that number is 22% of people on average (63% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 38.9% less likely to have internet access
In Cameroon, approximately 46.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, about 28.2% do as of 2024.
be 30.0% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Cameroon, approximately 71% of people have access to drinking water (82% in urban areas, and 56% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 50% of people on average (81% in urban areas, and 34% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 87.7% more on education
Cameroon spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 71.4% more on healthcare
Cameroon spends 4.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 2.6 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Cameroon, road accidents kill 10.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, they kill 27.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 60.1% less home broadband
Cameroon has 2.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Burkina Faso has 0.8 as of 2024.
live with 5.0 times more strain on fresh water
Cameroon withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burkina Faso withdraws 8% as of 2022.
use 41.0% less electricity
Cameroon uses 226 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Burkina Faso uses 133 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 16.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Cameroon, air pollution causes 101.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Burkina Faso, it causes 84.0 as of 2019.
emit 22.9% less CO2
Cameroon emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Cameroon vs. Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: At a glance
How big is Burkina Faso compared to Cameroon? See an in-depth size comparison.