Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Canada, you would:
Health
be 70.4% less likely to be obese
In Canada, 26.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.7% of people as of 2024.
live 20.8 years less
In Canada, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 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.
see 97.1% less spent on your healthcare
Canada spends $7,646 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burkina Faso spends $224 as of 2023.
have 94.7% fewer doctors per person
Canada has 28.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Burkina Faso has 1.5 as of 2022.
have 56.0% less access to essential health services
Canada scores 91 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burkina Faso scores 40 as of 2021.
Economy
be 49.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Canada, 6.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burkina Faso, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
make 97.9% less money
Canada has a GDP per capita of $55,698 as of 2025, while in Burkina Faso, the GDP per capita is $1,148 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.5 times more children
In Canada, there are approximately 8.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, there are 31.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 20.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Canada, approximately 12.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, 242.0 women do as of 2023.
be 9.3 times more likely to die during infancy
In Canada, approximately 4.7 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, on the other hand, 43.6 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 78.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In Canada, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 70.1% less likely to have internet access
In Canada, approximately 94.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, about 28.2% do as of 2024.
be 49.1% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Canada, approximately 98% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 98% 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 31.0% less on healthcare
Canada spends 11.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 10.1% more on education
Canada spends 4.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 5.9 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Canada, road accidents kill 4.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, they kill 27.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 98.0% less home broadband
Canada has 42.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Burkina Faso has 0.8 as of 2024.
live with 2.1 times more strain on fresh water
Canada withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burkina Faso withdraws 8% as of 2022.
use 99.1% less electricity
Canada uses 14,093 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso uses 133 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 98.1% less CO2
Canada emits 14.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 10.5 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Canada, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Burkina Faso, it causes 84.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Canada vs. Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: At a glance
How big is Burkina Faso compared to Canada? See an in-depth size comparison.