Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of China, you would:
Health
be 17.2% less likely to be obese
In China, 9.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.7% of people as of 2024.
live 16.7 years less
In China, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 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 84.9% less spent on your healthcare
China spends $1,487 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burkina Faso spends $224 as of 2023.
have 95.2% fewer doctors per person
China has 31.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Burkina Faso has 1.5 as of 2022.
have 50.6% less access to essential health services
China scores 81 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burkina Faso scores 40 as of 2021.
Economy
be 24.7% less likely to be unemployed
In China, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burkina Faso, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
make 91.7% less money
China has a GDP per capita of $13,862 as of 2025, while in Burkina Faso, the GDP per capita is $1,148 as of 2025.
Life
have 4.6 times more children
In China, there are approximately 6.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, there are 31.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 15.1 times more likely to die during childbirth
In China, approximately 16.0 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 57.0% less likely to be literate
In China, the literacy rate is 96.7% as of 2020. In Burkina Faso, it is 41.6% as of 2023.
be 10.6 times more likely to die during infancy
In China, approximately 4.1 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 China, 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 69.2% less likely to have internet access
In China, approximately 91.6% of the population has internet access as of 2025. In Burkina Faso, about 28.2% do as of 2024.
be 48.0% less likely to have access to drinking water
In China, approximately 96% of people have access to drinking water (97% in urban areas, and 94% 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 36.7% more on education
China spends 3.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 31.3% more on healthcare
China spends 5.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 2.5 times more likely to be murdered
China has a homicide rate of 0.5 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Burkina Faso, that number is 1.2 per 100,000 as of 2017.
be 59.8% more likely to die in a road accident
In China, road accidents kill 17.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, they kill 27.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 81.2% less strain on fresh water
China withdraws 42% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burkina Faso withdraws 8% as of 2022.
find 98.2% less home broadband
China has 47.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Burkina Faso has 0.8 as of 2024.
use 98.0% less electricity
China uses 6,524 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Burkina Faso uses 133 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 97.1% less CO2
China emits 9.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 31.2% more likely to die from air pollution
In China, air pollution causes 64.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Burkina Faso, it causes 84.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: China vs. Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: At a glance
How big is Burkina Faso compared to China? See an in-depth size comparison.