Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burundi instead of China, you would:
Health
be 44.2% less likely to be obese
In China, 9.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burundi, that number is 5.2% of people as of 2024.
be 14.5% less likely to die by suicide
China has a suicide rate of 8.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burundi, it is 7.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 14.2 years less
In China, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Burundi, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.
see 93.3% less spent on your healthcare
China spends $1,487 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burundi spends $100 as of 2023.
have 97.5% fewer doctors per person
China has 31.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Burundi has 0.8 as of 2022.
have 49.4% less access to essential health services
China scores 81 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burundi scores 41 as of 2021.
Economy
be 80.1% less likely to be unemployed
In China, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burundi, that number is 0.9% as of 2025.
make 98.3% less money
China has a GDP per capita of $13,862 as of 2025, while in Burundi, the GDP per capita is $234 as of 2025.
Life
have 4.9 times more children
In China, there are approximately 6.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burundi, there are 33.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 24.5 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 Burundi, 392.0 women do as of 2023.
be 22.8% less likely to be literate
In China, the literacy rate is 96.7% as of 2020. In Burundi, it is 74.7% as of 2021.
be 7.4 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 Burundi, on the other hand, 30.5 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 88.4% 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 Burundi, that number is 12% of people on average (65% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 90.6% less likely to have internet access
In China, approximately 91.6% of the population has internet access as of 2025. In Burundi, about 8.6% do as of 2024.
be 31.4% 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 Burundi, that number is 66% of people on average (91% in urban areas, and 61% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 15.4% more on education
China spends 3.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Burundi spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2025.
spend 53.0% more on healthcare
China spends 5.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Burundi, that number is 9.1% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 29.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In China, road accidents kill 17.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burundi, they kill 12.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 75.5% less strain on fresh water
China withdraws 42% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burundi withdraws 10% as of 2022.
find 100.0% less home broadband
China has 47.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Burundi has 0.0 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 99.2% less CO2
China emits 9.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burundi emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 10.9% more likely to die from air pollution
In China, air pollution causes 64.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Burundi, it causes 71.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: China vs. Burundi
Burundi: At a glance
How big is Burundi compared to China? See an in-depth size comparison.