Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Cuba, you would:
Health
be 66.5% less likely to be obese
In Cuba, 23.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.7% of people as of 2024.
be 38.4% less likely to die by suicide
Cuba has a suicide rate of 13.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 17.0 years less
In Cuba, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 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 91.3% less spent on your healthcare
Cuba spends $2,575 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burkina Faso spends $224 as of 2023.
have 98.4% fewer doctors per person
Cuba has 95.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Burkina Faso has 1.5 as of 2022.
have 51.8% less access to essential health services
Cuba scores 83 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burkina Faso scores 40 as of 2021.
Economy
be 98.9% more likely to be unemployed
In Cuba, 1.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burkina Faso, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
Life
have 3.6 times more children
In Cuba, there are approximately 8.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, there are 31.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 6.9 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Cuba, approximately 35.0 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 58.3% less likely to be literate
In Cuba, the literacy rate is 99.7% as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 41.6% as of 2023.
be 6.4 times more likely to die during infancy
In Cuba, approximately 6.8 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 Cuba, 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 59.9% less likely to have internet access
In Cuba, approximately 70.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, about 28.2% do as of 2024.
be 47.5% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Cuba, approximately 95% of people have access to drinking water (96% in urban areas, and 92% 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 36.8% less on education
Cuba spends 8.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 16.8% less on healthcare
Cuba spends 9.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 72.0% less likely to be murdered
Cuba has a homicide rate of 4.5 per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Burkina Faso, that number is 1.2 per 100,000 as of 2017.
be 5.1 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Cuba, road accidents kill 5.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, they kill 27.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 67.3% less strain on fresh water
Cuba withdraws 24% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burkina Faso withdraws 8% as of 2022.
find 72.4% less home broadband
Cuba has 3.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Burkina Faso has 0.8 as of 2024.
use 90.9% less electricity
Cuba uses 1,462 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Burkina Faso uses 133 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 85.9% less CO2
Cuba emits 1.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.7 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Cuba, air pollution causes 31.0 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), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Cuba vs. Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: At a glance
How big is Burkina Faso compared to Cuba? See an in-depth size comparison.