If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Dominican Republic, you would:

Health

be 75.0% less likely to be obese

In Dominican Republic, 30.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.7% of people as of 2024.

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live 12.6 years less

In Dominican Republic, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 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.

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see 80.8% less spent on your healthcare

Dominican Republic spends $1,169 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burkina Faso spends $224 as of 2023.

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have 93.9% fewer doctors per person

Dominican Republic has 24.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Burkina Faso has 1.5 as of 2022.

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have 48.1% less access to essential health services

Dominican Republic scores 77 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burkina Faso scores 40 as of 2021.

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be 2.0 times more likely to die by suicide

Dominican Republic has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 31.6% less likely to be unemployed

In Dominican Republic, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burkina Faso, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.

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make 89.6% less money

Dominican Republic has a GDP per capita of $11,059 as of 2025, while in Burkina Faso, the GDP per capita is $1,148 as of 2025.

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Life

have 77.9% more children

In Dominican Republic, there are approximately 17.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, there are 31.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 95.2% more likely to die during childbirth

In Dominican Republic, approximately 124.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, 242.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 55.8% less likely to be literate

In Dominican Republic, the literacy rate is 94.0% as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, it is 41.6% as of 2023.

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be 57.4% more likely to die during infancy

In Dominican Republic, approximately 27.7 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.

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Basic Needs

be 78.2% less likely to have access to electricity

In Dominican Republic, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 98% 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.

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be 69.0% less likely to have internet access

In Dominican Republic, approximately 91.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, about 28.2% do as of 2024.

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be 48.7% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Dominican Republic, approximately 97% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 95% 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.

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Expenditures

spend 41.8% more on education

Dominican Republic spends 3.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 69.6% more on healthcare

Dominican Republic spends 4.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2023.

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Infrastructure

live with 80.2% less strain on fresh water

Dominican Republic withdraws 40% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burkina Faso withdraws 8% as of 2022.

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find 92.4% less home broadband

Dominican Republic has 11.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Burkina Faso has 0.8 as of 2024.

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use 92.9% less electricity

Dominican Republic uses 1,867 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Burkina Faso uses 133 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 91.0% less CO2

Dominican Republic emits 3.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 3.1 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Dominican Republic, air pollution causes 27.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Burkina Faso, it causes 84.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Burkina Faso: At a glance

Burkina Faso is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 273,800 sq km. Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) achieved independence from France in 1960. Repeated military coups during the 1970s and 1980s were followed by multiparty elections in the early 1990s. Current President Blaise COMPAORE came to power in a 1987 military coup and has won every election since then. There have been increasing protests over the belief that the president may try to run for a currently unconstitutional third term in the 2015 presidential elections. Burkina Faso's high population growth and limited natural resources result in poor economic prospects for the majority of its citizens.
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How big is Burkina Faso compared to Dominican Republic? See an in-depth size comparison.

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