Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of El Salvador, you would:
Health
be 76.1% less likely to be obese
In El Salvador, 32.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.7% of people as of 2024.
live 11.0 years less
In El Salvador, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 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 81.0% less spent on your healthcare
El Salvador spends $1,176 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burkina Faso spends $224 as of 2023.
have 90.8% fewer doctors per person
El Salvador has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Burkina Faso has 1.5 as of 2022.
have 48.7% less access to essential health services
El Salvador scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burkina Faso scores 40 as of 2021.
be 11.4% more likely to die by suicide
El Salvador has a suicide rate of 7.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 58.8% more likely to live below the poverty line
In El Salvador, 27.2% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, however, that number is 43.2% as of 2021.
make 80.1% less money
El Salvador has a GDP per capita of $5,767 as of 2025, while in Burkina Faso, the GDP per capita is $1,148 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.0 times more children
In El Salvador, there are approximately 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, there are 31.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 6.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In El Salvador, approximately 39.0 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 53.7% less likely to be literate
In El Salvador, the literacy rate is 89.8% as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, it is 41.6% as of 2023.
be 5.0 times more likely to die during infancy
In El Salvador, approximately 8.8 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 77.9% less likely to have access to electricity
In El Salvador, approximately 98% of people have electricity access (99% in urban areas, and 97% 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 57.5% less likely to have internet access
In El Salvador, approximately 66.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, about 28.2% do as of 2024.
be 45.4% less likely to have access to drinking water
In El Salvador, approximately 92% of people have access to drinking water (95% in urban areas, and 80% 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 16.0% less on healthcare
El Salvador spends 9.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 60.5% more on education
El Salvador spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 29.3% more likely to die in a road accident
In El Salvador, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, they kill 27.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 35.3% less strain on fresh water
El Salvador withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burkina Faso withdraws 8% as of 2022.
find 93.2% less home broadband
El Salvador has 12.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Burkina Faso has 0.8 as of 2024.
use 88.3% less electricity
El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Burkina Faso uses 133 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 82.1% less CO2
El Salvador emits 1.5 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 El Salvador, 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 (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: El Salvador vs. Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: At a glance
How big is Burkina Faso compared to El Salvador? See an in-depth size comparison.