Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burundi instead of Ethiopia, you would:
Health
see 16.7% more spent on your healthcare
Ethiopia spends $86 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burundi spends $100 as of 2023.
have 17.1% more access to essential health services
Ethiopia scores 35 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burundi scores 41 as of 2021.
live 3.8 years less
In Ethiopia, the average life expectancy is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Burundi, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.
be 77.4% more likely to be obese
In Ethiopia, 2.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burundi, that number is 5.2% of people as of 2024.
have 45.5% fewer doctors per person
Ethiopia has 1.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Burundi has 0.8 as of 2022.
be 26.0% more likely to die by suicide
Ethiopia has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burundi, it is 7.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 72.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Ethiopia, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burundi, that number is 0.9% as of 2025.
be 54.1% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Ethiopia, 33.1% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Burundi, however, that number is 51.0% as of 2020.
make 74.9% less money
Ethiopia has a GDP per capita of $933 as of 2025, while in Burundi, the GDP per capita is $234 as of 2025.
Life
be 23.6% more likely to be literate
In Ethiopia, the literacy rate is 60.5% as of 2022. In Burundi, it is 74.7% as of 2021.
be 11.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Ethiopia, approximately 34.5 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.
be 2.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Ethiopia, approximately 195.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Burundi, 392.0 women do as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 18.6% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Ethiopia, approximately 56% of people have access to drinking water (83% in urban areas, and 47% 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.
be 79.1% less likely to have access to electricity
In Ethiopia, approximately 55% of people have electricity access (95% in urban areas, and 44% 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 60.8% less likely to have internet access
In Ethiopia, approximately 21.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burundi, about 8.6% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 95.7% more on education
Ethiopia spends 2.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Burundi spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2025.
spend 3.2 times more on healthcare
Ethiopia spends 2.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Burundi, that number is 9.1% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 30.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Ethiopia, road accidents kill 17.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burundi, they kill 12.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 68.4% less strain on fresh water
Ethiopia withdraws 32% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burundi withdraws 10% as of 2022.
find 96.6% less home broadband
Ethiopia has 0.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Burundi has 0.0 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 53.3% less CO2
Ethiopia emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burundi emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 54.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In Ethiopia, air pollution causes 46.0 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: Ethiopia vs. Burundi
Burundi: At a glance
How big is Burundi compared to Ethiopia? See an in-depth size comparison.