Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Gambia, you would:
Health
be 61.5% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Gambia, 1.3% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 0.5% of people as of 2024.
be 37.9% less likely to be obese
In Gambia, 12.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.7% of people as of 2024.
see 2.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Gambia spends $94 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burkina Faso spends $224 as of 2023.
have 64.4% more doctors per person
Gambia has 0.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Burkina Faso has 1.5 as of 2022.
live 4.8 years less
In Gambia, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 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.
have 13.0% less access to essential health services
Gambia scores 46 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burkina Faso scores 40 as of 2021.
be 76.7% more likely to die by suicide
Gambia has a suicide rate of 4.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 46.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Gambia, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burkina Faso, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
be 19.1% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Gambia, 53.4% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Burkina Faso, however, that number is 43.2% as of 2021.
make 24.9% more money
Gambia has a GDP per capita of $919 as of 2025, while in Burkina Faso, the GDP per capita is $1,148 as of 2025.
Life
be 31.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In Gambia, approximately 354.0 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 19.5% less likely to be literate
In Gambia, the literacy rate is 51.6% as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 41.6% as of 2023.
be 33.3% more likely to die during infancy
In Gambia, approximately 32.7 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.
Basic Needs
be 67.6% less likely to have access to electricity
In Gambia, approximately 67% of people have electricity access (85% in urban areas, and 35% 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 42.9% less likely to have internet access
In Gambia, approximately 49.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, about 28.2% do as of 2024.
be 42.6% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Gambia, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water (92% in urban areas, and 78% 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 89.7% more on education
Gambia spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.7 times more on healthcare
Gambia spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 26.4% more likely to die in a road accident
In Gambia, road accidents kill 22.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, they kill 27.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 63.5% more home broadband
Gambia has 0.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Burkina Faso has 0.8 as of 2024.
live with 3.5 times more strain on fresh water
Gambia withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burkina Faso withdraws 8% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 50.0% more CO2
Gambia emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Gambia vs. Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: At a glance
How big is Burkina Faso compared to Gambia? See an in-depth size comparison.