Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burundi instead of Gambia, you would:
Health
be 38.5% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Gambia, 1.3% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Burundi, that number is 0.8% of people as of 2024.
be 58.2% less likely to be obese
In Gambia, 12.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burundi, that number is 5.2% of people as of 2024.
live 2.2 years less
In Gambia, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024. In Burundi, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.
have 13.3% fewer doctors per person
Gambia has 0.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Burundi has 0.8 as of 2022.
have 10.9% less access to essential health services
Gambia scores 46 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burundi scores 41 as of 2021.
be 59.0% more likely to die by suicide
Gambia has a suicide rate of 4.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burundi, it is 7.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 85.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Gambia, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burundi, that number is 0.9% as of 2025.
make 74.6% less money
Gambia has a GDP per capita of $919 as of 2025, while in Burundi, the GDP per capita is $234 as of 2025.
Life
be 44.7% more likely to be literate
In Gambia, the literacy rate is 51.6% as of 2021. In Burundi, it is 74.7% as of 2021.
have 11.2% more children
In Gambia, there are approximately 29.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burundi, there are 33.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 82.7% 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 Burundi, that number is 12% of people on average (65% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 82.6% less likely to have internet access
In Gambia, approximately 49.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burundi, about 8.6% do as of 2024.
be 24.3% 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 Burundi, that number is 66% of people on average (91% in urban areas, and 61% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 60.1% more on education
Gambia spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Burundi spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2025.
spend 3.1 times more on healthcare
Gambia spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Burundi, that number is 9.1% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 44.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Gambia, road accidents kill 22.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burundi, they kill 12.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 96.2% less home broadband
Gambia has 0.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Burundi has 0.0 as of 2023.
live with 4.6 times more strain on fresh water
Gambia withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burundi withdraws 10% as of 2022.
Environment
be 21.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Gambia, air pollution causes 90.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Burundi, it causes 71.0 as of 2019.
emit 61.1% less CO2
Gambia emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burundi emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Gambia vs. Burundi
Burundi: At a glance
How big is Burundi compared to Gambia? See an in-depth size comparison.