Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Ghana, you would:
Health
be 66.7% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Ghana, 1.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 0.5% of people as of 2024.
be 47.1% less likely to be obese
In Ghana, 14.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.7% of people as of 2024.
live 4.4 years less
In Ghana, the average life expectancy is 66 years (63 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 44.4% fewer doctors per person
Ghana has 2.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Burkina Faso has 1.5 as of 2022.
have 16.7% less access to essential health services
Ghana scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burkina Faso scores 40 as of 2021.
be 59.8% more likely to die by suicide
Ghana has a suicide rate of 5.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 16.8% more likely to be unemployed
In Ghana, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burkina Faso, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
make 64.8% less money
Ghana has a GDP per capita of $3,257 as of 2025, while in Burkina Faso, the GDP per capita is $1,148 as of 2025.
Life
have 20.9% more children
In Ghana, there are approximately 25.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, there are 31.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 45.7% less likely to be literate
In Ghana, the literacy rate is 76.5% as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 41.6% as of 2023.
be 58.5% more likely to die during infancy
In Ghana, approximately 27.5 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 75.8% less likely to have access to electricity
In Ghana, approximately 90% of people have electricity access (98% in urban areas, and 78% 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 60.9% less likely to have internet access
In Ghana, approximately 72.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, about 28.2% do as of 2024.
be 44.4% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Ghana, approximately 90% of people have access to drinking water (99% in urban areas, and 76% 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 83.2% more on education
Ghana spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.6 times more on healthcare
Ghana spends 3.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 28.8% more home broadband
Ghana has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Burkina Faso has 0.8 as of 2024.
live with 23.9% more strain on fresh water
Ghana withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burkina Faso withdraws 8% as of 2022.
use 76.4% less electricity
Ghana uses 565 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Burkina Faso uses 133 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 61.4% less CO2
Ghana emits 0.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Ghana vs. Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: At a glance
How big is Burkina Faso compared to Ghana? See an in-depth size comparison.