Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Guatemala, you would:
Health
be 72.5% less likely to be obese
In Guatemala, 28.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.7% of people as of 2024.
live 11.5 years less
In Guatemala, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 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 76.1% less spent on your healthcare
Guatemala spends $935 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burkina Faso spends $224 as of 2023.
have 88.4% fewer doctors per person
Guatemala has 12.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Burkina Faso has 1.5 as of 2022.
have 32.2% less access to essential health services
Guatemala scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burkina Faso scores 40 as of 2021.
be 72.1% more likely to die by suicide
Guatemala has a suicide rate of 4.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 22.9% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Guatemala, 56.0% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, however, that number is 43.2% as of 2021.
be 33.8% more likely to be unemployed
In Guatemala, 2.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burkina Faso, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
make 82.6% less money
Guatemala has a GDP per capita of $6,598 as of 2025, while in Burkina Faso, the GDP per capita is $1,148 as of 2025.
Life
have 52.0% more children
In Guatemala, there are approximately 20.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, there are 31.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.6 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Guatemala, approximately 94.0 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 49.4% less likely to be literate
In Guatemala, the literacy rate is 82.1% as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, it is 41.6% as of 2023.
be 2.5 times more likely to die during infancy
In Guatemala, approximately 17.2 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 78.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In Guatemala, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 53.1% less likely to have internet access
In Guatemala, approximately 60.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, about 28.2% do as of 2024.
be 46.3% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Guatemala, approximately 93% of people have access to drinking water (97% in urban areas, and 89% 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 73.1% more on education
Guatemala spends 3.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 14.7% more on healthcare
Guatemala spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 2.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Guatemala, road accidents kill 12.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, they kill 27.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 84.1% less home broadband
Guatemala has 5.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Burkina Faso has 0.8 as of 2024.
live with 36.2% more strain on fresh water
Guatemala withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burkina Faso withdraws 8% as of 2022.
use 81.8% less electricity
Guatemala uses 733 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Burkina Faso uses 133 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 75.7% less CO2
Guatemala emits 1.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Guatemala, air pollution causes 40.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Burkina Faso, it causes 84.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Guatemala vs. Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: At a glance
How big is Burkina Faso compared to Guatemala? See an in-depth size comparison.