If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Guinea-Bissau, you would:

Health

be 77.3% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Guinea-Bissau, 2.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 0.5% of people as of 2024.

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be 39.5% less likely to be obese

In Guinea-Bissau, 12.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.7% of people as of 2024.

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live 3.0 years less

In Guinea-Bissau, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 67 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.

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have 41.3% fewer doctors per person

Guinea-Bissau has 2.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Burkina Faso has 1.5 as of 2022.

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be 10.8% more likely to die by suicide

Guinea-Bissau has a suicide rate of 7.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 14.5% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Guinea-Bissau, 50.5% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, however, that number is 43.2% as of 2021.

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be 30.3% more likely to be unemployed

In Guinea-Bissau, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burkina Faso, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.

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Life

be 52.1% less likely to die during childbirth

In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 505.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, 242.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 35.0% less likely to be literate

In Guinea-Bissau, the literacy rate is 63.9% as of 2022. In Burkina Faso, it is 41.6% as of 2023.

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Basic Needs

be 46.4% less likely to have access to electricity

In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 40% of people have electricity access (64% in urban areas, and 21% 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.

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be 19.1% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 62% of people have access to drinking water (73% in urban areas, and 53% 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.

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Expenditures

spend 11.6% less on healthcare

Guinea-Bissau spends 8.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2023.

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spend 97.4% more on education

Guinea-Bissau spends 2.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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Safety

be 11.6% more likely to be murdered

Guinea-Bissau has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2017. In Burkina Faso, that number is 1.2 per 100,000 as of 2017.

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Infrastructure

find 2.2 times more home broadband

Guinea-Bissau has 0.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Burkina Faso has 0.8 as of 2024.

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live with 5.2 times more strain on fresh water

Guinea-Bissau withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burkina Faso withdraws 8% as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 68.8% more CO2

Guinea-Bissau emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2020). How we calculate this

Burkina Faso: At a glance

Burkina Faso is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 273,800 sq km. Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) achieved independence from France in 1960. Repeated military coups during the 1970s and 1980s were followed by multiparty elections in the early 1990s. Current President Blaise COMPAORE came to power in a 1987 military coup and has won every election since then. There have been increasing protests over the belief that the president may try to run for a currently unconstitutional third term in the 2015 presidential elections. Burkina Faso's high population growth and limited natural resources result in poor economic prospects for the majority of its citizens.
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How big is Burkina Faso compared to Guinea-Bissau? See an in-depth size comparison.

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