If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Guyana, you would:

Health

be 68.8% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Guyana, 1.6% 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 74.5% less likely to be obese

In Guyana, 30.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.7% of people as of 2024.

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be 65.7% less likely to die by suicide

Guyana has a suicide rate of 24.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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live 9.0 years less

In Guyana, the average life expectancy is 70 years (67 years for men, 74 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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see 83.2% less spent on your healthcare

Guyana spends $1,331 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burkina Faso spends $224 as of 2023.

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have 89.3% fewer doctors per person

Guyana has 13.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Burkina Faso has 1.5 as of 2022.

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have 47.4% less access to essential health services

Guyana scores 76 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burkina Faso scores 40 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 70.9% less likely to be unemployed

In Guyana, 12.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burkina Faso, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.

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make 96.5% less money

Guyana has a GDP per capita of $32,414 as of 2025, while in Burkina Faso, the GDP per capita is $1,148 as of 2025.

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Life

have 57.6% more children

In Guyana, there are approximately 19.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, there are 31.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 3.2 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Guyana, approximately 75.0 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 53.2% less likely to be literate

In Guyana, the literacy rate is 88.8% as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 41.6% as of 2023.

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be 87.9% more likely to die during infancy

In Guyana, approximately 23.2 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.

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Basic Needs

be 78.1% less likely to have access to electricity

In Guyana, approximately 99% of people have electricity access (99% in urban areas, and 92% 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 66.0% less likely to have internet access

In Guyana, approximately 83.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, about 28.2% do as of 2024.

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be 47.7% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Guyana, approximately 96% of people have access to drinking water (95% in urban areas, and 96% 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 3.2 times more on healthcare

Guyana spends 2.5% 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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Safety

be 82.9% more likely to die in a road accident

In Guyana, road accidents kill 15.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, they kill 27.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 93.4% less home broadband

Guyana has 12.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Burkina Faso has 0.8 as of 2024.

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live with 2.4 times more strain on fresh water

Guyana withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burkina Faso withdraws 8% as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 94.1% less CO2

Guyana emits 4.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 61.5% more likely to die from air pollution

In Guyana, air pollution causes 52.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Burkina Faso, it causes 84.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). 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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