Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Iceland, you would:
Health
be 65.4% less likely to be obese
In Iceland, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.7% of people as of 2024.
be 28.6% less likely to die by suicide
Iceland has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 21.5 years less
In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 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 96.8% less spent on your healthcare
Iceland spends $6,927 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burkina Faso spends $224 as of 2023.
have 96.6% fewer doctors per person
Iceland has 43.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Burkina Faso has 1.5 as of 2022.
have 55.1% less access to essential health services
Iceland scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burkina Faso scores 40 as of 2021.
Economy
make 98.8% less money
Iceland has a GDP per capita of $98,323 as of 2025, while in Burkina Faso, the GDP per capita is $1,148 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.8 times more children
In Iceland, there are approximately 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, there are 31.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 80.7 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Iceland, approximately 3.0 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 20.8 times more likely to die during infancy
In Iceland, approximately 2.1 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 Iceland, 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 71.2% less likely to have internet access
In Iceland, approximately 98.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, about 28.2% do as of 2024.
be 50.0% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Iceland, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 27.1% less on education
Iceland spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 13.1% less on healthcare
Iceland spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 11.6 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Iceland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, they kill 27.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 97.7% less home broadband
Iceland has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Burkina Faso has 0.8 as of 2024.
live with 20.1 times more strain on fresh water
Iceland withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burkina Faso withdraws 8% as of 2022.
use 99.7% less electricity
Iceland uses 48,998 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso uses 133 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 96.8% less CO2
Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 10.5 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Iceland, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Burkina Faso, it causes 84.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Iceland vs. Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: At a glance
How big is Burkina Faso compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.