Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Iran, you would:
Health
be 68.7% less likely to be obese
In Iran, 24.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.7% of people as of 2024.
live 16.6 years less
In Iran, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 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 79.0% less spent on your healthcare
Iran spends $1,064 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burkina Faso spends $224 as of 2023.
have 91.8% fewer doctors per person
Iran has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Burkina Faso has 1.5 as of 2022.
have 45.9% less access to essential health services
Iran scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burkina Faso scores 40 as of 2021.
be 2.1 times more likely to die by suicide
Iran has a suicide rate of 4.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 58.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Iran, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burkina Faso, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
make 70.8% less money
Iran has a GDP per capita of $3,924 as of 2025, while in Burkina Faso, the GDP per capita is $1,148 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.5 times more children
In Iran, there are approximately 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, there are 31.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 15.1 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Iran, approximately 16.0 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 53.3% less likely to be literate
In Iran, the literacy rate is 88.9% as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, it is 41.6% as of 2023.
be 4.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In Iran, approximately 10.3 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 Iran, 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 66.9% less likely to have internet access
In Iran, approximately 85.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, about 28.2% do as of 2024.
be 48.9% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Iran, approximately 98% of people have access to drinking water (99% in urban areas, and 95% 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 89.0% more on education
Iran spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 29.4% more on healthcare
Iran spends 6.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 47.9% less likely to be murdered
Iran has a homicide rate of 2.4 per 100,000 people as of 2014. In Burkina Faso, that number is 1.2 per 100,000 as of 2017.
be 35.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In Iran, road accidents kill 20.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, they kill 27.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 90.4% less strain on fresh water
Iran withdraws 81% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burkina Faso withdraws 8% as of 2022.
find 93.0% less home broadband
Iran has 12.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Burkina Faso has 0.8 as of 2024.
use 96.5% less electricity
Iran uses 3,815 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Burkina Faso uses 133 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 97.0% less CO2
Iran emits 9.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 64.7% more likely to die from air pollution
In Iran, air pollution causes 51.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Burkina Faso, it causes 84.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2014–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Iran vs. Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: At a glance
How big is Burkina Faso compared to Iran? See an in-depth size comparison.