Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Ireland, you would:
Health
be 72.4% less likely to be obese
In Ireland, 27.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.7% of people as of 2024.
live 21.7 years less
In Ireland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 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 97.4% less spent on your healthcare
Ireland spends $8,772 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burkina Faso spends $224 as of 2023.
have 96.2% fewer doctors per person
Ireland has 38.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Burkina Faso has 1.5 as of 2022.
have 51.8% less access to essential health services
Ireland scores 83 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burkina Faso scores 40 as of 2021.
Economy
be 24.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Ireland, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burkina Faso, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
be 3.1 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Ireland, 14.0% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, however, that number is 43.2% as of 2021.
make 99.1% less money
Ireland has a GDP per capita of $131,592 as of 2025, while in Burkina Faso, the GDP per capita is $1,148 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.1 times more children
In Ireland, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, there are 31.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 60.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Ireland, approximately 4.0 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 12.8 times more likely to die during infancy
In Ireland, approximately 3.4 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 Ireland, 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 70.9% less likely to have internet access
In Ireland, approximately 97.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, about 28.2% do as of 2024.
be 48.5% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Ireland, approximately 97% of people have access to drinking water (97% in urban areas, and 98% 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 83.8% more on education
Ireland spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 13.9% more on healthcare
Ireland spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 9.9 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Ireland, road accidents kill 2.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, they kill 27.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 97.4% less home broadband
Ireland has 32.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Burkina Faso has 0.8 as of 2024.
use 97.9% less electricity
Ireland uses 6,298 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso uses 133 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 95.5% less CO2
Ireland emits 6.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 6.5 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Ireland, air pollution causes 13.0 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: Ireland vs. Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: At a glance
How big is Burkina Faso compared to Ireland? See an in-depth size comparison.