Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Italy, you would:
Health
be 45.0% less likely to be obese
In Italy, 14.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.7% of people as of 2024.
live 22.7 years less
In Italy, the average life expectancy is 84 years (82 years for men, 86 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 95.5% less spent on your healthcare
Italy spends $4,993 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burkina Faso spends $224 as of 2023.
have 96.5% fewer doctors per person
Italy has 41.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Burkina Faso has 1.5 as of 2022.
have 52.4% less access to essential health services
Italy scores 84 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burkina Faso scores 40 as of 2021.
be 21.6% more likely to die by suicide
Italy has a suicide rate of 7.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 45.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Italy, 6.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burkina Faso, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
be 2.1 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Italy, 20.1% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, however, that number is 43.2% as of 2021.
make 97.4% less money
Italy has a GDP per capita of $43,309 as of 2025, while in Burkina Faso, the GDP per capita is $1,148 as of 2025.
Life
have 5.0 times more children
In Italy, there are approximately 6.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, there are 31.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 40.3 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Italy, approximately 6.0 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 19.0 times more likely to die during infancy
In Italy, approximately 2.3 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 Italy, 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 68.3% less likely to have internet access
In Italy, approximately 89.2% 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 Italy, 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 31.0% more on education
Italy spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 5.6 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Italy, road accidents kill 5.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, they kill 27.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 73.7% less strain on fresh water
Italy withdraws 30% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burkina Faso withdraws 8% as of 2022.
find 97.3% less home broadband
Italy has 31.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Burkina Faso has 0.8 as of 2024.
use 97.4% less electricity
Italy uses 5,137 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso uses 133 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 94.7% less CO2
Italy emits 5.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 5.6 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Italy, air pollution causes 15.0 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: Italy vs. Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: At a glance
How big is Burkina Faso compared to Italy? See an in-depth size comparison.