Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Japan, you would:
Health
be 51.2% less likely to die by suicide
Japan has a suicide rate of 17.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 22.8 years less
In Japan, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 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.
be 30.3% more likely to be obese
In Japan, 5.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.7% of people as of 2024.
see 95.8% less spent on your healthcare
Japan spends $5,365 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burkina Faso spends $224 as of 2023.
have 94.4% fewer doctors per person
Japan has 26.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Burkina Faso has 1.5 as of 2022.
have 51.8% less access to essential health services
Japan scores 83 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burkina Faso scores 40 as of 2021.
Economy
be 42.0% more likely to be unemployed
In Japan, 2.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burkina Faso, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
make 96.8% less money
Japan has a GDP per capita of $35,951 as of 2025, while in Burkina Faso, the GDP per capita is $1,148 as of 2025.
Life
have 5.5 times more children
In Japan, there are approximately 5.7 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 Japan, 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 24.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In Japan, approximately 1.8 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 Japan, 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 67.0% less likely to have internet access
In Japan, approximately 85.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, about 28.2% do as of 2024.
be 49.6% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Japan, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, 50% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 27.4% less on healthcare
Japan spends 10.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 59.6% more on education
Japan spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 10.3 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Japan, road accidents kill 2.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, they kill 27.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 78.7% less strain on fresh water
Japan withdraws 37% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burkina Faso withdraws 8% as of 2022.
find 97.8% less home broadband
Japan has 38.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Burkina Faso has 0.8 as of 2024.
use 98.2% less electricity
Japan uses 7,530 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso uses 133 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 96.6% less CO2
Japan emits 7.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 7.0 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Japan, air pollution causes 12.0 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: Japan vs. Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: At a glance
How big is Burkina Faso compared to Japan? See an in-depth size comparison.