If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Libya, you would:

Health

be 77.2% less likely to be obese

In Libya, 33.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.7% of people as of 2024.

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live 9.8 years less

In Libya, the average life expectancy is 71 years (70 years for men, 73 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.

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see 78.8% less spent on your healthcare

Libya spends $1,055 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burkina Faso spends $224 as of 2023.

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have 35.5% less access to essential health services

Libya scores 62 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burkina Faso scores 40 as of 2021.

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be 70.0% more likely to die by suicide

Libya has a suicide rate of 5.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 81.4% less likely to be unemployed

In Libya, 18.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burkina Faso, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.

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make 82.2% less money

Libya has a GDP per capita of $6,449 as of 2025, while in Burkina Faso, the GDP per capita is $1,148 as of 2025.

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Life

have 89.9% more children

In Libya, there are approximately 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, there are 31.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 4.1 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Libya, approximately 59.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, 242.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 5.5 times more likely to die during infancy

In Libya, approximately 7.9 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.

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Basic Needs

be 70.4% less likely to have access to electricity

In Libya, approximately 73% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 96% 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.

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be 65.5% less likely to have internet access

In Libya, approximately 82.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, about 28.2% do as of 2024.

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be 48.1% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Libya, approximately 96% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, 50% of people do as of 2024.

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Safety

be 18.2% less likely to die in a road accident

In Libya, road accidents kill 34.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, they kill 27.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 99.0% less strain on fresh water

Libya withdraws 817% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burkina Faso withdraws 8% as of 2022.

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find 81.2% less home broadband

Libya has 4.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Burkina Faso has 0.8 as of 2024.

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use 96.5% less electricity

Libya uses 3,796 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Burkina Faso uses 133 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 96.9% less CO2

Libya emits 8.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 55.6% more likely to die from air pollution

In Libya, air pollution causes 54.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Burkina Faso, it causes 84.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Burkina Faso: At a glance

Burkina Faso is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 273,800 sq km. Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) achieved independence from France in 1960. Repeated military coups during the 1970s and 1980s were followed by multiparty elections in the early 1990s. Current President Blaise COMPAORE came to power in a 1987 military coup and has won every election since then. There have been increasing protests over the belief that the president may try to run for a currently unconstitutional third term in the 2015 presidential elections. Burkina Faso's high population growth and limited natural resources result in poor economic prospects for the majority of its citizens.
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How big is Burkina Faso compared to Libya? See an in-depth size comparison.

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