Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Madagascar, you would:
Health
see 3.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Madagascar spends $63 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burkina Faso spends $224 as of 2023.
have 14.3% more access to essential health services
Madagascar scores 35 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burkina Faso scores 40 as of 2021.
live 2.6 years less
In Madagascar, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 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 70.5% more likely to be obese
In Madagascar, 4.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.7% of people as of 2024.
have 14.0% fewer doctors per person
Madagascar has 1.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Burkina Faso has 1.5 as of 2022.
be 39.6% more likely to die by suicide
Madagascar has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 42.6% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Madagascar, 75.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, however, that number is 43.2% as of 2021.
make 91.5% more money
Madagascar has a GDP per capita of $599 as of 2025, while in Burkina Faso, the GDP per capita is $1,148 as of 2025.
be 14.5% more likely to be unemployed
In Madagascar, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burkina Faso, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
Life
be 45.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In Madagascar, approximately 445.0 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 44.3% less likely to be literate
In Madagascar, the literacy rate is 74.7% as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 41.6% as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 51.2% more likely to have internet access
In Madagascar, approximately 18.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, about 28.2% do as of 2024.
be 44.9% less likely to have access to electricity
In Madagascar, approximately 39% of people have electricity access (76% in urban areas, and 15% 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.
Expenditures
spend 74.8% more on education
Madagascar spends 3.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.3 times more on healthcare
Madagascar spends 3.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 23.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In Madagascar, road accidents kill 22.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, they kill 27.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 7.1 times more home broadband
Madagascar has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Burkina Faso has 0.8 as of 2024.
live with 30.6% less strain on fresh water
Madagascar withdraws 11% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burkina Faso withdraws 8% as of 2022.
use 66.5% more electricity
Madagascar uses 80 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Burkina Faso uses 133 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 44.8% more likely to die from air pollution
In Madagascar, air pollution causes 58.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Burkina Faso, it causes 84.0 as of 2019.
emit 80.0% more CO2
Madagascar emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Madagascar vs. Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: At a glance
How big is Burkina Faso compared to Madagascar? See an in-depth size comparison.