Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Malaysia, you would:
Health
be 67.0% less likely to be obese
In Malaysia, 23.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.7% of people as of 2024.
live 15.5 years less
In Malaysia, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 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 84.5% less spent on your healthcare
Malaysia spends $1,441 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burkina Faso spends $224 as of 2023.
have 93.7% fewer doctors per person
Malaysia has 23.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Burkina Faso has 1.5 as of 2022.
have 47.4% less access to essential health services
Malaysia scores 76 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burkina Faso scores 40 as of 2021.
be 50.4% more likely to die by suicide
Malaysia has a suicide rate of 5.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 8.5 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Malaysia, 5.1% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, however, that number is 43.2% as of 2021.
make 91.3% less money
Malaysia has a GDP per capita of $13,125 as of 2025, while in Burkina Faso, the GDP per capita is $1,148 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.5 times more children
In Malaysia, there are approximately 12.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, there are 31.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 9.3 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Malaysia, approximately 26.0 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 56.6% less likely to be literate
In Malaysia, the literacy rate is 95.8% as of 2022. In Burkina Faso, it is 41.6% as of 2023.
be 6.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In Malaysia, approximately 7.0 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 Malaysia, 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 71.2% less likely to have internet access
In Malaysia, approximately 98.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, about 28.2% do as of 2024.
be 48.9% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Malaysia, approximately 98% of people have access to drinking water (99% in urban areas, and 95% 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 51.9% more on education
Malaysia spends 3.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 97.0% more on healthcare
Malaysia spends 4.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 100.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In Malaysia, road accidents kill 13.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, they kill 27.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 93.7% less home broadband
Malaysia has 13.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Burkina Faso has 0.8 as of 2024.
live with 2.3 times more strain on fresh water
Malaysia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burkina Faso withdraws 8% as of 2022.
use 97.4% less electricity
Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Burkina Faso uses 133 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 96.8% less CO2
Malaysia emits 8.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 33.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In Malaysia, air pollution causes 63.0 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: Malaysia vs. Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: At a glance
How big is Burkina Faso compared to Malaysia? See an in-depth size comparison.