Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Mali, you would:
Health
live 0.6 years longer
In Mali, the average life expectancy is 61 years (59 years for men, 62 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 42.1% less likely to be obese
In Mali, 13.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.7% of people as of 2024.
see 2.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Mali spends $104 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burkina Faso spends $224 as of 2023.
have 21.3% fewer doctors per person
Mali has 1.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Burkina Faso has 1.5 as of 2022.
be 2.0 times more likely to die by suicide
Mali has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 23.0% more likely to be unemployed
In Mali, 2.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burkina Faso, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
Life
be 34.1% less likely to die during childbirth
In Mali, approximately 367.0 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 16.7% more likely to be literate
In Mali, the literacy rate is 35.6% as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, it is 41.6% as of 2023.
have 20.7% fewer children
In Mali, there are approximately 39.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, there are 31.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 60.2% less likely to have access to electricity
In Mali, approximately 54% of people have electricity access (92% in urban areas, and 23% 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 23.2% less likely to have internet access
In Mali, approximately 36.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, about 28.2% do as of 2024.
be 42.1% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Mali, approximately 86% of people have access to drinking water (94% in urban areas, and 80% 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 27.5% more on education
Mali spends 4.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.0 times more on healthcare
Mali spends 3.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 37.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In Mali, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, they kill 27.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 10.4% more home broadband
Mali has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Burkina Faso has 0.8 as of 2024.
Environment
be 29.2% more likely to die from air pollution
In Mali, air pollution causes 65.0 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: Mali vs. Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: At a glance
How big is Burkina Faso compared to Mali? See an in-depth size comparison.