Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burundi instead of Mali, you would:
Health
live 3.1 years longer
In Mali, the average life expectancy is 61 years (59 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Burundi, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.
be 61.0% less likely to be obese
In Mali, 13.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burundi, that number is 5.2% of people as of 2024.
have 58.5% fewer doctors per person
Mali has 1.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Burundi has 0.8 as of 2022.
be 83.9% more likely to die by suicide
Mali has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burundi, it is 7.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 67.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Mali, 2.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burundi, that number is 0.9% as of 2025.
be 12.1% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Mali, 45.5% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Burundi, however, that number is 51.0% as of 2020.
make 80.4% less money
Mali has a GDP per capita of $1,193 as of 2025, while in Burundi, the GDP per capita is $234 as of 2025.
Life
be 2.1 times more likely to be literate
In Mali, the literacy rate is 35.6% as of 2024. In Burundi, it is 74.7% as of 2021.
be 35.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Mali, approximately 47.5 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Burundi, on the other hand, 30.5 children do as of 2024.
have 16.0% fewer children
In Mali, there are approximately 39.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burundi, there are 33.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 78.7% 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 Burundi, that number is 12% of people on average (65% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 76.6% less likely to have internet access
In Mali, approximately 36.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burundi, about 8.6% do as of 2024.
be 23.7% 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 Burundi, that number is 66% of people on average (91% in urban areas, and 61% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.4 times more on healthcare
Mali spends 3.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Burundi, that number is 9.1% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 39.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Mali, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burundi, they kill 12.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 97.4% less home broadband
Mali has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Burundi has 0.0 as of 2023.
live with 27.4% more strain on fresh water
Mali withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burundi withdraws 10% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 76.7% less CO2
Mali emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burundi emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Mali vs. Burundi
Burundi: At a glance
How big is Burundi compared to Mali? See an in-depth size comparison.