If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Marshall Islands, you would:

Health

be 81.7% less likely to be obese

In Marshall Islands, 42.0% 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 5.8 years less

In Marshall Islands, the average life expectancy is 67 years (65 years for men, 69 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 74.4% less spent on your healthcare

Marshall Islands spends $874 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burkina Faso spends $224 as of 2023.

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have 32.2% less access to essential health services

Marshall Islands scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burkina Faso scores 40 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 6.0 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Marshall Islands, 7.2% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Burkina Faso, however, that number is 43.2% as of 2021.

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make 86.5% less money

Marshall Islands has a GDP per capita of $8,489 as of 2025, while in Burkina Faso, the GDP per capita is $1,148 as of 2025.

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Life

have 56.0% more children

In Marshall Islands, there are approximately 20.1 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 56.1% more likely to die during childbirth

In Marshall Islands, approximately 155.0 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 56.6% less likely to be literate

In Marshall Islands, the literacy rate is 95.8% as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 41.6% as of 2023.

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be 92.1% more likely to die during infancy

In Marshall Islands, approximately 22.7 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 78.3% less likely to have access to electricity

In Marshall Islands, 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.

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be 57.1% less likely to have internet access

In Marshall Islands, approximately 65.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, about 28.2% do as of 2024.

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be 42.8% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Marshall Islands, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water (86% in urban areas, and 94% 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.

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Expenditures

spend 30.8% less on education

Marshall Islands spends 7.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 41.8% less on healthcare

Marshall Islands spends 13.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 2.3 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Marshall Islands, road accidents kill 11.9 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

find 63.8% less home broadband

Marshall Islands has 2.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Burkina Faso has 0.8 as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (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 Marshall Islands? See an in-depth size comparison.

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