If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Mongolia, you would:

Health

be 69.4% less likely to be obese

In Mongolia, 25.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.7% of people as of 2024.

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be 54.1% less likely to die by suicide

Mongolia has a suicide rate of 18.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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live 11.1 years less

In Mongolia, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 77 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 79.8% less spent on your healthcare

Mongolia spends $1,109 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burkina Faso spends $224 as of 2023.

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have 96.4% fewer doctors per person

Mongolia has 41.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Burkina Faso has 1.5 as of 2022.

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have 38.5% less access to essential health services

Mongolia scores 65 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 33.5% less likely to be unemployed

In Mongolia, 5.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burkina Faso, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.

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be 59.4% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Mongolia, 27.1% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Burkina Faso, however, that number is 43.2% as of 2021.

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make 83.9% less money

Mongolia has a GDP per capita of $7,108 as of 2025, while in Burkina Faso, the GDP per capita is $1,148 as of 2025.

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Life

have 85.4% more children

In Mongolia, there are approximately 16.9 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 5.9 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Mongolia, approximately 41.0 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 57.9% less likely to be literate

In Mongolia, the literacy rate is 98.6% as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, it is 41.6% as of 2023.

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be 3.9 times more likely to die during infancy

In Mongolia, approximately 11.2 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 Mongolia, 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 66.8% less likely to have internet access

In Mongolia, approximately 85.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, about 28.2% do as of 2024.

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be 41.9% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Mongolia, approximately 86% of people have access to drinking water (96% in urban areas, and 64% 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 28.5% more on healthcare

Mongolia spends 6.1% 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 2.2 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Mongolia, road accidents kill 12.4 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 94.6% less home broadband

Mongolia has 15.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Burkina Faso has 0.8 as of 2024.

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live with 2.3 times more strain on fresh water

Mongolia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burkina Faso withdraws 8% as of 2022.

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use 95.1% less electricity

Mongolia uses 2,728 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Burkina Faso uses 133 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

be 30.0% less likely to die from air pollution

In Mongolia, air pollution causes 120.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Burkina Faso, it causes 84.0 as of 2019.

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emit 96.6% less CO2

Mongolia emits 7.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), 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 Mongolia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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