If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of New Zealand, you would:

Health

be 77.4% less likely to be obese

In New Zealand, 34.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.7% of people as of 2024.

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be 28.7% less likely to die by suicide

New Zealand has a suicide rate of 11.9 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 20.7 years less

In New Zealand, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 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 96.0% less spent on your healthcare

New Zealand spends $5,576 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burkina Faso spends $224 as of 2023.

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have 95.9% fewer doctors per person

New Zealand has 36.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Burkina Faso has 1.5 as of 2022.

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have 52.9% less access to essential health services

New Zealand scores 85 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 31.5% less likely to be unemployed

In New Zealand, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burkina Faso, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.

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make 97.7% less money

New Zealand has a GDP per capita of $49,591 as of 2025, while in Burkina Faso, the GDP per capita is $1,148 as of 2025.

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Life

have 2.8 times more children

In New Zealand, there are approximately 11.0 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 34.6 times more likely to die during childbirth

In New Zealand, approximately 7.0 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 10.9 times more likely to die during infancy

In New Zealand, approximately 4.0 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.

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Basic Needs

be 78.3% less likely to have access to electricity

In New Zealand, 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 69.8% less likely to have internet access

In New Zealand, approximately 93.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, about 28.2% do as of 2024.

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be 50.0% less likely to have access to drinking water

In New Zealand, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 22.5% less on healthcare

New Zealand spends 10.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 4.2 times more likely to die in a road accident

In New Zealand, road accidents kill 6.6 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 97.8% less home broadband

New Zealand has 38.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Burkina Faso has 0.8 as of 2024.

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use 98.3% less electricity

New Zealand uses 7,989 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso uses 133 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 95.5% less CO2

New Zealand emits 6.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 7.0 times more likely to die from air pollution

In New Zealand, air pollution causes 12.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Burkina Faso, it causes 84.0 as of 2019.

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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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