Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Nicaragua, you would:
Health
be 78.0% less likely to be obese
In Nicaragua, 34.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.7% of people as of 2024.
live 13.8 years less
In Nicaragua, the average life expectancy is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 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.
see 67.5% less spent on your healthcare
Nicaragua spends $689 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burkina Faso spends $224 as of 2023.
have 42.9% less access to essential health services
Nicaragua scores 70 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burkina Faso scores 40 as of 2021.
be 2.0 times more likely to die by suicide
Nicaragua 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 31.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Nicaragua, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burkina Faso, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
make 63.8% less money
Nicaragua has a GDP per capita of $3,173 as of 2025, while in Burkina Faso, the GDP per capita is $1,148 as of 2025.
Life
have 63.7% more children
In Nicaragua, there are approximately 19.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, there are 31.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 4.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Nicaragua, approximately 60.0 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 4.6 times more likely to die during infancy
In Nicaragua, approximately 9.4 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.
Basic Needs
be 75.4% less likely to have access to electricity
In Nicaragua, approximately 88% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 71% 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 54.0% less likely to have internet access
In Nicaragua, approximately 61.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, about 28.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 85.7% more on education
Nicaragua spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 2.0 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Nicaragua, road accidents kill 13.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, they kill 27.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 85.3% less home broadband
Nicaragua has 5.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Burkina Faso has 0.8 as of 2024.
live with 3.5 times more strain on fresh water
Nicaragua withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burkina Faso withdraws 8% as of 2022.
use 79.2% less electricity
Nicaragua uses 641 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Burkina Faso uses 133 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 67.5% less CO2
Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.2 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Nicaragua, air pollution causes 38.0 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: Nicaragua vs. Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: At a glance
How big is Burkina Faso compared to Nicaragua? See an in-depth size comparison.