Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Nigeria, you would:
Health
be 58.3% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Nigeria, 1.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 0.5% of people as of 2024.
live 6.7 years longer
In Nigeria, the average life expectancy is 55 years (54 years for men, 55 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.
be 43.7% less likely to be obese
In Nigeria, 13.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.7% of people as of 2024.
see 13.9% less spent on your healthcare
Nigeria spends $260 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burkina Faso spends $224 as of 2023.
have 61.1% fewer doctors per person
Nigeria has 3.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Burkina Faso has 1.5 as of 2022.
be 70.3% more likely to die by suicide
Nigeria has a suicide rate of 5.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 23.1% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Nigeria, 56.2% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Burkina Faso, however, that number is 43.2% as of 2021.
be 13.7% more likely to be unemployed
In Nigeria, 3.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burkina Faso, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
Life
be 75.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In Nigeria, approximately 993.0 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 37.5% less likely to die during infancy
In Nigeria, approximately 69.8 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.
be 41.0% less likely to be literate
In Nigeria, the literacy rate is 70.4% as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, it is 41.6% as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 64.5% less likely to have access to electricity
In Nigeria, approximately 61% of people have electricity access (85% in urban areas, and 33% 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 31.4% less likely to have internet access
In Nigeria, approximately 41.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, about 28.2% do as of 2024.
be 39.2% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Nigeria, approximately 82% of people have access to drinking water (95% in urban areas, and 67% 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.
Expenditures
spend 16.7 times more on education
Nigeria spends 0.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 86.2% more on healthcare
Nigeria spends 4.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 61.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In Nigeria, road accidents kill 17.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, they kill 27.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 10.6 times more home broadband
Nigeria has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Burkina Faso has 0.8 as of 2024.
live with 19.1% less strain on fresh water
Nigeria withdraws 10% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burkina Faso withdraws 8% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 52.6% less CO2
Nigeria emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Nigeria vs. Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: At a glance
How big is Burkina Faso compared to Nigeria? See an in-depth size comparison.