Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Panama, you would:
Health
be 54.5% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Panama, 1.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 0.5% of people as of 2024.
be 79.6% less likely to be obese
In Panama, 37.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.7% of people as of 2024.
live 18.5 years less
In Panama, the average life expectancy is 80 years (77 years for men, 83 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 93.3% less spent on your healthcare
Panama spends $3,318 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burkina Faso spends $224 as of 2023.
have 90.9% fewer doctors per person
Panama has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Burkina Faso has 1.5 as of 2022.
have 48.7% less access to essential health services
Panama scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burkina Faso scores 40 as of 2021.
be 2.6 times more likely to die by suicide
Panama has a suicide rate of 3.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 58.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Panama, 8.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burkina Faso, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
be 99.1% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Panama, 21.7% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, however, that number is 43.2% as of 2021.
make 94.2% less money
Panama has a GDP per capita of $19,790 as of 2025, while in Burkina Faso, the GDP per capita is $1,148 as of 2025.
Life
have 97.5% more children
In Panama, there are approximately 15.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, there are 31.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 6.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Panama, approximately 37.0 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 56.8% less likely to be literate
In Panama, the literacy rate is 96.2% as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, it is 41.6% as of 2023.
be 3.6 times more likely to die during infancy
In Panama, approximately 12.0 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.
Basic Needs
be 77.6% less likely to have access to electricity
In Panama, approximately 97% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 91% 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 61.2% less likely to have internet access
In Panama, approximately 72.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, about 28.2% do as of 2024.
be 47.5% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Panama, approximately 95% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 88% 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 2.2 times more on education
Panama spends 2.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 3.8 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Panama, road accidents kill 7.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, they kill 27.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 95.3% less home broadband
Panama has 18.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Burkina Faso has 0.8 as of 2024.
live with 8.7 times more strain on fresh water
Panama withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burkina Faso withdraws 8% as of 2022.
use 95.1% less electricity
Panama uses 2,715 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Burkina Faso uses 133 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 90.1% less CO2
Panama emits 2.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 4.9 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Panama, air pollution causes 17.0 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: Panama vs. Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: At a glance
How big is Burkina Faso compared to Panama? See an in-depth size comparison.