Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Puerto Rico, you would:
Health
be 81.9% less likely to be obese
In Puerto Rico, 42.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.7% of people as of 2024.
live 20.6 years less
In Puerto Rico, the average life expectancy is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 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 56.8% more likely to die by suicide
Puerto Rico has a suicide rate of 5.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 41.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Puerto Rico, 6.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burkina Faso, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
make 97.2% less money
Puerto Rico has a GDP per capita of $40,620 as of 2025, while in Burkina Faso, the GDP per capita is $1,148 as of 2025.
Life
have 5.5 times more children
In Puerto Rico, there are approximately 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, there are 31.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 22.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Puerto Rico, approximately 11.0 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 55.0% less likely to be literate
In Puerto Rico, the literacy rate is 92.4% as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 41.6% as of 2023.
be 7.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In Puerto Rico, approximately 6.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Burkina Faso, on the other hand, 43.6 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 78.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In Puerto Rico, 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.
be 67.6% less likely to have internet access
In Puerto Rico, approximately 87.3% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Burkina Faso, about 28.2% do as of 2024.
be 50.0% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Puerto Rico, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, 50% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 24.8% more on education
Puerto Rico spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 2.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Puerto Rico, road accidents kill 12.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, they kill 27.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 60.0% less strain on fresh water
Puerto Rico withdraws 20% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burkina Faso withdraws 8% as of 2022.
find 97.0% less home broadband
Puerto Rico has 28.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Burkina Faso has 0.8 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 94.4% less CO2
Puerto Rico emits 4.8 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), The World Factbook (2021–2022), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Puerto Rico vs. Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: At a glance
How big is Burkina Faso compared to Puerto Rico? See an in-depth size comparison.