Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Republic of the Congo, you would:
Health
be 84.4% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Republic of the Congo, 3.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 0.5% of people as of 2024.
be 37.0% less likely to be obese
In Republic of the Congo, 12.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.7% of people as of 2024.
live 4.7 years less
In Republic of the Congo, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 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.
have 14.5% fewer doctors per person
Republic of the Congo has 1.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Burkina Faso has 1.5 as of 2022.
be 26.7% more likely to die by suicide
Republic of the Congo has a suicide rate of 6.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 82.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Republic of the Congo, 19.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burkina Faso, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
make 54.4% less money
Republic of the Congo has a GDP per capita of $2,515 as of 2025, while in Burkina Faso, the GDP per capita is $1,148 as of 2025.
Life
be 48.4% less likely to be literate
In Republic of the Congo, the literacy rate is 80.6% as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 41.6% as of 2023.
be 61.5% more likely to die during infancy
In Republic of the Congo, approximately 27.0 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 57.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Republic of the Congo, approximately 51% of people have electricity access (69% in urban areas, and 11% 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 40.2% less likely to have internet access
In Republic of the Congo, approximately 47.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, about 28.2% do as of 2024.
be 32.0% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Republic of the Congo, approximately 73% of people have access to drinking water (87% in urban areas, and 44% in rural areas) as of 2021. 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 59.6% more on education
Republic of the Congo spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.4 times more on healthcare
Republic of the Congo spends 3.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 3.3 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Republic of the Congo, road accidents kill 8.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, they kill 27.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 33.1% less home broadband
Republic of the Congo has 1.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Burkina Faso has 0.8 as of 2024.
live with 260.7 times more strain on fresh water
Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burkina Faso withdraws 8% as of 2022.
use 60.6% less electricity
Republic of the Congo uses 338 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Burkina Faso uses 133 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 79.9% less CO2
Republic of the Congo emits 1.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 27.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In Republic of the Congo, air pollution causes 66.0 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), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Republic of the Congo vs. Burkina Faso
MORE COMPARISONS
Burkina Faso: At a glance
How big is Burkina Faso compared to Republic of the Congo? See an in-depth size comparison.