Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Romania, you would:
Health
be 76.3% less likely to be obese
In Romania, 32.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.7% of people as of 2024.
be 11.6% less likely to die by suicide
Romania has a suicide rate of 9.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 15.2 years less
In Romania, the average life expectancy is 76 years (73 years for men, 80 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 91.4% less spent on your healthcare
Romania spends $2,614 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burkina Faso spends $224 as of 2023.
have 95.9% fewer doctors per person
Romania has 36.2 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
Romania scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burkina Faso scores 40 as of 2021.
Economy
be 41.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Romania, 6.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burkina Faso, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
be 2.3 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Romania, 18.4% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, however, that number is 43.2% as of 2021.
make 94.9% less money
Romania has a GDP per capita of $22,538 as of 2025, while in Burkina Faso, the GDP per capita is $1,148 as of 2025.
Life
have 4.2 times more children
In Romania, there are approximately 7.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, there are 31.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 20.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Romania, approximately 12.0 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 58.1% less likely to be literate
In Romania, the literacy rate is 99.2% as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 41.6% as of 2023.
be 7.3 times more likely to die during infancy
In Romania, approximately 6.0 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 78.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In Romania, 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 69.1% less likely to have internet access
In Romania, approximately 91.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, about 28.2% do as of 2024.
be 50.0% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Romania, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 62.5% more on education
Romania spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 36.6% more on healthcare
Romania spends 5.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 2.9 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Romania, road accidents kill 9.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, they kill 27.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 97.6% less home broadband
Romania has 35.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Burkina Faso has 0.8 as of 2024.
use 94.8% less electricity
Romania uses 2,585 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Burkina Faso uses 133 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 92.7% less CO2
Romania emits 3.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 82.6% more likely to die from air pollution
In Romania, air pollution causes 46.0 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: Romania vs. Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: At a glance
How big is Burkina Faso compared to Romania? See an in-depth size comparison.