Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Samoa, you would:
Health
be 88.0% less likely to be obese
In Samoa, 64.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.7% of people as of 2024.
be 29.2% less likely to die by suicide
Samoa has a suicide rate of 12.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 10.5 years less
In Samoa, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 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 52.8% less spent on your healthcare
Samoa spends $475 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burkina Faso spends $224 as of 2023.
have 73.6% fewer doctors per person
Samoa has 5.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Burkina Faso has 1.5 as of 2022.
have 27.3% less access to essential health services
Samoa scores 55 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burkina Faso scores 40 as of 2021.
Economy
be 30.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Samoa, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burkina Faso, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
be 97.3% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Samoa, 21.9% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Burkina Faso, however, that number is 43.2% as of 2021.
make 80.5% less money
Samoa has a GDP per capita of $5,873 as of 2025, while in Burkina Faso, the GDP per capita is $1,148 as of 2025.
Life
have 25.5% more children
In Samoa, there are approximately 25.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, there are 31.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Samoa, approximately 101.0 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 Samoa, the literacy rate is 99.1% as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 41.6% as of 2023.
be 3.5 times more likely to die during infancy
In Samoa, approximately 12.3 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 Samoa, 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 62.5% less likely to have internet access
In Samoa, approximately 75.3% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Burkina Faso, about 28.2% do as of 2024.
be 49.7% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Samoa, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 99% 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 15.0% more on healthcare
Samoa spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 80.0% less likely to be murdered
Samoa has a homicide rate of 6.3 per 100,000 people as of 2018. In Burkina Faso, that number is 1.2 per 100,000 as of 2017.
be 2.9 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Samoa, 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.
Environment
emit 83.1% less CO2
Samoa emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.5 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Samoa, air pollution causes 34.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Burkina Faso, it causes 84.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Samoa vs. Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: At a glance
How big is Burkina Faso compared to Samoa? See an in-depth size comparison.