Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Saudi Arabia, you would:
Health
be 80.8% less likely to be obese
In Saudi Arabia, 40.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.7% of people as of 2024.
live 17.7 years less
In Saudi Arabia, the average life expectancy is 79 years (77 years for men, 81 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 93.6% less spent on your healthcare
Saudi Arabia spends $3,475 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burkina Faso spends $224 as of 2023.
have 95.7% fewer doctors per person
Saudi Arabia has 34.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Burkina Faso has 1.5 as of 2022.
have 45.9% less access to essential health services
Saudi Arabia scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burkina Faso scores 40 as of 2021.
be 8.9 times more likely to die by suicide
Saudi Arabia has a suicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 14.5% more likely to be unemployed
In Saudi Arabia, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burkina Faso, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
make 96.7% less money
Saudi Arabia has a GDP per capita of $34,537 as of 2025, while in Burkina Faso, the GDP per capita is $1,148 as of 2025.
Life
have 89.9% more children
In Saudi Arabia, there are approximately 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, there are 31.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 34.6 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Saudi Arabia, approximately 7.0 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 57.6% less likely to be literate
In Saudi Arabia, the literacy rate is 97.9% as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, it is 41.6% as of 2023.
be 9.3 times more likely to die during infancy
In Saudi Arabia, approximately 4.7 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 Saudi Arabia, 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 71.8% less likely to have internet access
In Saudi Arabia, approximately 100.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, about 28.2% do as of 2024.
be 49.5% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Saudi Arabia, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water (99% 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 19.0% more on education
Saudi Arabia spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 37.1% more on healthcare
Saudi Arabia 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 33.0% more likely to be murdered
Saudi Arabia has a homicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Burkina Faso, that number is 1.2 per 100,000 as of 2017.
be 50.3% more likely to die in a road accident
In Saudi Arabia, road accidents kill 18.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, they kill 27.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 99.2% less strain on fresh water
Saudi Arabia withdraws 974% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burkina Faso withdraws 8% as of 2022.
find 98.1% less home broadband
Saudi Arabia has 44.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Burkina Faso has 0.8 as of 2024.
use 98.9% less electricity
Saudi Arabia uses 11,911 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Burkina Faso uses 133 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 98.5% less CO2
Saudi Arabia emits 18.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Saudi Arabia vs. Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: At a glance
How big is Burkina Faso compared to Saudi Arabia? See an in-depth size comparison.