Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Senegal, you would:
Health
be 33.6% less likely to be obese
In Senegal, 11.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.7% of people as of 2024.
have 35.8% more doctors per person
Senegal has 1.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Burkina Faso has 1.5 as of 2022.
live 7.6 years less
In Senegal, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 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 20.0% less access to essential health services
Senegal scores 50 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burkina Faso scores 40 as of 2021.
be 25.7% more likely to die by suicide
Senegal has a suicide rate of 6.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 27.5% more likely to be unemployed
In Senegal, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burkina Faso, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
be 15.2% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Senegal, 37.5% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, however, that number is 43.2% as of 2021.
make 41.3% less money
Senegal has a GDP per capita of $1,955 as of 2025, while in Burkina Faso, the GDP per capita is $1,148 as of 2025.
Life
be 17.5% less likely to be literate
In Senegal, the literacy rate is 50.4% as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, it is 41.6% as of 2023.
be 50.9% more likely to die during infancy
In Senegal, approximately 28.9 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 70.8% less likely to have access to electricity
In Senegal, approximately 74% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 56% 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 53.0% less likely to have internet access
In Senegal, approximately 60.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, about 28.2% do as of 2024.
be 43.2% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Senegal, approximately 88% of people have access to drinking water (95% in urban areas, and 81% 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 13.5% less on education
Senegal spends 6.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 80.6% more on healthcare
Senegal spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 4.6 times more likely to be murdered
Senegal has a homicide rate of 0.3 per 100,000 people as of 2015. In Burkina Faso, that number is 1.2 per 100,000 as of 2017.
be 33.7% more likely to die in a road accident
In Senegal, road accidents kill 20.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, they kill 27.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 52.0% less strain on fresh water
Senegal withdraws 16% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burkina Faso withdraws 8% as of 2022.
find 79.0% less home broadband
Senegal has 4.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Burkina Faso has 0.8 as of 2024.
use 67.5% less electricity
Senegal uses 410 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Burkina Faso uses 133 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 64.9% less CO2
Senegal emits 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 29.2% more likely to die from air pollution
In Senegal, air pollution causes 65.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Burkina Faso, it causes 84.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2015–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Senegal vs. Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: At a glance
How big is Burkina Faso compared to Senegal? See an in-depth size comparison.