If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Serbia, you would:

Health

be 64.8% less likely to be obese

In Serbia, 21.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.7% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 43.9% less likely to die by suicide

Serbia has a suicide rate of 15.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

live 14.7 years less

In Serbia, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 78 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.

View global rankings →

see 90.3% less spent on your healthcare

Serbia spends $2,303 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burkina Faso spends $224 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 95.2% fewer doctors per person

Serbia has 31.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Burkina Faso has 1.5 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

have 44.4% less access to essential health services

Serbia scores 72 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burkina Faso scores 40 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 51.1% less likely to be unemployed

In Serbia, 7.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burkina Faso, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

be 2.2 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Serbia, 19.7% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, however, that number is 43.2% as of 2021.

View global rankings →

make 92.5% less money

Serbia has a GDP per capita of $15,262 as of 2025, while in Burkina Faso, the GDP per capita is $1,148 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

have 3.4 times more children

In Serbia, there are approximately 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, there are 31.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 22.0 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Serbia, approximately 11.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, 242.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 58.2% less likely to be literate

In Serbia, the literacy rate is 99.3% as of 2022. In Burkina Faso, it is 41.6% as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 9.5 times more likely to die during infancy

In Serbia, approximately 4.6 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.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 78.3% less likely to have access to electricity

In Serbia, 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.

View global rankings →

be 67.8% less likely to have internet access

In Serbia, approximately 87.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, about 28.2% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 47.6% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Serbia, approximately 95% of people have access to drinking water (95% in urban areas, and 95% 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.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 56.8% more on education

Serbia spends 3.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 3.8 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Serbia, road accidents kill 7.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, they kill 27.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 97.5% less home broadband

Serbia has 33.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Burkina Faso has 0.8 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live with 36.2% more strain on fresh water

Serbia withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burkina Faso withdraws 8% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

use 97.4% less electricity

Serbia uses 5,090 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Burkina Faso uses 133 kWh as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Environment

be 86.7% more likely to die from air pollution

In Serbia, air pollution causes 45.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Burkina Faso, it causes 84.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Burkina Faso: At a glance

Burkina Faso is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 273,800 sq km. Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) achieved independence from France in 1960. Repeated military coups during the 1970s and 1980s were followed by multiparty elections in the early 1990s. Current President Blaise COMPAORE came to power in a 1987 military coup and has won every election since then. There have been increasing protests over the belief that the president may try to run for a currently unconstitutional third term in the 2015 presidential elections. Burkina Faso's high population growth and limited natural resources result in poor economic prospects for the majority of its citizens.
Read more

How big is Burkina Faso compared to Serbia? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Burkina Faso or Serbia. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.