Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Somalia, you would:
Health
live 2.3 years longer
In Somalia, the average life expectancy is 59 years (56 years for men, 62 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.
be 48.4% less likely to be obese
In Somalia, 14.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.7% of people as of 2024.
see 4.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Somalia spends $52 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burkina Faso spends $224 as of 2023.
have 48.1% more access to essential health services
Somalia scores 27 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burkina Faso scores 40 as of 2021.
Economy
be 81.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Somalia, 18.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burkina Faso, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
be 22.0% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Somalia, 55.4% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Burkina Faso, however, that number is 43.2% as of 2021.
make 73.6% more money
Somalia has a GDP per capita of $661 as of 2025, while in Burkina Faso, the GDP per capita is $1,148 as of 2025.
Life
be 57.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Somalia, approximately 563.0 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 33.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Somalia, approximately 65.4 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.
be 23.2% less likely to be literate
In Somalia, the literacy rate is 54.1% as of 2022. In Burkina Faso, it is 41.6% as of 2023.
have 26.0% fewer children
In Somalia, there are approximately 42.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, there are 31.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 56.9% less likely to have access to electricity
In Somalia, approximately 50% of people have electricity access (79% in urban areas, and 24% 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 33.6% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Somalia, approximately 75% of people have access to drinking water (84% in urban areas, and 68% 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 2.1 times more on healthcare
Somalia spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 37.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In Somalia, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, they kill 27.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 18.1% more home broadband
Somalia has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Burkina Faso has 0.8 as of 2024.
live with 68.1% less strain on fresh water
Somalia withdraws 25% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burkina Faso withdraws 8% as of 2022.
Environment
be 31.2% more likely to die from air pollution
In Somalia, air pollution causes 64.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Burkina Faso, it causes 84.0 as of 2019.
emit 5.4 times more CO2
Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Somalia vs. Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: At a glance
How big is Burkina Faso compared to Somalia? See an in-depth size comparison.