Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Sri Lanka, you would:
Health
be 31.5% less likely to be obese
In Sri Lanka, 11.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.7% of people as of 2024.
be 42.3% less likely to die by suicide
Sri Lanka has a suicide rate of 14.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 16.4 years less
In Sri Lanka, the average life expectancy is 78 years (74 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 55.8% less spent on your healthcare
Sri Lanka spends $507 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burkina Faso spends $224 as of 2023.
have 87.0% fewer doctors per person
Sri Lanka has 11.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Burkina Faso has 1.5 as of 2022.
have 40.3% less access to essential health services
Sri Lanka scores 67 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burkina Faso scores 40 as of 2021.
Economy
be 13.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Sri Lanka, 4.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burkina Faso, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
be 3.0 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Sri Lanka, 14.3% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Burkina Faso, however, that number is 43.2% as of 2021.
make 77.1% less money
Sri Lanka has a GDP per capita of $5,002 as of 2025, while in Burkina Faso, the GDP per capita is $1,148 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.1 times more children
In Sri Lanka, there are approximately 10.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, there are 31.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 13.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Sri Lanka, approximately 18.0 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 55.2% less likely to be literate
In Sri Lanka, the literacy rate is 92.7% as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, it is 41.6% as of 2023.
be 8.4 times more likely to die during infancy
In Sri Lanka, approximately 5.2 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 Sri Lanka, 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 48.3% less likely to have internet access
In Sri Lanka, approximately 54.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, about 28.2% do as of 2024.
be 44.6% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Sri Lanka, approximately 90% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 88% 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 2.9 times more on education
Sri Lanka spends 1.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.1 times more on healthcare
Sri Lanka 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 62.2% less likely to be murdered
Sri Lanka has a homicide rate of 3.3 per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Burkina Faso, that number is 1.2 per 100,000 as of 2017.
be 2.4 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Sri Lanka, road accidents kill 11.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, they kill 27.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 91.4% less strain on fresh water
Sri Lanka withdraws 91% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burkina Faso withdraws 8% as of 2022.
find 90.0% less home broadband
Sri Lanka has 8.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Burkina Faso has 0.8 as of 2024.
use 79.3% less electricity
Sri Lanka uses 644 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Burkina Faso uses 133 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 74.5% less CO2
Sri Lanka emits 1.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.3 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Sri Lanka, air pollution causes 37.0 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 (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Sri Lanka vs. Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: At a glance
How big is Burkina Faso compared to Sri Lanka? See an in-depth size comparison.