Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Sweden, you would:
Health
be 56.1% less likely to be obese
In Sweden, 17.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.7% of people as of 2024.
be 38.6% less likely to die by suicide
Sweden has a suicide rate of 13.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 22.8 years less
In Sweden, the average life expectancy is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 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 97.1% less spent on your healthcare
Sweden spends $7,770 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burkina Faso spends $224 as of 2023.
have 96.6% fewer doctors per person
Sweden has 44.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Burkina Faso has 1.5 as of 2022.
have 52.9% less access to essential health services
Sweden scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burkina Faso scores 40 as of 2021.
Economy
be 60.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Sweden, 8.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burkina Faso, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
be 2.7 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Sweden, 16.1% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Burkina Faso, however, that number is 43.2% as of 2021.
make 98.2% less money
Sweden has a GDP per capita of $63,133 as of 2025, while in Burkina Faso, the GDP per capita is $1,148 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.4 times more children
In Sweden, there are approximately 9.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, there are 31.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 60.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Sweden, approximately 4.0 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 21.8 times more likely to die during infancy
In Sweden, approximately 2.0 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 Sweden, 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 70.5% less likely to have internet access
In Sweden, approximately 95.8% of the population has internet access as of 2025. In Burkina Faso, about 28.2% do as of 2024.
be 49.9% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Sweden, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% 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 27.2% less on education
Sweden spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 30.5% less on healthcare
Sweden spends 11.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 13.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Sweden, road accidents kill 2.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, they kill 27.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 97.9% less home broadband
Sweden has 40.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Burkina Faso has 0.8 as of 2024.
live with 2.2 times more strain on fresh water
Sweden withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burkina Faso withdraws 8% as of 2022.
use 98.9% less electricity
Sweden uses 12,226 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso uses 133 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 92.4% less CO2
Sweden emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 10.5 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Sweden, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Burkina Faso, it causes 84.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Sweden vs. Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: At a glance
How big is Burkina Faso compared to Sweden? See an in-depth size comparison.