Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Switzerland, you would:
Health
be 31.9% less likely to be obese
In Switzerland, 11.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.7% of people as of 2024.
be 39.4% less likely to die by suicide
Switzerland has a suicide rate of 14.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 23.1 years less
In Switzerland, 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 97.9% less spent on your healthcare
Switzerland spends $10,602 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burkina Faso spends $224 as of 2023.
have 96.7% fewer doctors per person
Switzerland has 44.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Burkina Faso has 1.5 as of 2022.
have 53.5% less access to essential health services
Switzerland scores 86 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burkina Faso scores 40 as of 2021.
Economy
be 28.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Switzerland, 4.9% 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 Switzerland, 15.8% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, however, that number is 43.2% as of 2021.
make 99.0% less money
Switzerland has a GDP per capita of $114,769 as of 2025, while in Burkina Faso, the GDP per capita is $1,148 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.6 times more children
In Switzerland, there are approximately 8.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, there are 31.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 48.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Switzerland, approximately 5.0 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 12.8 times more likely to die during infancy
In Switzerland, approximately 3.4 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.
Basic Needs
be 78.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In Switzerland, 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 71.0% less likely to have internet access
In Switzerland, approximately 97.3% of the population has internet access as of 2025. In Burkina Faso, about 28.2% do as of 2024.
be 50.0% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Switzerland, 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 33.3% less on healthcare
Switzerland spends 11.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 11.6 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Switzerland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, they kill 27.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 98.2% less home broadband
Switzerland has 47.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Burkina Faso has 0.8 as of 2024.
live with 20.3% more strain on fresh water
Switzerland withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burkina Faso withdraws 8% as of 2022.
use 98.1% less electricity
Switzerland uses 7,117 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso uses 133 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 92.8% less CO2
Switzerland emits 3.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 8.4 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Switzerland, air pollution causes 10.0 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: Switzerland vs. Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: At a glance
How big is Burkina Faso compared to Switzerland? See an in-depth size comparison.