Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Syria, you would:
Health
be 76.7% less likely to be obese
In Syria, 33.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.7% of people as of 2024.
see 82.8% more spent on your healthcare
Syria spends $122 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burkina Faso spends $224 as of 2023.
live 11.3 years less
In Syria, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 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.
have 90.3% fewer doctors per person
Syria has 15.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Burkina Faso has 1.5 as of 2022.
have 37.5% less access to essential health services
Syria scores 64 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burkina Faso scores 40 as of 2021.
be 14.4 times more likely to die by suicide
Syria has a suicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 74.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Syria, 13.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burkina Faso, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
Life
have 35.3% more children
In Syria, there are approximately 23.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, there are 31.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 12.1 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Syria, approximately 20.0 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 56.0% less likely to be literate
In Syria, the literacy rate is 94.4% as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 41.6% as of 2023.
be 2.5 times more likely to die during infancy
In Syria, approximately 17.7 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 75.5% less likely to have access to electricity
In Syria, approximately 88% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 73% 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 39.4% less likely to have internet access
In Syria, approximately 46.6% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Burkina Faso, about 28.2% do as of 2024.
be 46.9% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Syria, approximately 94% of people have access to drinking water (96% in urban areas, and 92% 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 healthcare
Syria spends 2.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Infrastructure
live with 93.7% less strain on fresh water
Syria withdraws 124% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burkina Faso withdraws 8% as of 2022.
find 87.6% less home broadband
Syria has 6.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Burkina Faso has 0.8 as of 2024.
use 84.4% less electricity
Syria uses 854 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Burkina Faso uses 133 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 78.7% less CO2
Syria emits 1.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Syria vs. Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: At a glance
How big is Burkina Faso compared to Syria? See an in-depth size comparison.