Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Thailand, you would:
Health
be 53.0% less likely to be obese
In Thailand, 16.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.7% of people as of 2024.
be 48.8% less likely to die by suicide
Thailand has a suicide rate of 16.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 15.3 years less
In Thailand, the average life expectancy is 77 years (72 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 79.0% less spent on your healthcare
Thailand spends $1,067 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burkina Faso spends $224 as of 2023.
have 72.6% fewer doctors per person
Thailand has 5.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Burkina Faso has 1.5 as of 2022.
have 51.2% less access to essential health services
Thailand scores 82 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burkina Faso scores 40 as of 2021.
Economy
be 4.5 times more likely to be unemployed
In Thailand, 0.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burkina Faso, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
be 8.0 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Thailand, 5.4% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Burkina Faso, however, that number is 43.2% as of 2021.
make 85.8% less money
Thailand has a GDP per capita of $8,057 as of 2025, while in Burkina Faso, the GDP per capita is $1,148 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.9 times more children
In Thailand, there are approximately 8.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, there are 31.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 7.1 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Thailand, approximately 34.0 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 54.4% less likely to be literate
In Thailand, the literacy rate is 91.1% as of 2022. In Burkina Faso, it is 41.6% as of 2023.
be 5.7 times more likely to die during infancy
In Thailand, approximately 7.7 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 78.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In Thailand, 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 68.9% less likely to have internet access
In Thailand, approximately 90.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, about 28.2% do as of 2024.
be 50.0% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Thailand, 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 2.1 times more on education
Thailand spends 2.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 71.8% more on healthcare
Thailand spends 4.5% 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 66.0% less strain on fresh water
Thailand withdraws 23% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burkina Faso withdraws 8% as of 2022.
find 94.3% less home broadband
Thailand has 14.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Burkina Faso has 0.8 as of 2024.
use 95.5% less electricity
Thailand uses 2,965 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Burkina Faso uses 133 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 93.2% less CO2
Thailand emits 4.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.9 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Thailand, air pollution causes 29.0 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: Thailand vs. Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: At a glance
How big is Burkina Faso compared to Thailand? See an in-depth size comparison.