Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Tonga, you would:
Health
be 89.6% less likely to be obese
In Tonga, 73.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.7% of people as of 2024.
live 11.8 years less
In Tonga, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 77 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 56.3% less spent on your healthcare
Tonga spends $512 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burkina Faso spends $224 as of 2023.
have 85.4% fewer doctors per person
Tonga has 10.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Burkina Faso has 1.5 as of 2022.
have 29.8% less access to essential health services
Tonga scores 57 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burkina Faso scores 40 as of 2021.
be 79.7% more likely to die by suicide
Tonga has a suicide rate of 4.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 73.1% more likely to be unemployed
In Tonga, 2.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burkina Faso, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
be 2.1 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Tonga, 20.6% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, however, that number is 43.2% as of 2021.
make 82.5% less money
Tonga has a GDP per capita of $6,547 as of 2025, while in Burkina Faso, the GDP per capita is $1,148 as of 2025.
Life
have 36.0% more children
In Tonga, there are approximately 23.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, there are 31.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.6 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Tonga, approximately 67.0 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 58.2% less likely to be literate
In Tonga, the literacy rate is 99.5% as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, it is 41.6% as of 2023.
be 5.6 times more likely to die during infancy
In Tonga, approximately 7.8 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 Tonga, 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 58.1% less likely to have internet access
In Tonga, approximately 67.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, about 28.2% do as of 2024.
be 49.4% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Tonga, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 99% 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.
Safety
be 31.6% more likely to be murdered
Tonga has a homicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Burkina Faso, that number is 1.2 per 100,000 as of 2017.
be 3.3 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Tonga, road accidents kill 8.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, they kill 27.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 89.6% less home broadband
Tonga has 8.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Burkina Faso has 0.8 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 83.4% less CO2
Tonga emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 3.5 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Tonga, air pollution causes 24.0 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: Tonga vs. Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: At a glance
How big is Burkina Faso compared to Tonga? See an in-depth size comparison.