Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of United States, you would:
Health
be 84.5% less likely to be obese
In United States, 36.2% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Burkina Faso, that number is 5.6% of people as of 2016.
live 17.2 years less
In United States, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2022. In Burkina Faso, that number is 63 years (62 years for men, 65 years for women) as of 2022.
Economy
make 96.6% less money
United States has a GDP per capita of $64,600 as of 2022, while in Burkina Faso, the GDP per capita is $2,200 as of 2022.
be 38.9% more likely to be unemployed
In United States, 3.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Burkina Faso, that number is 5.1% as of 2022.
be 2.7 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In United States, 15.1% live below the poverty line as of 2010. In Burkina Faso, however, that number is 41.4% as of 2018.
Life
have 2.6 times more children
In United States, there are approximately 12.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, there are 31.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 12.6 times more likely to die during childbirth
In United States, approximately 21.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Burkina Faso, 264.0 women do as of 2020.
be 9.6 times more likely to die during infancy
In United States, approximately 5.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Burkina Faso, on the other hand, 49.4 children do as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 81.1% less likely to have access to electricity
In United States, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, 19% of the population do as of 2021.
be 76.1% less likely to have internet access
In United States, approximately 92.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, about 22.0% do as of 2021.
be 21.4% less likely to have access to improved drinking water
In United States, approximately 100% of people have improved drinking water access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Burkina Faso, that number is 78% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 71% in rural areas) as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 64.4% less on healthcare
United States spends 18.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Burkina Faso, that number is 6.7% of GDP as of 2020.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.
Burkina Faso: At a glance
How big is Burkina Faso compared to United States? See an in-depth size comparison.