If you lived in Burundi instead of Vietnam, you would:

Health

live 10.9 years less

In Vietnam, the average life expectancy is 75 years (70 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In Burundi, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 2.2 times more likely to be obese

In Vietnam, 2.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burundi, that number is 5.2% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 85.5% less spent on your healthcare

Vietnam spends $690 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burundi spends $100 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 93.0% fewer doctors per person

Vietnam has 11.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Burundi has 0.8 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

have 39.7% less access to essential health services

Vietnam scores 68 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burundi scores 41 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 39.5% less likely to be unemployed

In Vietnam, 1.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burundi, that number is 0.9% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

be 12.1 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Vietnam, 4.2% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Burundi, however, that number is 51.0% as of 2020.

View global rankings →

make 95.4% less money

Vietnam has a GDP per capita of $5,066 as of 2025, while in Burundi, the GDP per capita is $234 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

have 2.5 times more children

In Vietnam, there are approximately 13.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burundi, there are 33.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 8.2 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Vietnam, approximately 48.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Burundi, 392.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 22.3% less likely to be literate

In Vietnam, the literacy rate is 96.1% as of 2022. In Burundi, it is 74.7% as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 2.5 times more likely to die during infancy

In Vietnam, approximately 12.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Burundi, on the other hand, 30.5 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 88.4% less likely to have access to electricity

In Vietnam, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Burundi, that number is 12% of people on average (65% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 89.8% less likely to have internet access

In Vietnam, approximately 84.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burundi, about 8.6% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 33.3% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Vietnam, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water (99% in urban areas, and 98% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Burundi, that number is 66% of people on average (91% in urban areas, and 61% in rural areas) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 55.7% more on education

Vietnam spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Burundi spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2025.

View global rankings →

spend 99.3% more on healthcare

Vietnam spends 4.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Burundi, that number is 9.1% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 30.5% less likely to die in a road accident

In Vietnam, road accidents kill 17.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burundi, they kill 12.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

live with 43.8% less strain on fresh water

Vietnam withdraws 18% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burundi withdraws 10% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

find 99.9% less home broadband

Vietnam has 23.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Burundi has 0.0 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 98.4% less CO2

Vietnam emits 4.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burundi emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 36.5% more likely to die from air pollution

In Vietnam, air pollution causes 52.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Burundi, it causes 71.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this

Burundi: At a glance

Burundi is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 25,680 sq km. Burundi's first democratically elected president was assassinated in October 1993 after only 100 days in office, triggering widespread ethnic violence between Hutu and Tutsi factions. More than 200,000 Burundians perished during the conflict that spanned almost a dozen years. Hundreds of thousands of Burundians were internally displaced or became refugees in neighboring countries. An internationally brokered power-sharing agreement between the Tutsi-dominated government and the Hutu rebels in 2003 paved the way for a transition process that led to an integrated defense force, established a new constitution in 2005, and elected a majority Hutu government in 2005. The government of President Pierre NKURUNZIZA, who was reelected in 2010, continues to face many political and economic challenges.
Read more

How big is Burundi compared to Vietnam? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Burundi or Vietnam. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.