Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Zimbabwe, you would:
Health
be 94.9% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Zimbabwe, 9.8% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 0.5% of people as of 2024.
be 47.7% less likely to be obese
In Zimbabwe, 14.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, that number is 7.7% of people as of 2024.
see 2.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Zimbabwe spends $103 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burkina Faso spends $224 as of 2023.
be 51.0% less likely to die by suicide
Zimbabwe has a suicide rate of 17.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 8.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 1.8 years less
In Zimbabwe, the average life expectancy is 63 years (60 years for men, 65 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 27.3% less access to essential health services
Zimbabwe scores 55 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burkina Faso scores 40 as of 2021.
Economy
be 62.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Zimbabwe, 9.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burkina Faso, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
be 12.8% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Zimbabwe, 38.3% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Burkina Faso, however, that number is 43.2% as of 2021.
make 62.0% less money
Zimbabwe has a GDP per capita of $3,021 as of 2025, while in Burkina Faso, the GDP per capita is $1,148 as of 2025.
Life
be 32.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Zimbabwe, approximately 358.0 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 30.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Zimbabwe, approximately 62.4 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.
be 53.7% less likely to be literate
In Zimbabwe, the literacy rate is 89.7% as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 41.6% as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 65.0% less likely to have access to electricity
In Zimbabwe, approximately 62% of people have electricity access (84% in urban areas, and 51% 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 32.2% less likely to have internet access
In Zimbabwe, approximately 41.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, about 28.2% do as of 2024.
be 25.6% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Zimbabwe, approximately 67% of people have access to drinking water (94% in urban areas, and 54% 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 14.0 times more on education
Zimbabwe spends 0.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Burkina Faso spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.7 times more on healthcare
Zimbabwe spends 2.9% 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 83.0% less strain on fresh water
Zimbabwe withdraws 46% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burkina Faso withdraws 8% as of 2022.
find 56.2% less home broadband
Zimbabwe has 1.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Burkina Faso has 0.8 as of 2024.
use 73.5% less electricity
Zimbabwe uses 504 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Burkina Faso uses 133 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 64.9% less CO2
Zimbabwe emits 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burkina Faso emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 50.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Zimbabwe, air pollution causes 56.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Burkina Faso, it causes 84.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Zimbabwe vs. Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso: At a glance
How big is Burkina Faso compared to Zimbabwe? See an in-depth size comparison.