Moving to Burkina Faso from Botswana
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Botswana to Burkina Faso — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Botswana to Burkina Faso, and you’d need to navigate life in French. You’ll also switch from driving on the left to the right. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Ouagadougou averages 95°F vs 83°F in Gaborone, making it significantly warmer.
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Key Indicator Comparison
How Botswana and Burkina Faso stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Botswana generally does better on safety, though Burkina Faso leads in homicide rate.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Botswana generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Burkina Faso leads in healthcare spending per person.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Botswana generally does better on environment, though Burkina Faso leads in co₂ emissions per capita.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
Botswana performs better than Burkina Faso across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
share of people below the poverty line
Botswana generally does better on employment & economy, though Burkina Faso leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
percentage of adults who can read and write
Botswana performs better than Burkina Faso across all family life metrics.
Sources: World Bank (2015–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2015). How we calculate this
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Gaborone | Ouagadougou |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 88°/66°F (31°/19°C) | 96°/67°F (36°/20°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 77°/48°F (25°/9°C) | 99°/78°F (37°/26°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 79°/47°F (26°/8°C) | 89°/72°F (32°/22°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 89°/64°F (32°/18°C) | 95°/67°F (35°/20°C) |
View all months
| Month | Gaborone | Ouagadougou |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 90°/67°F (32.5°/19.4°C) | 91°/62°F (32.9°/16.5°C) |
| Feb | 89°/67°F (31.5°/19.3°C) | 96°/66°F (35.8°/19.1°C) |
| Mar | 86°/63°F (30.2°/17.4°C) | 101°/74°F (38.3°/23.5°C) |
| Apr | 82°/56°F (27.8°/13.4°C) | 103°/80°F (39.3°/26.4°C) |
| May | 78°/47°F (25.4°/8.3°C) | 100°/79°F (37.7°/26.1°C) |
| Jun | 72°/40°F (22.5°/4.6°C) | 94°/75°F (34.7°/24.1°C) |
| Jul | 73°/40°F (22.8°/4.6°C) | 90°/73°F (32.1°/22.8°C) |
| Aug | 78°/46°F (25.7°/7.6°C) | 88°/72°F (31.1°/22.2°C) |
| Sep | 85°/54°F (29.6°/12.5°C) | 90°/72°F (32.5°/22.4°C) |
| Oct | 88°/61°F (31.0°/16.2°C) | 96°/73°F (35.6°/23.0°C) |
| Nov | 89°/64°F (31.5°/17.9°C) | 97°/67°F (35.9°/19.6°C) |
| Dec | 90°/66°F (32.3°/18.8°C) | 92°/62°F (33.4°/16.9°C) |
Data:
Botswana Meteorological Services,
Agence Nationale de la Météorologie du Burkina Faso
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Botswana and Burkina Faso. To live, work, or study long-term in Burkina Faso, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Burkina Faso's immigration authority.
Botswana passport holder visiting Burkina Faso
Visa Online (e-Visa)
Burkina Faso passport holder visiting Botswana
Visa Online (e-Visa)Data: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I work remotely from Burkina Faso?
With 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Burkina Faso can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Botswana and Burkina Faso.
Is Burkina Faso safe for expats?
Botswana generally does better on safety, though Burkina Faso leads in homicide rate. The homicide rate in Burkina Faso is 1.2 per 100,000 people, compared to 11.4 in Botswana.
How is healthcare in Burkina Faso compared to Botswana?
Botswana generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Burkina Faso leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 1.5 doctors per 10,000 people in Burkina Faso, compared to 3.8 in Botswana. Burkina Faso scores 40 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Botswana: 55).
What's the weather like in Burkina Faso compared to Botswana?
The average high temperature in Ouagadougou is 95°F, compared to 83°F in Gaborone. Ouagadougou receives around 29.3 in of rainfall per year, while Gaborone gets 21.7 in.
What language do they speak in Burkina Faso?
The official language in Burkina Faso is French. In Botswana, the official languages are English and Tswana.
