Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of Rwanda, you would:

Health

be 72.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Rwanda, 2.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Burkina Faso, that number is 0.7% of people as of 2020.

live 2.4 years less

In Rwanda, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 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

be 66.4% less likely to be unemployed

In Rwanda, 15.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Burkina Faso, that number is 5.1% as of 2022.

Life

have 20.7% more children

In Rwanda, there are approximately 26.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Burkina Faso, there are 31.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 39.4% less likely to be literate

In Rwanda, the literacy rate is 75.9% as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 46.0% as of 2021.

be 87.3% more likely to die during infancy

In Rwanda, approximately 26.4 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 61.2% less likely to have access to electricity

In Rwanda, approximately 49% of people have electricity access (98% in urban areas, and 38% in rural areas) as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, that number is 19% of people on average (68% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2021.

be 26.7% less likely to have internet access

In Rwanda, approximately 30.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, about 22.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 44.7% more on education

Rwanda spends 3.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Burkina Faso spends 5.5% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

Burkina Faso: At a glance

Burkina Faso is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 273,800 sq km. Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta) achieved independence from France in 1960. Repeated military coups during the 1970s and 1980s were followed by multiparty elections in the early 1990s. Current President Blaise COMPAORE came to power in a 1987 military coup and has won every election since then. There have been increasing protests over the belief that the president may try to run for a currently unconstitutional third term in the 2015 presidential elections. Burkina Faso's high population growth and limited natural resources result in poor economic prospects for the majority of its citizens.
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How big is Burkina Faso compared to Rwanda? See an in-depth size comparison.

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