Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Nepal instead of Burma, you would:

Health

live 2.5 years longer

In Burma, the average life expectancy is 70 years (68 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2022. In Nepal, that number is 72 years (72 years for men, 73 years for women) as of 2022.

be 29.3% less likely to be obese

In Burma, 5.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Nepal, that number is 4.1% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 11.3% less money

Burma has a GDP per capita of $5,300 as of 2023, while in Nepal, the GDP per capita is $4,700 as of 2023.

be 3.8 times more likely to be unemployed

In Burma, 2.8% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Nepal, that number is 10.7% as of 2023.

Life

be 23.7% less likely to die during infancy

In Burma, approximately 32.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Nepal, on the other hand, 25.1 children do as of 2022.

have 11.7% more children

In Burma, there are approximately 15.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Nepal, there are 17.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.

be 20.1% less likely to be literate

In Burma, the literacy rate is 89.1% as of 2019. In Nepal, it is 71.2% as of 2021.

Basic Needs

be 23.9% more likely to have access to electricity

In Burma, approximately 74% of people have electricity access (94% in urban areas, and 63% in rural areas) as of 2022. In Nepal, that number is 91% of people on average (94% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2022.

be 18.2% more likely to have internet access

In Burma, approximately 44.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Nepal, about 52.0% do as of 2021.

be 10.3% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Burma, approximately 85% of people have improved drinking water access (95% in urban areas, and 81% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Nepal, that number is 94% of people on average (93% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 2.1 times more on education

Burma spends 2.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Nepal spends 4.2% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 40.5% more on healthcare

Burma spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Nepal, that number is 5.2% of GDP as of 2020.

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

Nepal: At a glance

Nepal is a sovereign country in South Asia, with a total land area of approximately 143,351 sq km. In 1951, the Nepali monarch ended the century-old system of rule by hereditary premiers and instituted a cabinet system of government. Reforms in 1990 established a multiparty democracy within the framework of a constitutional monarchy. An insurgency led by Maoists broke out in 1996. The ensuing 10-year civil war between Maoist and government forces witnessed the dissolution of the cabinet and parliament and assumption of absolute power by the king in 2002. Several weeks of mass protests in April 2006 were followed by several months of peace negotiations between the Maoists and government officials, and culminated in a late 2006 peace accord and the promulgation of an interim constitution. Following a nationwide election in April 2008, the newly formed Constituent Assembly (CA) declared Nepal a federal democratic republic and abolished the monarchy at its first meeting the following month. The CA elected the country's first president in July. Between 2008 and 2011 there were four different coalition governments, led twice by the United Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist, which received a plurality of votes in the 2008 CA election, and twice by the Communist Party of Nepal-United Marxist-Leninist (UML). After the CA failed to draft a constitution by the May 2012 deadline set by the Supreme Court, then Prime Minister Baburam BHATTARAI dissolved the CA. Months of negotiations ensued until March 2013 when the major political parties agreed to create an interim government headed by then Chief Justice Khil Raj REGMI with a mandate to hold elections for a new CA. Elections were held in November 2013, in which and the Nepali Congress won the largest share of the seats in the CA and in February 2014 formed a coalition government with the second place UML and with Nepali Congress President Sushil KOIRALA as prime minister
Read more

How big is Nepal compared to Burma? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

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