Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 96.7% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Lesotho, 21.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Burkina Faso, that number is 0.7% of people as of 2020.

live 3.9 years longer

In Lesotho, the average life expectancy is 60 years (58 years for men, 62 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.

be 66.3% less likely to be obese

In Lesotho, 16.6% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Burkina Faso, that number is 5.6% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 67.9% less likely to be unemployed

In Lesotho, 16.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, that number is 5.3% as of 2023.

be 13.1% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Lesotho, 49.7% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Burkina Faso, however, that number is 43.2% as of 2021.

Life

be 53.4% less likely to die during childbirth

In Lesotho, approximately 566.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Burkina Faso, 264.0 women do as of 2020.

have 39.3% more children

In Lesotho, there are approximately 22.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, there are 31.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 43.2% less likely to be literate

In Lesotho, the literacy rate is 81.0% as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 46.0% as of 2021.

Basic Needs

be 61.0% less likely to have access to electricity

In Lesotho, approximately 50% of people have electricity access (81% in urban areas, and 38% in rural areas) as of 2022. In Burkina Faso, that number is 20% of people on average (68% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2022.

be 54.2% less likely to have internet access

In Lesotho, approximately 48.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, about 22.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 36.8% less on education

Lesotho spends 8.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Burkina Faso spends 5.5% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 43.2% less on healthcare

Lesotho spends 11.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Burkina Faso, that number is 6.7% of GDP 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.
Read more

How big is Burkina Faso compared to Lesotho? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

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