Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 1.0 years longer

In Mali, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 65 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 34.9% less likely to be obese

In Mali, 8.6% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Burkina Faso, that number is 5.6% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 75.7% more likely to be unemployed

In Mali, 3.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, that number is 5.3% as of 2023.

Life

be 40.0% less likely to die during childbirth

In Mali, approximately 440.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Burkina Faso, 264.0 women do as of 2020.

be 29.6% more likely to be literate

In Mali, the literacy rate is 35.5% as of 2018. In Burkina Faso, it is 46.0% as of 2021.

be 18.5% less likely to die during infancy

In Mali, approximately 60.6 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.

have 22.3% fewer children

In Mali, there are approximately 41.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Burkina Faso, there are 31.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 63.2% less likely to have access to electricity

In Mali, approximately 53% of people have electricity access (97% in urban areas, and 18% 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 35.3% less likely to have internet access

In Mali, approximately 34.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, about 22.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 25.0% more on education

Mali spends 4.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Burkina Faso spends 5.5% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 55.8% more on healthcare

Mali spends 4.3% 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 Mali? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

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