Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 55.9% less likely to be obese

In Mauritania, 12.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Burkina Faso, that number is 5.6% of people as of 2016.

live 1.8 years less

In Mauritania, the average life expectancy is 65 years (63 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 49.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Mauritania, 10.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Burkina Faso, that number is 5.3% as of 2023.

make 60.3% less money

Mauritania has a GDP per capita of $6,300 as of 2023, while in Burkina Faso, the GDP per capita is $2,500 as of 2023.

be 35.8% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Mauritania, 31.8% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Burkina Faso, however, that number is 43.2% as of 2021.

Life

be 43.2% less likely to die during childbirth

In Mauritania, approximately 465.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Burkina Faso, 264.0 women do as of 2020.

have 17.3% more children

In Mauritania, there are approximately 27.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burkina Faso, there are 31.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 31.3% less likely to be literate

In Mauritania, the literacy rate is 67.0% as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, it is 46.0% as of 2021.

Basic Needs

be 60.2% less likely to have access to electricity

In Mauritania, approximately 49% of people have electricity access (90% in urban areas, and 1% 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 62.7% less likely to have internet access

In Mauritania, approximately 59.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Burkina Faso, about 22.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 2.9 times more on education

Mauritania spends 1.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Burkina Faso spends 5.5% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 97.1% more on healthcare

Mauritania spends 3.4% 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.
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How big is Burkina Faso compared to Mauritania? See an in-depth size comparison.

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