Sub-Saharan Africa

A life that begins in Burkina Faso

One in every 178 babies in the world is born here: about 754,401 a year, 1.4 a minute.

Population: 24,074,580
Births a year: 754,401
Life expectancy: 61.3
Children who die before 5 (per 1,000): 74.9

Health and survival

Life expectancy, women (years)
63.4
World: 75.9
Life expectancy, men (years)
59.1
World: 71
Babies who die before 1 (per 1,000)
43.6
World: 27.8
Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)
74.9
World: 37.6
Mothers who die in childbirth (per 100,000 births)
242
World: 189
Adults living with HIV (%)
0.5
World: 0.7
Adults who smoke (%)
12
World: 20
Alcohol per adult (litres a year)
11.3
World: 4.6
Road deaths (per 100,000)
31
World: 17
Homicides (per 100,000)
1.3
World: 4.7

Family and school

Children per woman
4.11
World: 2.85
Women married before 18 (%)
38
World: 18
Children in primary school (%)
79
World: 89
Secondary school enrolment (%)
30
World: 81
Higher education enrolment (%)
10
World: 48
Children aged 7–14 who work (%)
50.3
World: 11.9

Money and work

Income per person (PPP)
$2,625
World: $21,797
Income inequality (Gini, 0–100)
37
World: 34
Living on under $3 a day (%)
42.1
World: 9.9
Unemployment (%)
3.5
World: 5.1
Jobs in farming (%)
52
World: 27
Women in the workforce (%)
64
World: 48
Health costs paid out of pocket (%)
44
World: 37

Home and connection

Living in cities (%)
29
World: 58
Access to electricity (%)
34
World: 92
Safe drinking water (%)
50
World: 91
Internet users (%)
28
World: 72

Peace and wellbeing

Life satisfaction (0–10)
4.46
World: 5.4
Deaths in armed conflict (per 100,000 a year)
16.07
World: 2.43
Refugees abroad (% of population)
1.46
World: 0.34

From 1960 to 2050

How life here has changed, and where UN projections expect it to go. The dashed part is a projection.

Life expectancy

1960: 36.1 → 2026: 61.6 → 2050: 65.5

World

Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)

1960: 343 → 2026: 70 → 2050: 29

World

Children per woman

1960: 6.3 → 2026: 3.9 → 2050: 2.6

World

Living in cities (%)

1960: 5 → 2026: 30 → 2050: 55

World

Nobody chooses where they are born

In the game, the country is drawn by the real share of births: Burkina Faso comes up about once in every 178 lives.

Sources: World Bank (WDI), UN World Population Prospects, Our World in Data, World Happiness Report, UCDP and PRIO. Updated 2026-10-18.