Burkina Faso vs Guinea
Burkina Faso is 12% larger than Guinea.
Burkina FasoGuineaBurkina Faso moved onto Guinea · Equal-area projection
1.12×
Burkina Faso is 1.12× the area of Guinea.
 Burkina Faso |  Guinea | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaBurkina Faso: 1.12× the area | 274,200 km²#73 of 194 | 245,857 km²#77 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 6 | 6 |
| People | ||
| PopulationBurkina Faso: 1.59× the population | 24,074,580#59 of 194 · 2025 | 15,099,727#75 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityBurkina Faso: 1.43× the density | 88 / km²#97 of 194 | 61 / km²#125 of 194 |
| Urban populationGuinea: 1.33× the urban share | 29%#173 of 192 · 2025 | 39%#153 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateAbout the same births per woman | 4.11 per woman#23 of 192 · 2024 | 4.13 per woman#20 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthGuinea: 0.10 points higher | +2.21%#37 of 192 · 2025 | +2.31%#33 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateGuinea: 1.06× the birth rate | 31.3 per 1,000#25 of 192 · 2024 | 33.3 per 1,000#15 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateGuinea: 1.14× the death rate | 7.9 per 1,000#72 of 192 · 2024 | 9.0 per 1,000#52 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Burkina Faso: 0.7 points higher | 41.2%#15 of 192 · 2025 | 40.5%#19 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Guinea: 0.8 points higher | 2.7%#176 of 192 · 2025 | 3.5%#153 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationThe same | −1.1 per 1,000#119 of 192 · 2025 | −1.1 per 1,000#119 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadBurkina Faso: 4.62× the refugees for its size | 14.59 per 1,000#15 of 190 · 2025 | 3.16 per 1,000#33 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyBurkina Faso: 0.4 years longer | 61.3 years#183 of 192 · 2024 | 60.9 years#185 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityGuinea: 1.37× the infant mortality | 43.6 per 1,000 births#20 of 191 · 2024 | 59.8 per 1,000 births#7 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsGuinea: 1.4× the doctors per person | 0.15 per 1,000#159 of 178 · 2022 | 0.21 per 1,000#147 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolment | 10.0%#133 of 145 · 2024 | — |
| Human Development IndexGuinea: 0.041 higher | 0.459#183 of 190 · 2023 | 0.500#176 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaGuinea: 1.77× the income per person | $980#170 of 185 · 2025 | $1,730#154 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPAbout the same economy | $27.63B2025 | $28.35B2025 |
| Income group | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Guinea: 1.61× the output per person | $3,072#171 of 184 · 2025 | $4,935#151 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthGuinea: 2.1 points higher | +5.3%#41 of 187 · 2025 | +7.4%#16 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationGuinea: 4.2 points higher | −0.6%#171 of 176 · 2025 | +3.6%#71 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentGuinea: 1.49× the unemployment | 3.5%#121 of 178 · 2025 | 5.2%#86 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyBurkina Faso: 3.6× the share in extreme poverty | 42.1%#15 of 149 · 2021 | 11.7%#43 of 149 · 2018 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Burkina Faso: 7.8 higher | 37.4#56 of 149 · 2021 | 29.6#123 of 149 · 2018 |
| Jobs in agricultureBurkina Faso: 4.4 points higher | 51.8% of jobs#22 of 178 · 2025 | 47.4% of jobs#25 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryBurkina Faso: 2.5 points higher | 16.7% of jobs#121 of 178 · 2025 | 14.2% of jobs#142 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesGuinea: 6.9 points higher | 31.6% of jobs#164 of 178 · 2025 | 38.5% of jobs#149 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentGuinea: 26.3 points higher | 1.1% of GDP#125 of 184 · 2025 | 27.4% of GDP#4 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsGuinea: 6.4 points higher | 35.0% of GDP#85 of 168 · 2025 | 41.4% of GDP#66 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingBurkina Faso: 1.63× the military spending | 3.3% of GDP#21 of 155 · 2025 | 2.0% of GDP#59 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersGuinea: 1.18× the share online | 28%#168 of 184 · 2024 | 33%#161 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsBurkina Faso: 1.19× the mobile subscriptions | 117 per 100#91 of 191 · 2024 | 98 per 100#131 of 191 · 2023 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaGuinea: 1.63× the forest share | 12% of land#142 of 192 · 2024 | 20% of land#120 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personGuinea: 1.3× the CO₂ per person | 0.27 t a year#165 of 185 · 2024 | 0.35 t a year#157 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyBurkina Faso: 4.8 points higher | 71.4%#26 of 190 · 2022 | 66.6%#31 of 190 · 2022 |
| Access to electricityGuinea: 19.8 points higher | 34.0%#185 of 192 · 2024 | 53.8%#173 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Burkina Faso: 1.37× the air pollution | 37.3 µg/m³#28 of 191 · 2023 | 27.3 µg/m³#56 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landGuinea: 25.8 points higher | 16.8% of land#102 of 191 · 2025 | 42.6% of land#6 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landBurkina Faso: 4.2 points higher | 28.9% of land#32 of 190 · 2024 | 24.7% of land#40 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressBurkina Faso: 5.57× the water stress | 7.8%#102 of 176 · 2022 | 1.4%#157 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationGuinea: 2.21× the rain and snow | 748 mm#110 of 180 · 2022 | 1,651 mm#48 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityGuinea: 1.07 higher | −1.80#181 of 193 · 2025 | −0.73#156 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionBurkina Faso: 0.85 higher | −0.22#94 of 193 · 2025 | −1.07#158 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | 1.3 per 100,000#92 of 146 · 2017 | — |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Presidential republic |
| Capital | Ouagadougou | Conakry |
| Currency | West African CFA franc (XOF) | Guinean franc (GNF) |
| Official languages | French, Mooré, Dioula, Bissa | French, languages of Guinea |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC | UTC |
| Calling code | +226 | +224 |
| Region | Western Africa, Africa | Western Africa, Africa |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Burkina Faso sits at about 12° N and is stretched to 1.05× its true area; Guinea at 10° N is stretched to 1.03×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Burkina Faso bigger than Guinea?
- Yes. Burkina Faso is 12% larger than Guinea. Burkina Faso covers 274,200 km² and Guinea covers 245,857 km².
- How many times does Guinea fit into Burkina Faso?
- About 1.1 times: Burkina Faso has 1.12× the area of Guinea.
- Why do Burkina Faso and Guinea look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Burkina Faso is drawn about 1.05× its true area there and Guinea about 1.03×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Burkina Faso or Guinea?
- Burkina Faso: 24,074,580 people against 15,099,727. Density: Burkina Faso 88 per km², Guinea 61 per km².
- Which is richer, Burkina Faso or Guinea?
- By gross national income per person, Guinea: $1,730 against $980 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.77× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Burkina Faso or Guinea?
- In Burkina Faso: life expectancy at birth is 61.3 years, against 60.9 — 0.4 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Burkina Faso and Guinea have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: presidential republic (CIA World Factbook).