Burkina Faso vs Italy
Italy is 10% larger than Burkina Faso.
Burkina FasoItalyBurkina Faso moved onto Italy · Equal-area projection
0.91×
Burkina Faso is 0.91× the area of Italy. Put the other way, Italy is 1.1× the size of Burkina Faso.
 Burkina Faso |  Italy | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaItaly: 1.1× the area | 274,200 km²#73 of 194 | 302,068 km²#72 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 6 | 6 |
| People | ||
| PopulationItaly: 2.45× the population | 24,074,580#59 of 194 · 2025 | 58,915,656#25 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityItaly: 2.22× the density | 88 / km²#97 of 194 | 195 / km²#51 of 194 |
| Urban populationItaly: 2.41× the urban share | 29%#173 of 192 · 2025 | 70%#75 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateBurkina Faso: 3.48× the births per woman | 4.11 per woman#23 of 192 · 2024 | 1.18 per woman#179 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthBurkina Faso: 2.27 points higher | +2.21%#37 of 192 · 2025 | −0.06%#158 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateBurkina Faso: 4.97× the birth rate | 31.3 per 1,000#25 of 192 · 2024 | 6.3 per 1,000#188 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateItaly: 1.39× the death rate | 7.9 per 1,000#72 of 192 · 2024 | 11.0 per 1,000#27 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Burkina Faso: 29.5 points higher | 41.2%#15 of 192 · 2025 | 11.7%#188 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Italy: 22.4 points higher | 2.7%#176 of 192 · 2025 | 25.1%#3 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationItaly: 2.4 per 1,000 higher | −1.1 per 1,000#119 of 192 · 2025 | +1.3 per 1,000#44 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroad | 14.59 per 1,000#15 of 190 · 2025 | 0.00 per 1,000#174 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyItaly: 22.7 years longer | 61.3 years#183 of 192 · 2024 | 84.0 years#8 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityBurkina Faso: 19.0× the infant mortality | 43.6 per 1,000 births#20 of 191 · 2024 | 2.3 per 1,000 births#175 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsItaly: 27.9× the doctors per person | 0.15 per 1,000#159 of 178 · 2022 | 4.19 per 1,000#26 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentItaly: 7.59× the university enrolment | 10.0%#133 of 145 · 2024 | 75.9%#37 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexItaly: 0.456 higher | 0.459#183 of 190 · 2023 | 0.915#28 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaItaly: 42.9× the income per person | $980#170 of 185 · 2025 | $42,080#25 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPItaly: 92.4× the economy | $27.63B2025 | $2.55T2025 |
| Income group | Low income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Italy: 20.4× the output per person | $3,072#171 of 184 · 2025 | $62,803#30 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthBurkina Faso: 4.8 points higher | +5.3%#41 of 187 · 2025 | +0.5%#168 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationItaly: 2.1 points higher | −0.6%#171 of 176 · 2025 | +1.5%#128 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentItaly: 1.83× the unemployment | 3.5%#121 of 178 · 2025 | 6.4%#67 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyBurkina Faso: 46.8× the share in extreme poverty | 42.1%#15 of 149 · 2021 | 0.9%#88 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Burkina Faso: 3.1 higher | 37.4#56 of 149 · 2021 | 34.3#76 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureBurkina Faso: 48.5 points higher | 51.8% of jobs#22 of 178 · 2025 | 3.3% of jobs#145 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryItaly: 9.7 points higher | 16.7% of jobs#121 of 178 · 2025 | 26.4% of jobs#31 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesItaly: 38.6 points higher | 31.6% of jobs#164 of 178 · 2025 | 70.2% of jobs#51 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentBurkina Faso: 1.1 points higher | 1.1% of GDP#125 of 184 · 2025 | 0.0% of GDP#162 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsBurkina Faso: 2.8 points higher | 35.0% of GDP#85 of 168 · 2025 | 32.2% of GDP#92 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingBurkina Faso: 1.75× the military spending | 3.3% of GDP#21 of 155 · 2025 | 1.9% of GDP#70 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersItaly: 3.15× the share online | 28%#168 of 184 · 2024 | 89%#61 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsItaly: 1.14× the mobile subscriptions | 117 per 100#91 of 191 · 2024 | 133 per 100#45 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaItaly: 2.59× the forest share | 12% of land#142 of 192 · 2024 | 32% of land#99 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personItaly: 18.8× the CO₂ per person | 0.27 t a year#165 of 185 · 2024 | 5.08 t a year#48 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyBurkina Faso: 53.9 points higher | 71.4%#26 of 190 · 2022 | 17.5%#116 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityItaly: 66.0 points higher | 34.0%#185 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Burkina Faso: 2.61× the air pollution | 37.3 µg/m³#28 of 191 · 2023 | 14.3 µg/m³#121 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landItaly: 4.7 points higher | 16.8% of land#102 of 191 · 2025 | 21.5% of land#75 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landBurkina Faso: 5.4 points higher | 28.9% of land#32 of 190 · 2024 | 23.5% of land#43 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressItaly: 3.82× the water stress | 7.8%#102 of 176 · 2022 | 29.8%#54 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationItaly: 1.11× the rain and snow | 748 mm#110 of 180 · 2022 | 832 mm#104 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityItaly: 2.26 higher | −1.80#181 of 193 · 2025 | +0.46#72 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionItaly: 0.80 higher | −0.22#94 of 193 · 2025 | +0.58#54 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateBurkina Faso: 2.17× the homicide rate | 1.3 per 100,000#92 of 146 · 2017 | 0.6 per 100,000#132 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Parliamentary republic |
| Member of | — | EU, NATO, Euro area, Schengen Area, OECD, G7, G20 |
| Capital | Ouagadougou | Rome |
| Currency | West African CFA franc (XOF) | Euro (EUR) |
| Official languages | French, Mooré, Dioula, Bissa | Italian |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +226 | +39 |
| Region | Western Africa, Africa | Southern Europe, Europe |
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; Italy at 43° N is stretched to 1.85×. That difference is why Italy looks so much bigger than it is next to Burkina Faso. 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 Italy?
- No. Burkina Faso is 9% smaller than Italy. Burkina Faso covers 274,200 km² and Italy covers 302,068 km².
- How many times does Burkina Faso fit into Italy?
- About 1.1 times: Italy has 1.1× the area of Burkina Faso.
- Why do Burkina Faso and Italy 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 Italy about 1.85×. That is why Italy looks so much bigger than it really is next to Burkina Faso. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Burkina Faso or Italy?
- Italy: 58,915,656 people against 24,074,580. Density: Burkina Faso 88 per km², Italy 195 per km².
- Which is richer, Burkina Faso or Italy?
- By gross national income per person, Italy: $42,080 against $980 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 42.9× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Burkina Faso or Italy?
- In Italy: life expectancy at birth is 84.0 years, against 61.3 — 22.7 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Burkina Faso and Italy have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Burkina Faso: presidential republic; Italy: parliamentary republic.