Burkina Faso vs Niger
Niger is 4.62 times larger than Burkina Faso. Burkina Faso would fit into Niger about 4.6 times.
Burkina FasoNigerBurkina Faso moved onto Niger · Equal-area projection
0.22×
Burkina Faso is 0.22× the area of Niger. Put the other way, Niger is 4.62× the size of Burkina Faso.
 Burkina Faso |  Niger | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaNiger: 4.62× the area | 274,200 km²#73 of 194 | 1,267,000 km²#21 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 6 | 7 |
| People | ||
| PopulationNiger: 1.16× the population | 24,074,580#59 of 194 · 2025 | 27,917,831#54 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityBurkina Faso: 3.98× the density | 88 / km²#97 of 194 | 22 / km²#163 of 194 |
| Urban populationBurkina Faso: 1.57× the urban share | 29%#173 of 192 · 2025 | 18%#188 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateNiger: 1.45× the births per woman | 4.11 per woman#23 of 192 · 2024 | 5.94 per woman#5 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthNiger: 1.01 points higher | +2.21%#37 of 192 · 2025 | +3.22%#9 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateNiger: 1.32× the birth rate | 31.3 per 1,000#25 of 192 · 2024 | 41.4 per 1,000#4 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateNiger: 1.1× the death rate | 7.9 per 1,000#72 of 192 · 2024 | 8.7 per 1,000#58 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Niger: 5.0 points higher | 41.2%#15 of 192 · 2025 | 46.2%#3 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Burkina Faso: 0.1 points higher | 2.7%#176 of 192 · 2025 | 2.6%#180 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationNiger: 0.8 per 1,000 higher | −1.1 per 1,000#119 of 192 · 2025 | −0.3 per 1,000#89 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadBurkina Faso: 4.75× the refugees for its size | 14.59 per 1,000#15 of 190 · 2025 | 3.07 per 1,000#34 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyNiger: 0.1 years longer | 61.3 years#183 of 192 · 2024 | 61.4 years#182 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityNiger: 1.5× the infant mortality | 43.6 per 1,000 births#20 of 191 · 2024 | 65.6 per 1,000 births#3 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsBurkina Faso: 3.75× the doctors per person | 0.15 per 1,000#159 of 178 · 2022 | 0.04 per 1,000#177 of 178 · 2023 |
| University enrolment | 10.0%#133 of 145 · 2024 | — |
| Human Development IndexBurkina Faso: 0.040 higher | 0.459#183 of 190 · 2023 | 0.419#185 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaBurkina Faso: 1.31× the income per person | $980#170 of 185 · 2025 | $750#176 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPBurkina Faso: 1.28× the economy | $27.63B2025 | $21.65B2025 |
| Income group | Low income | Low income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Burkina Faso: 1.41× the output per person | $3,072#171 of 184 · 2025 | $2,177#176 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthNiger: 1.7 points higher | +5.3%#41 of 187 · 2025 | +7.0%#18 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationBurkina Faso: 3.9 points higher | −0.6%#171 of 176 · 2025 | −4.5%#174 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentBurkina Faso: 8.75× the unemployment | 3.5%#121 of 178 · 2025 | 0.4%#176 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyNiger: 1.44× the share in extreme poverty | 42.1%#15 of 149 · 2021 | 60.5%#9 of 149 · 2021 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Burkina Faso: 4.5 higher | 37.4#56 of 149 · 2021 | 32.9#95 of 149 · 2021 |
| Jobs in agricultureNiger: 21.2 points higher | 51.8% of jobs#22 of 178 · 2025 | 73.0% of jobs#2 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryBurkina Faso: 7.4 points higher | 16.7% of jobs#121 of 178 · 2025 | 9.3% of jobs#159 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesBurkina Faso: 13.9 points higher | 31.6% of jobs#164 of 178 · 2025 | 17.7% of jobs#177 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentNiger: 0.1 points higher | 1.1% of GDP#125 of 184 · 2025 | 1.2% of GDP#122 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsBurkina Faso: 19.2 points higher | 35.0% of GDP#85 of 168 · 2025 | 15.8% of GDP#144 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingBurkina Faso: 1.54× the military spending | 3.3% of GDP#21 of 155 · 2025 | 2.1% of GDP#54 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersBurkina Faso: 1.81× the share online | 28%#168 of 184 · 2024 | 16%#179 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsBurkina Faso: 1.92× the mobile subscriptions | 117 per 100#91 of 191 · 2024 | 61 per 100#175 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaBurkina Faso: 15.4× the forest share | 12% of land#142 of 192 · 2024 | 1% of land#181 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personBurkina Faso: 2.25× the CO₂ per person | 0.27 t a year#165 of 185 · 2024 | 0.12 t a year#178 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyNiger: 8.2 points higher | 71.4%#26 of 190 · 2022 | 79.6%#18 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityBurkina Faso: 12.7 points higher | 34.0%#185 of 192 · 2024 | 21.3%#187 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Niger: 1.75× the air pollution | 37.3 µg/m³#28 of 191 · 2023 | 65.2 µg/m³#5 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landNiger: 4.2 points higher | 16.8% of land#102 of 191 · 2025 | 21.0% of land#78 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landBurkina Faso: 14.9 points higher | 28.9% of land#32 of 190 · 2024 | 14.0% of land#77 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressNiger: 1.41× the water stress | 7.8%#102 of 176 · 2022 | 11.0%#88 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationBurkina Faso: 4.95× the rain and snow | 748 mm#110 of 180 · 2022 | 151 mm#169 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityNiger: 0.03 higher | −1.80#181 of 193 · 2025 | −1.77#180 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionBurkina Faso: 0.52 higher | −0.22#94 of 193 · 2025 | −0.74#136 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | 1.3 per 100,000#92 of 146 · 2017 | — |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Military or transitionalformerly, semi-presidential republic |
| Capital | Ouagadougou | Niamey |
| Currency | West African CFA franc (XOF) | West African CFA franc (XOF) |
| Official languages | French, Mooré, Dioula, Bissa | Hausa |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC | UTC+1 |
| Calling code | +226 | +227 |
| 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; Niger at 17° N is stretched to 1.1×. 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 Niger?
- No. Burkina Faso is 4.62 times smaller than Niger. Burkina Faso covers 274,200 km² and Niger covers 1,267,000 km².
- How many times does Burkina Faso fit into Niger?
- About 4.6 times: Niger has 4.62× the area of Burkina Faso.
- Why do Burkina Faso and Niger 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 Niger about 1.1×. 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 Niger?
- Niger: 27,917,831 people against 24,074,580. Density: Burkina Faso 88 per km², Niger 22 per km².
- Which is richer, Burkina Faso or Niger?
- By gross national income per person, Burkina Faso: $980 against $750 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.31× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Burkina Faso or Niger?
- In Niger: life expectancy at birth is 61.4 years, against 61.3 — 0.1 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Burkina Faso and Niger have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Burkina Faso: presidential republic; Niger: military or transitional.