Burkina Faso vs United States
United States is 35.8 times larger than Burkina Faso. Burkina Faso would fit into United States about 36 times.
Burkina FasoUnited StatesBurkina Faso moved onto United States · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
0.03×
Burkina Faso is 0.03× the area of United States. Put the other way, United States is 35.8× the size of Burkina Faso.
 Burkina Faso |  United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaUnited States: 35.8× the area | 274,200 km²#73 of 194 | 9,826,675 km²#3 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 6 | 2 |
| People | ||
| PopulationUnited States: 14.2× the population | 24,074,580#59 of 194 · 2025 | 341,784,857#3 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityBurkina Faso: 2.52× the density | 88 / km²#97 of 194 | 35 / km²#145 of 194 |
| Urban populationUnited States: 2.78× the urban share | 29%#173 of 192 · 2025 | 80%#41 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateBurkina Faso: 2.52× the births per woman | 4.11 per woman#23 of 192 · 2024 | 1.63 per woman#121 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthBurkina Faso: 1.69 points higher | +2.21%#37 of 192 · 2025 | +0.52%#125 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateBurkina Faso: 2.95× the birth rate | 31.3 per 1,000#25 of 192 · 2024 | 10.6 per 1,000#132 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateUnited States: 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: 24.1 points higher | 41.2%#15 of 192 · 2025 | 17.1%#140 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65United States: 15.7 points higher | 2.7%#176 of 192 · 2025 | 18.4%#38 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationUnited States: 4.7 per 1,000 higher | −1.1 per 1,000#119 of 192 · 2025 | +3.6 per 1,000#26 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadBurkina Faso: 1,459× the refugees for its size | 14.59 per 1,000#15 of 190 · 2025 | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyUnited States: 17.6 years longer | 61.3 years#183 of 192 · 2024 | 78.9 years#46 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityBurkina Faso: 7.93× the infant mortality | 43.6 per 1,000 births#20 of 191 · 2024 | 5.5 per 1,000 births#139 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsUnited States: 24.5× the doctors per person | 0.15 per 1,000#159 of 178 · 2022 | 3.68 per 1,000#39 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentUnited States: 7.94× the university enrolment | 10.0%#133 of 145 · 2024 | 79.4%#27 of 145 · 2022 |
| Human Development IndexUnited States: 0.479 higher | 0.459#183 of 190 · 2023 | 0.938#16 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaUnited States: 90.6× the income per person | $980#170 of 185 · 2025 | $88,810#5 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPUnited States: 1,114× the economy | $27.63B2025 | $30.77T2025 |
| Income group | Low income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)United States: 29.3× the output per person | $3,072#171 of 184 · 2025 | $90,027#9 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthBurkina Faso: 3.1 points higher | +5.3%#41 of 187 · 2025 | +2.2%#126 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationUnited States: 3.5 points higher | −0.6%#171 of 176 · 2025 | +2.9%#92 of 176 · 2024 |
| UnemploymentUnited States: 1.2× the unemployment | 3.5%#121 of 178 · 2025 | 4.2%#110 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyBurkina Faso: 38.3× the share in extreme poverty | 42.1%#15 of 149 · 2021 | 1.1%#82 of 149 · 2024 |
| Income inequality (Gini)United States: 4.4 higher | 37.4#56 of 149 · 2021 | 41.8#30 of 149 · 2024 |
| Jobs in agricultureBurkina Faso: 50.3 points higher | 51.8% of jobs#22 of 178 · 2025 | 1.5% of jobs#164 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryUnited States: 2.2 points higher | 16.7% of jobs#121 of 178 · 2025 | 18.9% of jobs#90 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesUnited States: 48.0 points higher | 31.6% of jobs#164 of 178 · 2025 | 79.6% of jobs#16 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentBurkina Faso: 0.1 points higher | 1.1% of GDP#125 of 184 · 2025 | 1.0% of GDP#126 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsBurkina Faso: 24.0 points higher | 35.0% of GDP#85 of 168 · 2025 | 11.0% of GDP#159 of 168 · 2024 |
| Military spendingBurkina Faso: 1.06× the military spending | 3.3% of GDP#21 of 155 · 2025 | 3.1% of GDP#27 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersUnited States: 3.35× the share online | 28%#168 of 184 · 2024 | 95%#27 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsBurkina Faso: 1.04× the mobile subscriptions | 117 per 100#91 of 191 · 2024 | 113 per 100#102 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaUnited States: 2.75× the forest share | 12% of land#142 of 192 · 2024 | 34% of land#92 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personUnited States: 50.4× the CO₂ per person | 0.27 t a year#165 of 185 · 2024 | 13.6 t a year#13 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyBurkina Faso: 60.5 points higher | 71.4%#26 of 190 · 2022 | 10.9%#139 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityUnited States: 66.0 points higher | 34.0%#185 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Burkina Faso: 5.33× the air pollution | 37.3 µg/m³#28 of 191 · 2023 | 7.0 µg/m³#173 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landBurkina Faso: 3.9 points higher | 16.8% of land#102 of 191 · 2025 | 12.9% of land#131 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landBurkina Faso: 12.3 points higher | 28.9% of land#32 of 190 · 2024 | 16.6% of land#64 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressUnited States: 3.62× the water stress | 7.8%#102 of 176 · 2022 | 28.2%#57 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationBurkina Faso: 1.05× the rain and snow | 748 mm#110 of 180 · 2022 | 715 mm#111 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityUnited States: 1.50 higher | −1.80#181 of 193 · 2025 | −0.30#122 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionUnited States: 1.09 higher | −0.22#94 of 193 · 2025 | +0.87#39 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateUnited States: 4.46× the homicide rate | 1.3 per 100,000#92 of 146 · 2017 | 5.8 per 100,000#46 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Presidential republicconstitutional federal republic |
| Member of | — | NATO, OECD, G7, G20 |
| Capital | Ouagadougou | Washington D.C. |
| Currency | West African CFA franc (XOF) | United States dollar (USD) |
| Official languages | French, Mooré, Dioula, Bissa | English |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC | UTC−5, summer time UTC−4 · UTC−10 to UTC−5, 6 time zones |
| Calling code | +226 | +1 |
| Region | Western Africa, Africa | Northern America, North America |
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; United States at 45° N is stretched to 1.98×. That difference is why United States 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 United States?
- No. Burkina Faso is 35.8 times smaller than United States. Burkina Faso covers 274,200 km² and United States covers 9,826,675 km².
- How many times does Burkina Faso fit into United States?
- About 36 times: United States has 35.8× the area of Burkina Faso.
- Why do Burkina Faso and United States 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 United States about 1.98×. That is why United States 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 United States?
- United States: 341,784,857 people against 24,074,580. Density: Burkina Faso 88 per km², United States 35 per km².
- Which is richer, Burkina Faso or United States?
- By gross national income per person, United States: $88,810 against $980 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 90.6× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Burkina Faso or United States?
- In United States: life expectancy at birth is 78.9 years, against 61.3 — 17.6 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Burkina Faso and United States have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: presidential republic (CIA World Factbook).