Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Benin instead of Afghanistan, you would:
Health
be 40.4% less likely to be obese
In Afghanistan, 20.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Benin, that number is 12.2% of people as of 2024.
live 5.3 years less
In Afghanistan, the average life expectancy is 66 years (65 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024. In Benin, that number is 61 years (60 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024.
see 58.2% less spent on your healthcare
Afghanistan spends $330 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Benin spends $138 as of 2023.
have 31.9% fewer doctors per person
Afghanistan has 3.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Benin has 2.2 as of 2023.
be 97.8% more likely to die by suicide
Afghanistan has a suicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Benin, it is 7.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 88.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Afghanistan, 13.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Benin, that number is 1.6% as of 2025.
be 23.1% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Afghanistan, 47.1% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Benin, however, that number is 36.2% as of 2021.
make 4.0 times more money
Afghanistan has a GDP per capita of $417 as of 2024, while in Benin, the GDP per capita is $1,658 as of 2025.
Life
be 37.9% more likely to be literate
In Afghanistan, the literacy rate is 37.3% as of 2021. In Benin, it is 51.4% as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 2.1 times more likely to have internet access
In Afghanistan, approximately 16.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Benin, about 34.0% do as of 2024.
be 33.2% less likely to have access to electricity
In Afghanistan, approximately 85% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 81% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Benin, that number is 57% of people on average (70% in urban areas, and 44% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 13.9% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Afghanistan, approximately 81% of people have access to drinking water (97% in urban areas, and 75% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Benin, that number is 70% of people on average (76% in urban areas, and 63% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 77.7% less on healthcare
Afghanistan spends 15.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Benin, that number is 3.3% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 11.4% more on education
Afghanistan spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Benin spends 3.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 3.5 times more home broadband
Afghanistan has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Benin has 0.3 as of 2024.
live with 98.2% less strain on fresh water
Afghanistan withdraws 55% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Benin withdraws 1% as of 2022.
Environment
be 46.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Afghanistan, air pollution causes 143.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Benin, it causes 77.0 as of 2019.
emit 75.0% more CO2
Afghanistan emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Benin emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019), The World Factbook (2020). How we calculate this
Compare further: Afghanistan vs. Benin
Benin: At a glance
How big is Benin compared to Afghanistan? See an in-depth size comparison.