Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Afghanistan instead of Benin, you would:
Health
live 5.3 years longer
In Benin, the average life expectancy is 61 years (60 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Afghanistan, that number is 66 years (65 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.
see 2.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Benin spends $138 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Afghanistan spends $330 as of 2023.
have 46.8% more doctors per person
Benin has 2.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Afghanistan has 3.2 as of 2023.
be 49.4% less likely to die by suicide
Benin has a suicide rate of 7.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Afghanistan, it is 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 67.9% more likely to be obese
In Benin, 12.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Afghanistan, that number is 20.6% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 8.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Benin, 1.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Afghanistan, that number is 13.3% as of 2025.
be 30.1% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Benin, 36.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Afghanistan, however, that number is 47.1% as of 2019.
make 74.9% less money
Benin has a GDP per capita of $1,658 as of 2025, while in Afghanistan, the GDP per capita is $417 as of 2024.
Life
be 27.5% less likely to be literate
In Benin, the literacy rate is 51.4% as of 2022. In Afghanistan, it is 37.3% as of 2021.
Basic Needs
be 49.6% more likely to have access to electricity
In Benin, approximately 57% of people have electricity access (70% in urban areas, and 44% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Afghanistan, that number is 85% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 81% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 16.2% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Benin, approximately 70% of people have access to drinking water (76% in urban areas, and 63% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Afghanistan, that number is 81% of people on average (97% in urban areas, and 75% in rural areas) as of 2024.
be 52.6% less likely to have internet access
In Benin, approximately 34.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Afghanistan, about 16.1% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 10.2% less on education
Benin spends 3.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Afghanistan spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 4.5 times more on healthcare
Benin spends 3.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Afghanistan, that number is 15.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 71.4% less home broadband
Benin has 0.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Afghanistan has 0.1 as of 2023.
live with 55.9 times more strain on fresh water
Benin withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Afghanistan withdraws 55% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 42.9% less CO2
Benin emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Afghanistan emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 85.7% more likely to die from air pollution
In Benin, air pollution causes 77.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Afghanistan, it causes 143.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019), The World Factbook (2020). How we calculate this
Compare further: Benin vs. Afghanistan
Afghanistan: At a glance
How big is Afghanistan compared to Benin? See an in-depth size comparison.