If you lived in Bangladesh instead of Benin, you would:

Health

live 14.0 years longer

In Benin, the average life expectancy is 61 years (60 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Bangladesh, that number is 75 years (73 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 53.1% less likely to be obese

In Benin, 12.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Bangladesh, that number is 5.8% of people as of 2024.

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see 44.0% more spent on your healthcare

Benin spends $138 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bangladesh spends $199 as of 2023.

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have 3.3 times more doctors per person

Benin has 2.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Bangladesh has 7.2 as of 2023.

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have 36.8% more access to essential health services

Benin scores 38 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Bangladesh scores 52 as of 2021.

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be 60.5% less likely to die by suicide

Benin has a suicide rate of 7.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bangladesh, it is 2.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 48.3% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Benin, 36.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Bangladesh, however, that number is 18.7% as of 2022.

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make 56.6% more money

Benin has a GDP per capita of $1,658 as of 2025, while in Bangladesh, the GDP per capita is $2,597 as of 2025.

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be 2.4 times more likely to be unemployed

In Benin, 1.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Bangladesh, that number is 3.8% as of 2025.

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Life

be 77.8% less likely to die during childbirth

In Benin, approximately 518.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Bangladesh, 115.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 53.8% more likely to be literate

In Benin, the literacy rate is 51.4% as of 2022. In Bangladesh, it is 79.0% as of 2022.

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be 46.0% less likely to die during infancy

In Benin, approximately 45.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Bangladesh, on the other hand, 24.4 children do as of 2024.

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have 40.2% fewer children

In Benin, there are approximately 33.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Bangladesh, there are 20.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 74.6% 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 Bangladesh, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 57.2% more likely to have internet access

In Benin, approximately 34.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Bangladesh, about 53.4% do as of 2024.

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be 41.9% 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 Bangladesh, that number is 99% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 37.2% less on education

Benin spends 3.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Bangladesh spends 2.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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spend 35.0% less on healthcare

Benin spends 3.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Bangladesh, that number is 2.2% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 4.8 times more coastline

Benin has a total of 121 km of coastline. In Bangladesh, that number is 580 km.

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Safety

be 25.0% less likely to die in a road accident

In Benin, road accidents kill 24.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Bangladesh, they kill 18.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 2.1 times more likely to be murdered

Benin has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2017. In Bangladesh, that number is 2.3 per 100,000 as of 2018.

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Infrastructure

find 28.9 times more home broadband

Benin has 0.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Bangladesh has 8.1 as of 2024.

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use 5.3 times more electricity

Benin uses 115 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Bangladesh uses 603 kWh as of 2023.

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live with 5.8 times more strain on fresh water

Benin withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bangladesh withdraws 6% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 14.3% less likely to die from air pollution

In Benin, air pollution causes 77.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Bangladesh, it causes 66.0 as of 2019.

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emit 46.9% more CO2

Benin emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Bangladesh emits 0.7 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Bangladesh: At a glance

Bangladesh is a sovereign country in South Asia, with a total land area of approximately 130,170 sq km. Muslim conversions and settlement in the region now referred to as Bangladesh began in the 10th century, primarily from Arab and Persian traders and preachers. Europeans began to set up trading posts in the area in the 16th century. Eventually the area known as Bengal, primarily Hindu in the western section and mostly Muslim in the eastern half, became part of British India. Partition in 1947 resulted in an eastern wing of Pakistan in the Muslim-majority area, which became East Pakistan. Calls for greater autonomy and animosity between the eastern and western wings of Pakistan led to a Bengali independence movement. That movement, led by the Awami League (AL) and supported by India, won independence for Bangladesh in a brief war in 1971, during which at least 300,000 civilians died. The post-independence, AL government faced daunting challenges and in 1975 was overthrown by the military, triggering a series of military coups that resulted in a military-backed government and subsequent creation of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). That government also ended in a coup in 1981, followed by military-backed rule until democratic elections in 1991. The BNP and AL have alternately held power since then, with the exception of a military-backed, emergency caretaker regime that suspended parliamentary elections planned for January 2007 in an effort to reform the political system and root out corruption. That government returned the country to fully democratic rule in December 2008 with the election of the AL and Prime Minister Sheikh HASINA. In January 2014, the AL won the national election by an overwhelming majority after the BNP boycotted, extending HASINA's term as prime minister. With the help of international development assistance, Bangladesh has made great progress in food security since independence, and the economy has grown at an average of about 6 percent over the last two decades.
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