Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Gabon instead of Benin, you would:
Health
live 7.6 years longer
In Benin, the average life expectancy is 61 years (60 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Gabon, that number is 69 years (66 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
see 4.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Benin spends $138 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Gabon spends $673 as of 2023.
have 2.4 times more doctors per person
Benin has 2.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Gabon has 5.2 as of 2022.
have 28.9% more access to essential health services
Benin scores 38 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Gabon scores 49 as of 2021.
be 4.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Benin, 0.7% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Gabon, that number is 2.8% of people as of 2024.
be 85.1% more likely to be obese
In Benin, 12.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Gabon, that number is 22.7% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 5.0 times more money
Benin has a GDP per capita of $1,658 as of 2025, while in Gabon, the GDP per capita is $8,263 as of 2025.
be 12.7 times more likely to be unemployed
In Benin, 1.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Gabon, that number is 20.1% as of 2025.
Life
be 55.0% 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 Gabon, 233.0 women do as of 2023.
be 72.9% more likely to be literate
In Benin, the literacy rate is 51.4% as of 2022. In Gabon, it is 88.9% as of 2021.
be 42.7% 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 Gabon, on the other hand, 25.9 children do as of 2024.
have 18.8% fewer children
In Benin, there are approximately 33.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Gabon, there are 27.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 65.1% 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 Gabon, that number is 94% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 29% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 2.0 times more likely to have internet access
In Benin, approximately 34.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Gabon, about 68.7% do as of 2024.
be 27.3% 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 Gabon, that number is 89% of people on average (92% in urban areas, and 49% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 28.2% less on education
Benin spends 3.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Gabon spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 7.3 times more coastline
Benin has a total of 121 km of coastline. In Gabon, that number is 885 km.
Safety
be 49.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In Benin, road accidents kill 24.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Gabon, they kill 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 16.8 times more home broadband
Benin has 0.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Gabon has 4.7 as of 2024.
live with 49.0% less strain on fresh water
Benin withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Gabon withdraws 0% as of 2022.
use 8.9 times more electricity
Benin uses 115 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Gabon uses 1,023 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 31.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Benin, air pollution causes 77.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Gabon, it causes 53.0 as of 2019.
emit 4.2 times more CO2
Benin emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Gabon emits 2.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Benin vs. Gabon
Gabon: At a glance
How big is Gabon compared to Benin? See an in-depth size comparison.