Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Ghana instead of Benin, you would:
Health
live 4.7 years longer
In Benin, the average life expectancy is 61 years (60 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Ghana, that number is 66 years (63 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.
see 70.1% more spent on your healthcare
Benin spends $138 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Ghana spends $234 as of 2023.
have 23.1% more doctors per person
Benin has 2.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Ghana has 2.7 as of 2023.
have 26.3% more access to essential health services
Benin scores 38 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Ghana scores 48 as of 2021.
be 25.3% less likely to die by suicide
Benin has a suicide rate of 7.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Ghana, it is 5.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.1 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Benin, 0.7% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Ghana, that number is 1.5% of people as of 2024.
be 18.8% more likely to be obese
In Benin, 12.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Ghana, that number is 14.6% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 96.4% more money
Benin has a GDP per capita of $1,658 as of 2025, while in Ghana, the GDP per capita is $3,257 as of 2025.
be 87.4% more likely to be unemployed
In Benin, 1.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Ghana, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.
Life
be 54.8% 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 Ghana, 234.0 women do as of 2023.
be 48.9% more likely to be literate
In Benin, the literacy rate is 51.4% as of 2022. In Ghana, it is 76.5% as of 2021.
be 39.2% 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 Ghana, on the other hand, 27.5 children do as of 2024.
have 22.4% fewer children
In Benin, there are approximately 33.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Ghana, there are 25.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 57.0% 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 Ghana, that number is 90% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 78% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 2.1 times more likely to have internet access
In Benin, approximately 34.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Ghana, about 72.2% do as of 2024.
be 29.2% 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 Ghana, that number is 90% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 76% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 11.7% less on healthcare
Benin spends 3.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Ghana, that number is 3.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 4.5 times more coastline
Benin has a total of 121 km of coastline. In Ghana, that number is 539 km.
Infrastructure
find 2.4 times more home broadband
Benin has 0.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Ghana has 0.7 as of 2024.
use 4.9 times more electricity
Benin uses 115 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Ghana uses 565 kWh as of 2023.
live with 6.4 times more strain on fresh water
Benin withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ghana withdraws 6% as of 2022.
Environment
be 15.6% more likely to die from air pollution
In Benin, air pollution causes 77.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Ghana, it causes 89.0 as of 2019.
emit 42.9% more CO2
Benin emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Ghana emits 0.7 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. Ghana
Ghana: At a glance
How big is Ghana compared to Benin? See an in-depth size comparison.