Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iran instead of Benin, you would:
Health
live 16.9 years longer
In Benin, the average life expectancy is 61 years (60 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Iran, that number is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.
see 7.7 times more spent on your healthcare
Benin spends $138 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iran spends $1,064 as of 2023.
have 8.4 times more doctors per person
Benin has 2.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Iran has 18.1 as of 2023.
have 94.7% more access to essential health services
Benin scores 38 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iran scores 74 as of 2021.
be 42.8% less likely to die by suicide
Benin has a suicide rate of 7.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iran, it is 4.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.0 times more likely to be obese
In Benin, 12.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iran, that number is 24.6% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 2.4 times more money
Benin has a GDP per capita of $1,658 as of 2025, while in Iran, the GDP per capita is $3,924 as of 2025.
be 5.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Benin, 1.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iran, that number is 8.3% as of 2025.
Life
be 96.9% 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 Iran, 16.0 women do as of 2023.
be 73.1% more likely to be literate
In Benin, the literacy rate is 51.4% as of 2022. In Iran, it is 88.9% as of 2023.
be 77.2% 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 Iran, on the other hand, 10.3 children do as of 2024.
have 62.4% fewer children
In Benin, there are approximately 33.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iran, there are 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 75.4% 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 Iran, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 2.5 times more likely to have internet access
In Benin, approximately 34.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iran, about 85.3% do as of 2024.
be 40.6% 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 Iran, that number is 98% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 95% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 12.7% less on education
Benin spends 3.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Iran spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 80.5% more on healthcare
Benin spends 3.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iran, that number is 6.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 20.2 times more coastline
Benin has a total of 121 km of coastline. In Iran, that number is 2,440 km.
Safety
be 16.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Benin, road accidents kill 24.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iran, they kill 20.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
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 Iran, that number is 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2014.
Infrastructure
find 43.1 times more home broadband
Benin has 0.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iran has 12.1 as of 2024.
use 33.3 times more electricity
Benin uses 115 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Iran uses 3,815 kWh as of 2023.
live with 82.9 times more strain on fresh water
Benin withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iran withdraws 81% as of 2022.
Environment
be 33.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Benin, air pollution causes 77.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iran, it causes 51.0 as of 2019.
emit 18.5 times more CO2
Benin emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iran emits 9.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2014–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Benin vs. Iran
Iran: At a glance
How big is Iran compared to Benin? See an in-depth size comparison.