Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iraq instead of Benin, you would:
Health
live 11.5 years longer
In Benin, the average life expectancy is 61 years (60 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Iraq, that number is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
see 6.1 times more spent on your healthcare
Benin spends $138 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iraq spends $843 as of 2023.
have 4.7 times more doctors per person
Benin has 2.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Iraq has 10.2 as of 2022.
have 55.3% more access to essential health services
Benin scores 38 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iraq scores 59 as of 2021.
be 58.3% less likely to die by suicide
Benin has a suicide rate of 7.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iraq, it is 3.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 3.2 times more likely to be obese
In Benin, 12.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iraq, that number is 39.7% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 51.7% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Benin, 36.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Iraq, however, that number is 17.5% as of 2023.
make 3.3 times more money
Benin has a GDP per capita of $1,658 as of 2025, while in Iraq, the GDP per capita is $5,410 as of 2025.
be 9.7 times more likely to be unemployed
In Benin, 1.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iraq, that number is 15.5% as of 2025.
Life
be 87.3% 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 Iraq, 66.0 women do as of 2023.
be 63.6% more likely to be literate
In Benin, the literacy rate is 51.4% as of 2022. In Iraq, it is 84.1% as of 2021.
be 55.5% 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 Iraq, on the other hand, 20.1 children do as of 2024.
have 23.5% fewer children
In Benin, there are approximately 33.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iraq, there are 25.6 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 Iraq, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 2.4 times more likely to have internet access
In Benin, approximately 34.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iraq, about 81.5% do as of 2024.
be 41.4% 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 Iraq, that number is 98% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 95% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 65.6% more on healthcare
Benin spends 3.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iraq, that number is 5.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 52.1% less coastline
Benin has a total of 121 km of coastline. In Iraq, that number is 58 km.
Safety
be 13.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Benin, road accidents kill 24.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iraq, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 63.0 times more home broadband
Benin has 0.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iraq has 17.6 as of 2024.
use 12.0 times more electricity
Benin uses 115 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Iraq uses 1,377 kWh as of 2023.
live with 60.8 times more strain on fresh water
Benin withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iraq withdraws 60% as of 2022.
Environment
be 13.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Benin, air pollution causes 77.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iraq, it causes 87.0 as of 2019.
emit 10.6 times more CO2
Benin emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iraq emits 5.2 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. Iraq
Iraq: At a glance
How big is Iraq compared to Benin? See an in-depth size comparison.