Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Kenya instead of Benin, you would:
Health
live 2.9 years longer
In Benin, the average life expectancy is 61 years (60 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Kenya, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.
see 99.1% more spent on your healthcare
Benin spends $138 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Kenya spends $274 as of 2023.
have 33.8% more doctors per person
Benin has 2.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Kenya has 2.9 as of 2023.
have 39.5% more access to essential health services
Benin scores 38 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Kenya scores 53 as of 2021.
be 35.7% less likely to die by suicide
Benin has a suicide rate of 7.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Kenya, it is 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 4.3 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Benin, 0.7% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Kenya, that number is 3.0% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 42.5% more money
Benin has a GDP per capita of $1,658 as of 2025, while in Kenya, the GDP per capita is $2,363 as of 2025.
be 3.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Benin, 1.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Kenya, that number is 5.5% as of 2025.
Life
be 71.2% 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 Kenya, 149.0 women do as of 2023.
be 60.8% more likely to be literate
In Benin, the literacy rate is 51.4% as of 2022. In Kenya, it is 82.6% as of 2021.
be 24.3% 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 Kenya, on the other hand, 34.2 children do as of 2024.
have 19.3% fewer children
In Benin, there are approximately 33.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Kenya, there are 27.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 33.7% 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 Kenya, that number is 76% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 68% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 24.5% more on education
Benin spends 3.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Kenya spends 4.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 30.2% more on healthcare
Benin spends 3.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Kenya, that number is 4.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 4.4 times more coastline
Benin has a total of 121 km of coastline. In Kenya, that number is 536 km.
Safety
be 13.7% more likely to die in a road accident
In Benin, road accidents kill 24.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Kenya, they kill 28.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 10.9 times more home broadband
Benin has 0.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Kenya has 3.0 as of 2024.
use 70.3% more electricity
Benin uses 115 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Kenya uses 195 kWh as of 2024.
live with 33.9 times more strain on fresh water
Benin withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Kenya withdraws 33% as of 2022.
Environment
be 57.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Benin, air pollution causes 77.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Kenya, it causes 33.0 as of 2019.
emit 22.4% less CO2
Benin emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Kenya emits 0.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Benin vs. Kenya
Kenya: At a glance
How big is Kenya compared to Benin? See an in-depth size comparison.