Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Mali instead of Benin, you would:
Health
be 41.6% less likely to die by suicide
Benin has a suicide rate of 7.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mali, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 24.6% less spent on your healthcare
Benin spends $138 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mali spends $104 as of 2023.
have 13.0% fewer doctors per person
Benin has 2.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Mali has 1.9 as of 2023.
Economy
be 78.0% more likely to be unemployed
In Benin, 1.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Mali, that number is 2.8% as of 2025.
be 25.7% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Benin, 36.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Mali, however, that number is 45.5% as of 2021.
make 28.0% less money
Benin has a GDP per capita of $1,658 as of 2025, while in Mali, the GDP per capita is $1,193 as of 2025.
Life
be 29.2% 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 Mali, 367.0 women do as of 2023.
have 18.3% more children
In Benin, there are approximately 33.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mali, there are 39.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 30.7% less likely to be literate
In Benin, the literacy rate is 51.4% as of 2022. In Mali, it is 35.6% as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 24.1% 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 Mali, that number is 86% of people on average (94% in urban areas, and 80% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 29.4% more on education
Benin spends 3.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Mali spends 4.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 14.1% more on healthcare
Benin spends 3.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Mali, that number is 3.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 18.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Benin, road accidents kill 24.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Mali, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.8 times more home broadband
Benin has 0.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Mali has 0.8 as of 2022.
live with 8.2 times more strain on fresh water
Benin withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Mali withdraws 8% as of 2022.
Environment
be 15.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Benin, air pollution causes 77.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Mali, it causes 65.0 as of 2019.
emit 38.8% less CO2
Benin emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Mali emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Benin vs. Mali
Mali: At a glance
How big is Mali compared to Benin? See an in-depth size comparison.