Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Russia instead of Benin, you would:

Health

live 10.5 years longer

In Benin, the average life expectancy is 61 years (60 years for men, 63 years for women) as of 2020. In Russia, that number is 72 years (66 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2020.

be 20.0% more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Benin, 1.0% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2018. In Russia, that number is 1.2% of people as of 2017.

be 2.4 times more likely to be obese

In Benin, 9.6% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Russia, that number is 23.1% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 12.1 times more money

Benin has a GDP per capita of $2,300 as of 2017, while in Russia, the GDP per capita is $27,900 as of 2017.

be 63.3% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Benin, 36.2% live below the poverty line as of 2011. In Russia, however, that number is 13.3% as of 2015.

be 5.2 times more likely to be unemployed

In Benin, 1.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2014. In Russia, that number is 5.2% as of 2017.

Life

be 95.7% less likely to die during childbirth

In Benin, approximately 397.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Russia, 17.0 women do as of 2017.

be 2.4 times more likely to be literate

In Benin, the literacy rate is 42.4% as of 2018. In Russia, it is 99.7% as of 2018.

be 88.9% less likely to die during infancy

In Benin, approximately 58.7 children die before they reach the age of one as of 2020. In Russia, on the other hand, 6.5 children do as of 2020.

have 76.2% fewer children

In Benin, there are approximately 42.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020. In Russia, there are 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2020.

Basic Needs

be 2.4 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Benin, approximately 41% of the population has electricity access as of 2017. In Russia, 100% of the population do as of 2016.

be 4.0 times more likely to have internet access

In Benin, approximately 20.0% of the population has internet access as of 2018. In Russia, about 80.9% do as of 2018.

be 27.1% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Benin, approximately 76% of people have improved drinking water access (81% in urban areas, and 72% in rural areas) as of 2017. In Russia, that number is 97% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2017.

Geography

see 311.2 times more coastline

Benin has a total of 121 km of coastline. In Russia, that number is 37,653 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

Russia: At a glance

Russia is a sovereign country in Central Asia, with a total land area of approximately 16,377,742 sq km. Founded in the 12th century, the Principality of Muscovy, was able to emerge from over 200 years of Mongol domination (13th-15th centuries) and to gradually conquer and absorb surrounding principalities. In the early 17th century, a new ROMANOV Dynasty continued this policy of expansion across Siberia to the Pacific. Under PETER I (ruled 1682-1725), hegemony was extended to the Baltic Sea and the country was renamed the Russian Empire. During the 19th century, more territorial acquisitions were made in Europe and Asia. Defeat in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05 contributed to the Revolution of 1905, which resulted in the formation of a parliament and other reforms. Repeated devastating defeats of the Russian army in World War I led to widespread rioting in the major cities of the Russian Empire and to the overthrow in 1917 of the imperial household. The communists under Vladimir LENIN seized power soon after and formed the USSR. The brutal rule of Iosif STALIN (1928-53) strengthened communist rule and Russian dominance of the Soviet Union at a cost of tens of millions of lives. The Soviet economy and society stagnated in the following decades until General Secretary Mikhail GORBACHEV (1985-91) introduced glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) in an attempt to modernize communism, but his initiatives inadvertently released forces that by December 1991 splintered the USSR into Russia and 14 other independent republics. Since then, Russia has shifted its post-Soviet democratic ambitions in favor of a centralized semi-authoritarian state in which the leadership seeks to legitimize its rule through managed national elections, populist appeals by President PUTIN, and continued economic growth. Russia has severely disabled a Chechen rebel movement, although violence still occurs throughout the North Caucasus.
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