Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Rwanda instead of Benin, you would:
Health
live 7.1 years longer
In Benin, the average life expectancy is 61 years (60 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Rwanda, that number is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024.
be 54.4% less likely to be obese
In Benin, 12.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Rwanda, that number is 5.6% of people as of 2024.
see 28.4% more spent on your healthcare
Benin spends $138 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Rwanda spends $177 as of 2023.
have 28.9% more access to essential health services
Benin scores 38 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Rwanda scores 49 as of 2021.
be 2.9 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Benin, 0.7% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Rwanda, that number is 2.0% of people as of 2024.
have 58.3% fewer doctors per person
Benin has 2.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Rwanda has 0.9 as of 2022.
be 21.9% more likely to die by suicide
Benin has a suicide rate of 7.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Rwanda, it is 8.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 24.3% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Benin, 36.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Rwanda, however, that number is 27.4% as of 2023.
be 7.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Benin, 1.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Rwanda, that number is 11.4% as of 2025.
make 32.2% less money
Benin has a GDP per capita of $1,658 as of 2025, while in Rwanda, the GDP per capita is $1,124 as of 2025.
Life
be 55.8% 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 Rwanda, 229.0 women do as of 2023.
be 53.3% more likely to be literate
In Benin, the literacy rate is 51.4% as of 2022. In Rwanda, it is 78.8% as of 2022.
be 35.0% 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 Rwanda, on the other hand, 29.4 children do as of 2024.
have 16.0% fewer children
In Benin, there are approximately 33.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Rwanda, there are 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 12.1% 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 Rwanda, that number is 64% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 58% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 11.8% less 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 Rwanda, that number is 61% of people on average (88% in urban areas, and 56% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 42.7% more on education
Benin spends 3.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Rwanda spends 4.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 53.6% more on healthcare
Benin spends 3.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Rwanda, that number is 5.1% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 53.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Benin, road accidents kill 24.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Rwanda, they kill 11.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 3.2 times more likely to be murdered
Benin has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2017. In Rwanda, that number is 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2020.
Infrastructure
find 2.1 times more home broadband
Benin has 0.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Rwanda has 0.6 as of 2024.
live with 20.6 times more strain on fresh water
Benin withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Rwanda withdraws 20% as of 2022.
use 33.1% less electricity
Benin uses 115 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Rwanda uses 77 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 19.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Benin, air pollution causes 77.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Rwanda, it causes 62.0 as of 2019.
emit 67.3% less CO2
Benin emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Rwanda emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Benin vs. Rwanda
Rwanda: At a glance
How big is Rwanda compared to Benin? See an in-depth size comparison.