Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Saudi Arabia instead of Benin, you would:
Health
live 18.0 years longer
In Benin, the average life expectancy is 61 years (60 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 79 years (77 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
see 25.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Benin spends $138 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Saudi Arabia spends $3,475 as of 2023.
have 15.8 times more doctors per person
Benin has 2.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Saudi Arabia has 34.1 as of 2023.
have 94.7% more access to essential health services
Benin scores 38 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Saudi Arabia scores 74 as of 2021.
be 86.7% less likely to die by suicide
Benin has a suicide rate of 7.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Saudi Arabia, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 3.3 times more likely to be obese
In Benin, 12.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 40.1% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 20.8 times more money
Benin has a GDP per capita of $1,658 as of 2025, while in Saudi Arabia, the GDP per capita is $34,537 as of 2025.
be 91.2% more likely to be unemployed
In Benin, 1.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.
Life
be 98.6% 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 Saudi Arabia, 7.0 women do as of 2023.
be 90.6% more likely to be literate
In Benin, the literacy rate is 51.4% as of 2022. In Saudi Arabia, it is 97.9% as of 2024.
be 89.6% 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 Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, 4.7 children do as of 2024.
have 50.6% fewer children
In Benin, there are approximately 33.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, there are 16.5 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 Saudi Arabia, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 2.9 times more likely to have internet access
In Benin, approximately 34.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, about 100.0% do as of 2024.
be 42.3% 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 Saudi Arabia, that number is 99% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 38.7% more on education
Benin spends 3.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Saudi Arabia spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 70.4% more on healthcare
Benin spends 3.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 5.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 21.8 times more coastline
Benin has a total of 121 km of coastline. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 2,640 km.
Safety
be 16.8% less likely to be murdered
Benin has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2017. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2019.
be 25.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Benin, road accidents kill 24.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Saudi Arabia, they kill 18.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 157.4 times more home broadband
Benin has 0.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Saudi Arabia has 44.1 as of 2024.
use 103.9 times more electricity
Benin uses 115 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Saudi Arabia uses 11,911 kWh as of 2023.
live with 994.1 times more strain on fresh water
Benin withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Saudi Arabia withdraws 974% as of 2022.
Environment
be 18.2% more likely to die from air pollution
In Benin, air pollution causes 77.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Saudi Arabia, it causes 91.0 as of 2019.
emit 37.7 times more CO2
Benin emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Saudi Arabia emits 18.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Benin vs. Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: At a glance
How big is Saudi Arabia compared to Benin? See an in-depth size comparison.