Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sierra Leone instead of Benin, you would:
Health
live 1.0 years longer
In Benin, the average life expectancy is 61 years (60 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, that number is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024.
be 33.1% less likely to be obese
In Benin, 12.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, that number is 8.2% of people as of 2024.
see 15.3% more spent on your healthcare
Benin spends $138 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sierra Leone spends $159 as of 2023.
be 13.8% less likely to die by suicide
Benin has a suicide rate of 7.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 100.0% more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Benin, 0.7% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, that number is 1.4% of people as of 2024.
have 38.0% fewer doctors per person
Benin has 2.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Sierra Leone has 1.3 as of 2022.
Economy
be 98.1% more likely to be unemployed
In Benin, 1.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sierra Leone, that number is 3.1% as of 2025.
be 56.9% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Benin, 36.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, however, that number is 56.8% as of 2018.
make 49.0% less money
Benin has a GDP per capita of $1,658 as of 2025, while in Sierra Leone, the GDP per capita is $846 as of 2025.
Life
be 31.7% 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 Sierra Leone, 354.0 women do as of 2023.
be 20.8% more 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 Sierra Leone, on the other hand, 54.6 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 37.7% less 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 Sierra Leone, that number is 36% of people on average (56% in urban areas, and 19% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 26.1% less likely to have internet access
In Benin, approximately 34.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sierra Leone, about 25.1% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 18.9% less on education
Benin spends 3.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Sierra Leone spends 2.6% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 41.3% more on healthcare
Benin spends 3.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sierra Leone, that number is 4.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 3.3 times more coastline
Benin has a total of 121 km of coastline. In Sierra Leone, that number is 402 km.
Safety
be 44.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Benin, road accidents kill 24.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sierra Leone, they kill 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 96.5% more likely to be murdered
Benin has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2017. In Sierra Leone, that number is 2.2 per 100,000 as of 2020.
Infrastructure
live with 49.0% less strain on fresh water
Benin withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sierra Leone withdraws 0% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 65.3% less CO2
Benin emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sierra Leone emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 26.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Benin, air pollution causes 77.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sierra Leone, it causes 97.0 as of 2019.
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. Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: At a glance
How big is Sierra Leone compared to Benin? See an in-depth size comparison.