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

Health

live 17.4 years longer

In Benin, the average life expectancy is 61 years (60 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Slovakia, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 23.4 times more spent on your healthcare

Benin spends $138 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Slovakia spends $3,230 as of 2023.

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have 17.1 times more doctors per person

Benin has 2.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Slovakia has 37.0 as of 2022.

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have 2.2 times more access to essential health services

Benin scores 38 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Slovakia scores 82 as of 2021.

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be 2.1 times more likely to be obese

In Benin, 12.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Slovakia, that number is 26.1% of people as of 2024.

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be 39.2% more likely to die by suicide

Benin has a suicide rate of 7.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Slovakia, it is 9.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 62.2% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Benin, 36.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Slovakia, however, that number is 13.7% as of 2021.

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make 17.2 times more money

Benin has a GDP per capita of $1,658 as of 2025, while in Slovakia, the GDP per capita is $28,544 as of 2025.

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be 3.4 times more likely to be unemployed

In Benin, 1.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Slovakia, that number is 5.4% as of 2025.

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Life

be 99.2% 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 Slovakia, 4.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 88.3% 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 Slovakia, on the other hand, 5.3 children do as of 2024.

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have 74.6% fewer children

In Benin, there are approximately 33.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Slovakia, there are 8.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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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 Slovakia, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 2.6 times more likely to have internet access

In Benin, approximately 34.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Slovakia, about 89.8% do as of 2024.

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be 43.4% 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 Slovakia, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 44.3% more on education

Benin spends 3.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Slovakia spends 4.7% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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spend 2.2 times more on healthcare

Benin spends 3.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Slovakia, that number is 7.3% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 74.2% less likely to die in a road accident

In Benin, road accidents kill 24.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Slovakia, they kill 6.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 120.7 times more home broadband

Benin has 0.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Slovakia has 33.8 as of 2024.

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use 40.8 times more electricity

Benin uses 115 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Slovakia uses 4,675 kWh as of 2024.

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live with 2.5 times more strain on fresh water

Benin withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Slovakia withdraws 2% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 61.0% less likely to die from air pollution

In Benin, air pollution causes 77.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Slovakia, it causes 30.0 as of 2019.

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emit 11.2 times more CO2

Benin emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Slovakia emits 5.5 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Slovakia: At a glance

Slovakia is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 48,105 sq km. Slovakia's roots can be traced to the 9th century state of Great Moravia. Subsequently, the Slovaks became part of the Hungarian Kingdom, where they remained for the next 1,000 years. Following the formation of the dual Austro-Hungarian monarchy in 1867, language and education policies favoring the use of Hungarian (Magyarization) resulted in a strengthening of Slovak nationalism and a cultivation of cultural ties with the closely related Czechs, who were under Austrian rule. After the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the close of World War I, the Slovaks joined the Czechs to form Czechoslovakia. During the interwar period, Slovak nationalist leaders pushed for autonomy within Czechoslovakia, and in 1939 Slovakia became an independent state allied with Nazi Germany. Following World War II, Czechoslovakia was reconstituted and came under communist rule within Soviet-dominated Eastern Europe. In 1968, an invasion by Warsaw Pact troops ended the efforts of the country's leaders to liberalize communist rule and create "socialism with a human face," ushering in a period of repression known as "normalization." The peaceful "Velvet Revolution" swept the Communist Party from power at the end of 1989 and inaugurated a return to democratic rule and a market economy. On 1 January 1993, the country underwent a nonviolent "velvet divorce" into its two national components, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Slovakia joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004 and the euro zone on 1 January 2009.
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