Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Benin, you would:
Health
live 3.1 years longer
In Benin, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2022. In South Africa, that number is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022.
be 21.2 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Benin, 0.9% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In South Africa, that number is 19.1% of people as of 2020.
be 2.9 times more likely to be obese
In Benin, 9.6% of adults are obese as of 2016. In South Africa, that number is 28.3% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 3.5 times more money
Benin has a GDP per capita of $3,300 as of 2020, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $11,500 as of 2020.
be 56.9% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Benin, 38.5% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In South Africa, however, that number is 16.6% as of 2016.
be 28.5 times more likely to be unemployed
In Benin, 1.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2014. In South Africa, that number is 28.5% as of 2019.
Life
be 70.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Benin, approximately 397.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In South Africa, 119.0 women do as of 2017.
be 2.2 times more likely to be literate
In Benin, the literacy rate is 42.4% as of 2018. In South Africa, it is 95.0% as of 2019.
be 53.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Benin, approximately 55.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In South Africa, on the other hand, 25.9 children do as of 2022.
have 54.9% fewer children
In Benin, there are approximately 41.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In South Africa, there are 18.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 2.8 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Benin, approximately 33% of people have electricity access (58% in urban areas, and 9% in rural areas) as of 2019. In South Africa, that number is 94% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 92% in rural areas) as of 2019.
be 2.7 times more likely to have internet access
In Benin, approximately 26.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In South Africa, about 70.0% do as of 2020.
be 29.5% more likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Benin, approximately 75% of people have improved drinking water access (79% in urban areas, and 71% in rural areas) as of 2020. In South Africa, that number is 97% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 90% in rural areas) as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 2.3 times more on education
Benin spends 3.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. South Africa spends 6.8% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 3.8 times more on healthcare
Benin spends 2.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In South Africa, that number is 9.1% of GDP as of 2019.
Geography
see 23.1 times more coastline
Benin has a total of 121 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Benin? See an in-depth size comparison.