Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sri Lanka instead of Benin, you would:
Health
live 16.7 years longer
In Benin, the average life expectancy is 61 years (60 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 78 years (74 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
see 3.7 times more spent on your healthcare
Benin spends $138 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sri Lanka spends $507 as of 2023.
have 5.3 times more doctors per person
Benin has 2.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Sri Lanka has 11.4 as of 2023.
have 76.3% more access to essential health services
Benin scores 38 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sri Lanka scores 67 as of 2021.
be 2.1 times more likely to die by suicide
Benin has a suicide rate of 7.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, it is 14.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 60.5% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Benin, 36.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, however, that number is 14.3% as of 2019.
make 3.0 times more money
Benin has a GDP per capita of $1,658 as of 2025, while in Sri Lanka, the GDP per capita is $5,002 as of 2025.
be 2.5 times more likely to be unemployed
In Benin, 1.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sri Lanka, that number is 4.0% as of 2025.
Life
be 96.5% 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 Sri Lanka, 18.0 women do as of 2023.
be 80.5% more likely to be literate
In Benin, the literacy rate is 51.4% as of 2022. In Sri Lanka, it is 92.7% as of 2024.
be 88.5% 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 Sri Lanka, on the other hand, 5.2 children do as of 2024.
have 69.8% fewer children
In Benin, there are approximately 33.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, there are 10.1 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 Sri Lanka, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 60.7% more likely to have internet access
In Benin, approximately 34.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, about 54.6% do as of 2024.
be 29.6% 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 Sri Lanka, that number is 90% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 88% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 43.3% less on education
Benin spends 3.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Sri Lanka spends 1.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 10.2% more on healthcare
Benin spends 3.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sri Lanka, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 11.1 times more coastline
Benin has a total of 121 km of coastline. In Sri Lanka, that number is 1,340 km.
Safety
be 53.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In Benin, road accidents kill 24.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, they kill 11.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.9 times more likely to be murdered
Benin has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2017. In Sri Lanka, that number is 3.3 per 100,000 as of 2019.
Infrastructure
find 30.3 times more home broadband
Benin has 0.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sri Lanka has 8.5 as of 2024.
use 5.6 times more electricity
Benin uses 115 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Sri Lanka uses 644 kWh as of 2023.
live with 92.6 times more strain on fresh water
Benin withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sri Lanka withdraws 91% as of 2022.
Environment
be 51.9% less likely to die from air pollution
In Benin, air pollution causes 77.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sri Lanka, it causes 37.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.2 times more CO2
Benin emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sri Lanka emits 1.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Benin vs. Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: At a glance
How big is Sri Lanka compared to Benin? See an in-depth size comparison.