Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Swaziland instead of Benin, you would:
Health
live 3.3 years longer
In Benin, the average life expectancy is 61 years (60 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Swaziland, that number is 64 years (61 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2024.
see 6.7 times more spent on your healthcare
Benin spends $138 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Swaziland spends $922 as of 2023.
have 2.6 times more doctors per person
Benin has 2.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Swaziland has 5.6 as of 2023.
have 47.4% more access to essential health services
Benin scores 38 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Swaziland scores 56 as of 2021.
be 33.4 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Benin, 0.7% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Swaziland, that number is 23.4% of people as of 2024.
be 2.4 times more likely to be obese
In Benin, 12.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Swaziland, that number is 29.6% of people as of 2024.
be 3.8 times more likely to die by suicide
Benin has a suicide rate of 7.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Swaziland, it is 27.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 2.5 times more money
Benin has a GDP per capita of $1,658 as of 2025, while in Swaziland, the GDP per capita is $4,108 as of 2025.
be 21.5 times more likely to be unemployed
In Benin, 1.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Swaziland, that number is 34.2% as of 2025.
be 47.8% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Benin, 36.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Swaziland, however, that number is 53.5% as of 2023.
Life
be 77.2% 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 Swaziland, 118.0 women do as of 2023.
be 76.6% more likely to be literate
In Benin, the literacy rate is 51.4% as of 2022. In Swaziland, it is 90.8% as of 2022.
have 29.2% fewer children
In Benin, there are approximately 33.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Swaziland, there are 23.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 51.6% 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 Swaziland, that number is 86% of people on average (91% in urban areas, and 85% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 86.6% more likely to have internet access
In Benin, approximately 34.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Swaziland, about 63.4% do as of 2024.
be 15.5% 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 Swaziland, that number is 80% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 74% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 86.7% more on education
Benin spends 3.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Swaziland spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 2.2 times more on healthcare
Benin spends 3.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Swaziland, that number is 7.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 9.0 times more home broadband
Benin has 0.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Swaziland has 2.5 as of 2024.
use 10.5 times more electricity
Benin uses 115 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Swaziland uses 1,200 kWh as of 2023.
live with 79.1 times more strain on fresh water
Benin withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Swaziland withdraws 78% as of 2022.
Environment
be 14.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Benin, air pollution causes 77.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Swaziland, it causes 66.0 as of 2019.
emit 79.6% more CO2
Benin emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Swaziland emits 0.9 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Benin vs. Swaziland
Swaziland: At a glance
How big is Swaziland compared to Benin? See an in-depth size comparison.