Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Timor-Leste instead of Benin, you would:

Health

live 6.9 years longer

In Benin, the average life expectancy is 61 years (60 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Timor-Leste, that number is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 70.5% less likely to be obese

In Benin, 12.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Timor-Leste, that number is 3.6% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 3.3 times more spent on your healthcare

Benin spends $138 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Timor-Leste spends $461 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 3.5 times more doctors per person

Benin has 2.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Timor-Leste has 7.5 as of 2020.

View global rankings →

have 36.8% more access to essential health services

Benin scores 38 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Timor-Leste scores 52 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 50.0% less likely to die by suicide

Benin has a suicide rate of 7.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Timor-Leste, it is 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

make 19.1% less money

Benin has a GDP per capita of $1,658 as of 2025, while in Timor-Leste, the GDP per capita is $1,341 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 62.9% 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 Timor-Leste, 192.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 35.1% more likely to be literate

In Benin, the literacy rate is 51.4% as of 2022. In Timor-Leste, it is 69.4% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

be 23.5% 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 Timor-Leste, on the other hand, 34.6 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

have 34.9% fewer children

In Benin, there are approximately 33.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Timor-Leste, there are 21.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

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

View global rankings →

be 19.9% more likely to have internet access

In Benin, approximately 34.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Timor-Leste, about 40.8% do as of 2022.

View global rankings →

be 25.5% 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 Timor-Leste, that number is 87% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 82% in rural areas) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 62.2% more on education

Benin spends 3.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Timor-Leste spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

View global rankings →

spend 2.9 times more on healthcare

Benin spends 3.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Timor-Leste, that number is 9.6% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 5.8 times more coastline

Benin has a total of 121 km of coastline. In Timor-Leste, that number is 706 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 51.6% less likely to die in a road accident

In Benin, road accidents kill 24.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Timor-Leste, they kill 12.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 3.6 times more likely to be murdered

Benin has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2017. In Timor-Leste, that number is 4.1 per 100,000 as of 2015.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 96.4% less home broadband

Benin has 0.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Timor-Leste has 0.0 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live with 28.8 times more strain on fresh water

Benin withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Timor-Leste withdraws 28% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Environment

be 20.8% less likely to die from air pollution

In Benin, air pollution causes 77.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Timor-Leste, it causes 61.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →

Sources: World Bank (2015–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Compare further: Benin vs. Timor-Leste

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Timor-Leste is 87.2% more expensive than Benin overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Benin is about 8 times bigger than Timor-Leste.
→
Moving from Benin to Timor-Leste · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→

Timor-Leste: At a glance

Timor-Leste is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 14,874 sq km. The Portuguese began to trade with the island of Timor in the early 16th century and colonized it in mid-century. Skirmishing with the Dutch in the region eventually resulted in an 1859 treaty in which Portugal ceded the western portion of the island. Imperial Japan occupied Portuguese Timor from 1942 to 1945, but Portugal resumed colonial authority after the Japanese defeat in World War II. East Timor declared itself independent from Portugal on 28 November 1975 and was invaded and occupied by Indonesian forces nine days later. It was incorporated into Indonesia in July 1976 as the province of Timor Timur (East Timor). An unsuccessful campaign of pacification followed over the next two decades, during which an estimated 100,000 to 250,000 individuals lost their lives. On 30 August 1999, in a UN-supervised popular referendum, an overwhelming majority of the people of Timor-Leste voted for independence from Indonesia. However, in the next three weeks, anti-independence Timorese militias - organized and supported by the Indonesian military - commenced a large-scale, scorched-earth campaign of retribution. The militias killed approximately 1,400 Timorese and forcibly pushed 300,000 people into western Timor as refugees. Most of the country's infrastructure, including homes, irrigation systems, water supply systems, and schools, and nearly 100% of the country's electrical grid were destroyed. On 20 September 1999, Australian-led peacekeeping troops deployed to the country and brought the violence to an end. On 20 May 2002, Timor-Leste was internationally recognized as an independent state. In 2006, internal tensions threatened the new nation's security when a military strike led to violence and a breakdown of law and order. At Dili's request, an Australian-led International Stabilization Force (ISF) deployed to Timor-Leste, and the UN Security Council established the UN Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT), which included an authorized police presence of over 1,600 personnel. The ISF and UNMIT restored stability, allowing for presidential and parliamentary elections in 2007 in a largely peaceful atmosphere. In February 2008, a rebel group staged an unsuccessful attack against the president and prime minister. The ringleader was killed in the attack, and most of the rebels surrendered in April 2008. Since the attack, the government has enjoyed one of its longest periods of post-independence stability, including successful 2012 elections for both the parliament and president. In late 2012, the UN Security Council voted to end its peacekeeping mission in Timor-Leste and both the ISF and UNMIT departed the country by the end of the year.
Read more

How big is Timor-Leste compared to Benin? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Timor-Leste or Benin. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.