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

Health

see 37.7% more spent on your healthcare

Burundi spends $100 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Benin spends $138 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 2.8 times more doctors per person

Burundi has 0.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Benin has 2.2 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

live 2.9 years less

In Burundi, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024. In Benin, that number is 61 years (60 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 2.4 times more likely to be obese

In Burundi, 5.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Benin, that number is 12.2% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 29.0% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Burundi, 51.0% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Benin, however, that number is 36.2% as of 2021.

View global rankings →

make 7.1 times more money

Burundi has a GDP per capita of $234 as of 2025, while in Benin, the GDP per capita is $1,658 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

be 72.8% more likely to be unemployed

In Burundi, 0.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Benin, that number is 1.6% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 32.1% more likely to die during childbirth

In Burundi, approximately 392.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Benin, 518.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 31.2% less likely to be literate

In Burundi, the literacy rate is 74.7% as of 2021. In Benin, it is 51.4% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

be 48.2% more likely to die during infancy

In Burundi, approximately 30.5 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Benin, on the other hand, 45.2 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 4.9 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Burundi, approximately 12% of people have electricity access (65% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Benin, that number is 57% of people on average (70% in urban areas, and 44% in rural areas) as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 4.0 times more likely to have internet access

In Burundi, approximately 8.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Benin, about 34.0% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 28.2% less on education

Burundi spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2025. Benin spends 3.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

View global rankings →

spend 63.3% less on healthcare

Burundi spends 9.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Benin, that number is 3.3% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 80.0% less likely to be murdered

Burundi has a homicide rate of 5.7 per 100,000 people as of 2016. In Benin, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2017.

View global rankings →

be 2.0 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Burundi, road accidents kill 12.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Benin, they kill 24.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 14.0 times more home broadband

Burundi has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Benin has 0.3 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live with 90.4% less strain on fresh water

Burundi withdraws 10% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Benin withdraws 1% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 7.0 times more CO2

Burundi emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Benin emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2016–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this

Benin: At a glance

Benin is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 110,622 sq km. Present day Benin was the site of Dahomey, a West African kingdom that rose to prominence in about 1600 and over the next two and half centuries became a regional power, largely based on its slave trade. Coastal areas of Dahomey began to be controlled by the French in the second half of the 19th century; the entire kingdom was conquered by 1894. French Dahomey achieved independence in 1960; it changed its name to the Republic of Benin in 1975. A succession of military governments ended in 1972 with the rise to power of Mathieu KEREKOU and the establishment of a government based on Marxist-Leninist principles. A move to representative government began in 1989. Two years later, free elections ushered in former Prime Minister Nicephore SOGLO as president, marking the first successful transfer of power in Africa from a dictatorship to a democracy. KEREKOU was returned to power by elections held in 1996 and 2001, though some irregularities were alleged. KEREKOU stepped down at the end of his second term in 2006 and was succeeded by Thomas YAYI Boni, a political outsider and independent. YAYI, who won a second five-year term in March 2011, has attempted to stem corruption and has strongly promoted accelerating Benin's economic growth.
Read more

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

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

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