Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 16.8 years less

In California, the average life expectancy is 79 years (78 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2020. In Benin, that number is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2022.

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Economy

be 71.6% less likely to be unemployed

In California, 5.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2025. In Benin, that number is 1.4% as of 2023.

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make 95.5% less money

California has a GDP per capita of $84,028 as of 2024, while in Benin, the GDP per capita is $3,800 as of 2023.

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Basic Needs

be 63.3% less likely to have internet access

In California, approximately 92.6% of the population has internet access as of 2023. In Benin, about 34.0% do as of 2021.

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The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, OECD Regional Demography, Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey), Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Compare further: California vs. Benin

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Benin is 55.2% cheaper than California
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Size Comparison · See true size
California is about 3.6 times bigger than Benin.
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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.
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How big is Benin compared to California? See an in-depth size comparison.

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