If you lived in Benin instead of Central African Republic, you would:

Health

be 70.8% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Central African Republic, 2.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Benin, that number is 0.7% of people as of 2024.

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live 3.3 years longer

In Central African Republic, the average life expectancy is 58 years (56 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024. In Benin, that number is 61 years (60 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024.

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have 2.9 times more doctors per person

Central African Republic has 0.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Benin has 2.2 as of 2023.

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have 18.8% more access to essential health services

Central African Republic scores 32 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Benin scores 38 as of 2021.

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be 22.5% less likely to die by suicide

Central African Republic has a suicide rate of 9.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Benin, it is 7.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 12.1% more likely to be obese

In Central African Republic, 10.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Benin, that number is 12.2% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

be 74.6% less likely to be unemployed

In Central African Republic, 6.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Benin, that number is 1.6% as of 2025.

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be 47.4% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Central African Republic, 68.8% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Benin, however, that number is 36.2% as of 2021.

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make 3.0 times more money

Central African Republic has a GDP per capita of $556 as of 2025, while in Benin, the GDP per capita is $1,658 as of 2025.

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Life

be 25.1% less likely to die during childbirth

In Central African Republic, approximately 692.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Benin, 518.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 37.0% more likely to be literate

In Central African Republic, the literacy rate is 37.5% as of 2020. In Benin, it is 51.4% as of 2022.

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be 23.1% less likely to die during infancy

In Central African Republic, approximately 58.8 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.

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have 27.6% fewer children

In Central African Republic, there are approximately 46.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Benin, there are 33.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 3.2 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Central African Republic, approximately 18% of people have electricity access (37% 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.

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be 2.5 times more likely to have internet access

In Central African Republic, approximately 13.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Benin, about 34.0% do as of 2024.

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be 90.7% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Central African Republic, approximately 36% of people have access to drinking water (48% in urban areas, and 27% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Benin, that number is 70% of people on average (76% in urban areas, and 63% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 68.7% less on healthcare

Central African Republic spends 10.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Benin, that number is 3.3% of GDP as of 2023.

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spend 76.5% more on education

Central African Republic spends 1.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Benin spends 3.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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Safety

be 94.4% less likely to be murdered

Central African Republic has a homicide rate of 20.1 per 100,000 people as of 2016. In Benin, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2017.

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Infrastructure

find 14.0 times more home broadband

Central African Republic has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Benin has 0.3 as of 2024.

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live with 2.9 times more strain on fresh water

Central African Republic withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Benin withdraws 1% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 21.4% less likely to die from air pollution

In Central African Republic, air pollution causes 98.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Benin, it causes 77.0 as of 2019.

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emit 8.2 times more CO2

Central African Republic emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Benin emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2016–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2020). 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.
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