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

Health

be 57.7% less likely to be obese

In Ecuador, 28.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Benin, that number is 12.2% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live 16.6 years less

In Ecuador, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 80 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 →

see 88.9% less spent on your healthcare

Ecuador spends $1,238 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Benin spends $138 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 90.7% fewer doctors per person

Ecuador has 23.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Benin has 2.2 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 50.6% less access to essential health services

Ecuador scores 77 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Benin scores 38 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 52.0% less likely to be unemployed

In Ecuador, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Benin, that number is 1.6% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

make 76.7% less money

Ecuador has a GDP per capita of $7,125 as of 2025, while in Benin, the GDP per capita is $1,658 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

have 2.3 times more children

In Ecuador, there are approximately 14.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Benin, there are 33.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 9.4 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Ecuador, approximately 55.0 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 45.0% less likely to be literate

In Ecuador, the literacy rate is 93.5% as of 2024. In Benin, it is 51.4% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

be 4.1 times more likely to die during infancy

In Ecuador, approximately 10.9 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 42.2% less likely to have access to electricity

In Ecuador, approximately 99% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 96% 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 56.0% less likely to have internet access

In Ecuador, approximately 77.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Benin, about 34.0% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 24.4% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Ecuador, approximately 92% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 81% 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.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 12.5% less on education

Ecuador spends 3.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Benin spends 3.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

View global rankings →

spend 55.8% less on healthcare

Ecuador spends 7.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Benin, that number is 3.3% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 94.6% less coastline

Ecuador has a total of 2,237 km of coastline. In Benin, that number is 121 km.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

live with 85.5% less strain on fresh water

Ecuador withdraws 7% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Benin withdraws 1% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

find 98.4% less home broadband

Ecuador has 17.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Benin has 0.3 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

use 93.2% less electricity

Ecuador uses 1,676 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Benin uses 115 kWh as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 81.4% less CO2

Ecuador emits 2.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Benin emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 3.3 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Ecuador, air pollution causes 23.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Benin, it causes 77.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. 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 Ecuador? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

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