Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Benin instead of El Salvador, you would:
Health
be 61.9% less likely to be obese
In El Salvador, 32.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Benin, that number is 12.2% of people as of 2024.
live 11.3 years less
In El Salvador, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024. In Benin, that number is 61 years (60 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024.
see 88.3% less spent on your healthcare
El Salvador spends $1,176 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Benin spends $138 as of 2023.
have 86.6% fewer doctors per person
El Salvador has 16.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Benin has 2.2 as of 2023.
have 51.3% less access to essential health services
El Salvador scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Benin scores 38 as of 2021.
Economy
be 51.8% less likely to be unemployed
In El Salvador, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Benin, that number is 1.6% as of 2025.
be 33.1% more likely to live below the poverty line
In El Salvador, 27.2% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Benin, however, that number is 36.2% as of 2021.
make 71.2% less money
El Salvador has a GDP per capita of $5,767 as of 2025, while in Benin, the GDP per capita is $1,658 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.1 times more children
In El Salvador, there are approximately 15.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Benin, there are 33.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 13.3 times more likely to die during childbirth
In El Salvador, approximately 39.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Benin, 518.0 women do as of 2023.
be 42.8% less likely to be literate
In El Salvador, the literacy rate is 89.8% as of 2024. In Benin, it is 51.4% as of 2022.
be 5.1 times more likely to die during infancy
In El Salvador, approximately 8.8 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.
Basic Needs
be 42.0% less likely to have access to electricity
In El Salvador, approximately 98% of people have electricity access (99% in urban areas, and 97% 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.
be 48.9% less likely to have internet access
In El Salvador, approximately 66.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Benin, about 34.0% do as of 2024.
be 24.0% less likely to have access to drinking water
In El Salvador, approximately 92% of people have access to drinking water (95% in urban areas, and 80% 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.
Expenditures
spend 64.0% less on healthcare
El Salvador spends 9.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Benin, that number is 3.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 60.6% less coastline
El Salvador has a total of 307 km of coastline. In Benin, that number is 121 km.
Safety
be 15.3% more likely to die in a road accident
In El Salvador, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Benin, they kill 24.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 91.9% less strain on fresh water
El Salvador withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Benin withdraws 1% as of 2022.
find 97.8% less home broadband
El Salvador has 12.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Benin has 0.3 as of 2024.
use 89.9% less electricity
El Salvador uses 1,137 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Benin uses 115 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 67.5% less CO2
El Salvador emits 1.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Benin emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.5 times more likely to die from air pollution
In El Salvador, air pollution causes 31.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Benin, it causes 77.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: El Salvador vs. Benin
Benin: At a glance
How big is Benin compared to El Salvador? See an in-depth size comparison.