If you lived in Senegal instead of France, you would:

Health

be 59.2% less likely to die by suicide

France has a suicide rate of 16.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Senegal, it is 6.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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live 14.1 years less

In France, the average life expectancy is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024. In Senegal, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 97.0% less spent on your healthcare

France spends $6,868 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Senegal spends $206 as of 2023.

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have 96.7% fewer doctors per person

France has 32.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Senegal has 1.1 as of 2023.

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have 41.2% less access to essential health services

France scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Senegal scores 50 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 63.8% less likely to be unemployed

In France, 7.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Senegal, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.

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be 2.4 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In France, 15.6% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Senegal, however, that number is 37.5% as of 2021.

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make 96.0% less money

France has a GDP per capita of $48,986 as of 2025, while in Senegal, the GDP per capita is $1,955 as of 2025.

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Life

have 3.0 times more children

In France, there are approximately 9.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Senegal, there are 29.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 33.9 times more likely to die during childbirth

In France, approximately 7.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Senegal, 237.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 8.5 times more likely to die during infancy

In France, approximately 3.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Senegal, on the other hand, 28.9 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 25.8% less likely to have access to electricity

In France, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Senegal, that number is 74% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 56% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 32.2% less likely to have internet access

In France, approximately 88.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Senegal, about 60.1% do as of 2024.

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be 12.0% less likely to have access to drinking water

In France, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Senegal, that number is 88% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 81% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 62.6% less on healthcare

France spends 11.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Senegal, that number is 4.3% of GDP as of 2023.

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spend 15.8% more on education

France spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Senegal spends 6.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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Geography

see 89.1% less coastline

France has a total of 4,853 km of coastline. In Senegal, that number is 531 km.

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Safety

be 4.4 times more likely to die in a road accident

In France, road accidents kill 4.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Senegal, they kill 20.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 23.9% less strain on fresh water

France withdraws 21% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Senegal withdraws 16% as of 2022.

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find 91.7% less home broadband

France has 48.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Senegal has 4.0 as of 2024.

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use 93.6% less electricity

France uses 6,447 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Senegal uses 410 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 80.8% less CO2

France emits 4.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Senegal emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 6.5 times more likely to die from air pollution

In France, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Senegal, it causes 65.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Senegal: At a glance

Senegal is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 192,530 sq km. The French colonies of Senegal and the French Sudan were merged in 1959 and granted their independence as the Mali Federation in 1960. The union broke up after only a few months. Senegal joined with The Gambia to form the nominal confederation of Senegambia in 1982. The envisaged integration of the two countries was never carried out, and the union was dissolved in 1989. The Movement of Democratic Forces in the Casamance (MFDC) has led a low-level separatist insurgency in southern Senegal since the 1980s, and several peace deals have failed to resolve the conflict. Nevertheless, Senegal remains one of the most stable democracies in Africa and has a long history of participating in international peacekeeping and regional mediation. Senegal was ruled by a Socialist Party for 40 years until Abdoulaye WADE was elected president in 2000. He was reelected in 2007 and during his two terms amended Senegal's constitution over a dozen times to increase executive power and to weaken the opposition. His decision to run for a third presidential term sparked a large public backlash that led to his defeat in a March 2012 runoff election with Macky SALL.
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How big is Senegal compared to France? See an in-depth size comparison.

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