If you lived in Benin instead of French Polynesia, you would:

Health

be 75.1% less likely to be obese

In French Polynesia, 49.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Benin, that number is 12.2% of people as of 2024.

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live 23.2 years less

In French Polynesia, the average life expectancy is 84 years (82 years for men, 87 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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Economy

be 86.4% less likely to be unemployed

In French Polynesia, 11.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Benin, that number is 1.6% as of 2025.

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make 92.6% less money

French Polynesia has a GDP per capita of $22,440 as of 2024, while in Benin, the GDP per capita is $1,658 as of 2025.

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Life

have 3.1 times more children

In French Polynesia, there are approximately 10.7 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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be 10.3 times more likely to die during infancy

In French Polynesia, approximately 4.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Benin, on the other hand, 45.2 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 43.0% less likely to have access to electricity

In French Polynesia, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 53.3% less likely to have internet access

In French Polynesia, approximately 72.7% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Benin, about 34.0% do as of 2024.

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be 30.4% less likely to have access to drinking water

In French Polynesia, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Benin, 70% of people do as of 2024.

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Geography

see 95.2% less coastline

French Polynesia has a total of 2,525 km of coastline. In Benin, that number is 121 km.

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Infrastructure

find 99.2% less home broadband

French Polynesia has 35.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Benin has 0.3 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 85.8% less CO2

French Polynesia emits 3.5 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 (2023–2025), The World Factbook (2021–2022), World Health Organization (2024). 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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How big is Benin compared to French Polynesia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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