Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Benin instead of Gambia, you would:
Health
be 46.2% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Gambia, 1.3% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Benin, that number is 0.7% of people as of 2024.
see 46.4% more spent on your healthcare
Gambia spends $94 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Benin spends $138 as of 2023.
have 2.4 times more doctors per person
Gambia has 0.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Benin has 2.2 as of 2023.
live 5.1 years less
In Gambia, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024. In Benin, that number is 61 years (60 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024.
have 17.4% less access to essential health services
Gambia scores 46 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Benin scores 38 as of 2021.
be 48.0% more likely to die by suicide
Gambia has a suicide rate of 4.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Benin, it is 7.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 75.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Gambia, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Benin, that number is 1.6% as of 2025.
be 32.2% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Gambia, 53.4% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Benin, however, that number is 36.2% as of 2021.
make 80.4% more money
Gambia has a GDP per capita of $919 as of 2025, while in Benin, the GDP per capita is $1,658 as of 2025.
Life
have 11.9% more children
In Gambia, there are approximately 29.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Benin, there are 33.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 46.3% more likely to die during childbirth
In Gambia, approximately 354.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Benin, 518.0 women do as of 2023.
be 38.2% more likely to die during infancy
In Gambia, approximately 32.7 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 14.8% less likely to have access to electricity
In Gambia, approximately 67% of people have electricity access (85% in urban areas, and 35% 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 31.3% less likely to have internet access
In Gambia, approximately 49.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Benin, about 34.0% do as of 2024.
be 20.1% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Gambia, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water (92% in urban areas, and 78% 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 14.9% more on education
Gambia spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Benin spends 3.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 15.6% more on healthcare
Gambia spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Benin, that number is 3.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 51.2% more coastline
Gambia has a total of 80 km of coastline. In Benin, that number is 121 km.
Safety
be 12.7% more likely to die in a road accident
In Gambia, road accidents kill 22.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Benin, they kill 24.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 55.7% less strain on fresh water
Gambia withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Benin withdraws 1% as of 2022.
find 46.2% less home broadband
Gambia has 0.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Benin has 0.3 as of 2024.
Environment
be 14.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Gambia, air pollution causes 90.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Benin, it causes 77.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.7 times more CO2
Gambia emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Benin emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Gambia vs. Benin
Benin: At a glance
How big is Benin compared to Gambia? See an in-depth size comparison.