Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Benin instead of Ghana, you would:
Health
be 53.3% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Ghana, 1.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Benin, that number is 0.7% of people as of 2024.
be 15.8% less likely to be obese
In Ghana, 14.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Benin, that number is 12.2% of people as of 2024.
live 4.7 years less
In Ghana, the average life expectancy is 66 years (63 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.
see 41.2% less spent on your healthcare
Ghana spends $234 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Benin spends $138 as of 2023.
have 18.8% fewer doctors per person
Ghana has 2.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Benin has 2.2 as of 2023.
have 20.8% less access to essential health services
Ghana scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Benin scores 38 as of 2021.
be 33.8% more likely to die by suicide
Ghana has a suicide rate of 5.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Benin, it is 7.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 46.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Ghana, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Benin, that number is 1.6% as of 2025.
make 49.1% less money
Ghana has a GDP per capita of $3,257 as of 2025, while in Benin, the GDP per capita is $1,658 as of 2025.
Life
have 28.9% more children
In Ghana, there are approximately 25.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Benin, there are 33.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Ghana, approximately 234.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Benin, 518.0 women do as of 2023.
be 32.8% less likely to be literate
In Ghana, the literacy rate is 76.5% as of 2021. In Benin, it is 51.4% as of 2022.
be 64.4% more likely to die during infancy
In Ghana, approximately 27.5 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 36.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In Ghana, approximately 90% of people have electricity access (98% in urban areas, and 78% 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 52.9% less likely to have internet access
In Ghana, approximately 72.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Benin, about 34.0% do as of 2024.
be 22.6% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Ghana, approximately 90% of people have access to drinking water (99% in urban areas, and 76% 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 11.0% more on education
Ghana spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Benin spends 3.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 13.2% more on healthcare
Ghana spends 3.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Benin, that number is 3.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 77.6% less coastline
Ghana has a total of 539 km of coastline. In Benin, that number is 121 km.
Infrastructure
live with 84.5% less strain on fresh water
Ghana withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Benin withdraws 1% as of 2022.
find 57.6% less home broadband
Ghana has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Benin has 0.3 as of 2024.
use 79.7% less electricity
Ghana uses 565 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Benin uses 115 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 13.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Ghana, air pollution causes 89.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Benin, it causes 77.0 as of 2019.
emit 30.0% less CO2
Ghana emits 0.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Benin emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Ghana vs. Benin
Benin: At a glance
How big is Benin compared to Ghana? See an in-depth size comparison.