If you lived in Benin instead of Guam, you would:

Health

live 16.5 years less

In Guam, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 82 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 71.5% less likely to be unemployed

In Guam, 5.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Benin, that number is 1.6% as of 2025.

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make 96.0% less money

Guam has a GDP per capita of $41,833 as of 2022, while in Benin, the GDP per capita is $1,658 as of 2025.

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Life

have 92.7% more children

In Guam, there are approximately 17.3 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 3.9 times more likely to die during infancy

In Guam, approximately 11.5 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 Guam, 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 57.8% less likely to have internet access

In Guam, approximately 80.5% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Benin, about 34.0% do as of 2024.

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be 30.1% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Guam, 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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Safety

be 73.9% less likely to be murdered

Guam has a homicide rate of 4.3 per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Benin, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2017.

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Infrastructure

find 84.8% less home broadband

Guam has 1.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Benin has 0.3 as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), The World Factbook (2021–2022). 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 Guam? See an in-depth size comparison.

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