Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Benin instead of Guatemala, you would:
Health
be 56.2% less likely to be obese
In Guatemala, 28.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Benin, that number is 12.2% of people as of 2024.
live 11.8 years less
In Guatemala, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 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 85.3% less spent on your healthcare
Guatemala spends $935 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Benin spends $138 as of 2023.
have 83.1% fewer doctors per person
Guatemala has 12.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Benin has 2.2 as of 2023.
have 35.6% less access to essential health services
Guatemala scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Benin scores 38 as of 2021.
be 44.1% more likely to die by suicide
Guatemala has a suicide rate of 4.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Benin, it is 7.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 38.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Guatemala, 2.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Benin, that number is 1.6% as of 2025.
be 35.4% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Guatemala, 56.0% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Benin, however, that number is 36.2% as of 2021.
make 74.9% less money
Guatemala has a GDP per capita of $6,598 as of 2025, while in Benin, the GDP per capita is $1,658 as of 2025.
Life
have 62.1% more children
In Guatemala, there are approximately 20.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Benin, there are 33.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 5.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Guatemala, approximately 94.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Benin, 518.0 women do as of 2023.
be 37.4% less likely to be literate
In Guatemala, the literacy rate is 82.1% as of 2024. In Benin, it is 51.4% as of 2022.
be 2.6 times more likely to die during infancy
In Guatemala, approximately 17.2 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 43.0% less likely to have access to electricity
In Guatemala, 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.
be 43.6% less likely to have internet access
In Guatemala, approximately 60.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Benin, about 34.0% do as of 2024.
be 25.3% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Guatemala, approximately 93% of people have access to drinking water (97% in urban areas, and 89% 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 50.9% less on healthcare
Guatemala spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Benin, that number is 3.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 69.8% less coastline
Guatemala has a total of 400 km of coastline. In Benin, that number is 121 km.
Safety
be 96.8% more likely to die in a road accident
In Guatemala, road accidents kill 12.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Benin, they kill 24.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 82.9% less strain on fresh water
Guatemala withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Benin withdraws 1% as of 2022.
find 94.8% less home broadband
Guatemala has 5.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Benin has 0.3 as of 2024.
use 84.4% less electricity
Guatemala uses 733 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Benin uses 115 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 55.9% less CO2
Guatemala emits 1.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Benin emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 92.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Guatemala, air pollution causes 40.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Benin, it causes 77.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Guatemala vs. Benin
Benin: At a glance
How big is Benin compared to Guatemala? See an in-depth size comparison.