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

Health

be 56.2% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Guyana, 1.6% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Benin, that number is 0.7% of people as of 2024.

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be 59.3% less likely to be obese

In Guyana, 30.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Benin, that number is 12.2% of people as of 2024.

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be 71.3% less likely to die by suicide

Guyana has a suicide rate of 24.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Benin, it is 7.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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live 9.4 years less

In Guyana, the average life expectancy is 70 years (67 years for men, 74 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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see 89.6% less spent on your healthcare

Guyana spends $1,331 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Benin spends $138 as of 2023.

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have 84.4% fewer doctors per person

Guyana has 13.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Benin has 2.2 as of 2023.

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have 50.0% less access to essential health services

Guyana scores 76 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Benin scores 38 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 86.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Guyana, 12.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Benin, that number is 1.6% as of 2025.

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make 94.9% less money

Guyana has a GDP per capita of $32,414 as of 2025, while in Benin, the GDP per capita is $1,658 as of 2025.

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Life

have 68.1% more children

In Guyana, there are approximately 19.9 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 6.9 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Guyana, approximately 75.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Benin, 518.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 42.1% less likely to be literate

In Guyana, the literacy rate is 88.8% as of 2021. In Benin, it is 51.4% as of 2022.

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be 94.8% more likely to die during infancy

In Guyana, approximately 23.2 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.

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Basic Needs

be 42.4% less likely to have access to electricity

In Guyana, approximately 99% of people have electricity access (99% in urban areas, and 92% 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 59.1% less likely to have internet access

In Guyana, approximately 83.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Benin, about 34.0% do as of 2024.

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be 27.2% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Guyana, approximately 96% of people have access to drinking water (95% in urban areas, and 96% 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.

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Expenditures

spend 35.2% more on healthcare

Guyana spends 2.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Benin, that number is 3.3% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 73.6% less coastline

Guyana has a total of 459 km of coastline. In Benin, that number is 121 km.

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Safety

be 63.2% more likely to die in a road accident

In Guyana, road accidents kill 15.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Benin, they kill 24.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 70.3% less strain on fresh water

Guyana withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Benin withdraws 1% as of 2022.

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find 97.8% less home broadband

Guyana has 12.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Benin has 0.3 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 89.3% less CO2

Guyana emits 4.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Benin emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 48.1% more likely to die from air pollution

In Guyana, air pollution causes 52.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Benin, it causes 77.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), 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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