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

Health

be 12.4% less likely to be obese

In Italy, 14.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Benin, that number is 12.2% of people as of 2024.

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live 23.0 years less

In Italy, the average life expectancy is 84 years (82 years for men, 86 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 97.2% less spent on your healthcare

Italy spends $4,993 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Benin spends $138 as of 2023.

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have 94.8% fewer doctors per person

Italy has 41.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Benin has 2.2 as of 2023.

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have 54.8% less access to essential health services

Italy scores 84 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Benin scores 38 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 75.1% less likely to be unemployed

In Italy, 6.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Benin, that number is 1.6% as of 2025.

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be 80.1% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Italy, 20.1% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Benin, however, that number is 36.2% as of 2021.

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make 96.2% less money

Italy has a GDP per capita of $43,309 as of 2025, while in Benin, the GDP per capita is $1,658 as of 2025.

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Life

have 5.3 times more children

In Italy, there are approximately 6.3 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 86.3 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Italy, approximately 6.0 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 48.3% less likely to be literate

In Italy, the literacy rate is 99.3% as of 2019. In Benin, it is 51.4% as of 2022.

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be 19.7 times more likely to die during infancy

In Italy, approximately 2.3 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 43.0% less likely to have access to electricity

In Italy, 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 61.9% less likely to have internet access

In Italy, approximately 89.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Benin, about 34.0% do as of 2024.

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be 30.4% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Italy, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 20.6% less on education

Italy spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Benin spends 3.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 60.4% less on healthcare

Italy spends 8.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Benin, that number is 3.3% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 98.4% less coastline

Italy has a total of 7,600 km of coastline. In Benin, that number is 121 km.

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Safety

be 5.0 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Italy, road accidents kill 5.0 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 96.7% less strain on fresh water

Italy withdraws 30% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Benin withdraws 1% as of 2022.

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find 99.1% less home broadband

Italy has 31.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Benin has 0.3 as of 2024.

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use 97.8% less electricity

Italy uses 5,137 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Benin uses 115 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 90.4% less CO2

Italy emits 5.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Benin emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 5.1 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Italy, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Benin, it causes 77.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. 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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