Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Benin instead of Madagascar, you would:
Health
see 2.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Madagascar spends $63 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Benin spends $138 as of 2023.
have 25.6% more doctors per person
Madagascar has 1.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Benin has 2.2 as of 2023.
live 2.9 years less
In Madagascar, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024. In Benin, that number is 61 years (60 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024.
be 2.7 times more likely to be obese
In Madagascar, 4.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Benin, that number is 12.2% of people as of 2024.
be 16.9% more likely to die by suicide
Madagascar has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Benin, it is 7.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 47.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Madagascar, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Benin, that number is 1.6% as of 2025.
be 51.9% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Madagascar, 75.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Benin, however, that number is 36.2% as of 2021.
make 2.8 times more money
Madagascar has a GDP per capita of $599 as of 2025, while in Benin, the GDP per capita is $1,658 as of 2025.
Life
be 16.4% more likely to die during childbirth
In Madagascar, approximately 445.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Benin, 518.0 women do as of 2023.
be 31.2% less likely to be literate
In Madagascar, the literacy rate is 74.7% as of 2021. In Benin, it is 51.4% as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 44.7% more likely to have access to electricity
In Madagascar, approximately 39% of people have electricity access (76% in urban areas, and 15% 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 81.9% more likely to have internet access
In Madagascar, approximately 18.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Benin, about 34.0% do as of 2024.
be 25.7% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Madagascar, approximately 55% of people have access to drinking water (78% in urban areas, and 39% 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.
Geography
see 97.5% less coastline
Madagascar has a total of 4,828 km of coastline. In Benin, that number is 121 km.
Safety
be 10.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Madagascar, road accidents kill 22.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Benin, they kill 24.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.3 times more home broadband
Madagascar has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Benin has 0.3 as of 2024.
live with 91.3% less strain on fresh water
Madagascar withdraws 11% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Benin withdraws 1% as of 2022.
use 43.2% more electricity
Madagascar uses 80 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Benin uses 115 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 32.8% more likely to die from air pollution
In Madagascar, air pollution causes 58.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Benin, it causes 77.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.3 times more CO2
Madagascar emits 0.1 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: Madagascar vs. Benin
Benin: At a glance
How big is Benin compared to Madagascar? See an in-depth size comparison.