Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Benin instead of New Caledonia, you would:

Health

live 18.0 years less

In New Caledonia, the average life expectancy is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Benin, that number is 61 years (60 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 85.8% less likely to be unemployed

In New Caledonia, 11.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Benin, that number is 1.6% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

make 94.3% less money

New Caledonia has a GDP per capita of $29,213 as of 2024, while in Benin, the GDP per capita is $1,658 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

have 2.4 times more children

In New Caledonia, there are approximately 14.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Benin, there are 33.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 43.0% less likely to have access to electricity

In New Caledonia, 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.

View global rankings →

be 58.6% less likely to have internet access

In New Caledonia, approximately 82.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Benin, about 34.0% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 30.1% less likely to have access to drinking water

In New Caledonia, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Benin, 70% of people do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 94.6% less coastline

New Caledonia has a total of 2,254 km of coastline. In Benin, that number is 121 km.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 98.6% less home broadband

New Caledonia has 19.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Benin has 0.3 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 97.1% less CO2

New Caledonia emits 17.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Benin emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this

Compare further: New Caledonia vs. Benin

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Benin is 61.3% cheaper than New Caledonia overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
New Caledonia is about 6 times smaller than Benin.
→
Moving from New Caledonia to Benin · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→

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.
Read more

How big is Benin compared to New Caledonia? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Benin or New Caledonia. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.