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

Health

see 80.2% more spent on your healthcare

Niger spends $76 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Benin spends $138 as of 2023.

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have 5.7 times more doctors per person

Niger has 0.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Benin has 2.2 as of 2023.

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be 80.9% more likely to be obese

In Niger, 6.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Benin, that number is 12.2% of people as of 2024.

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be 58.9% more likely to die by suicide

Niger has a suicide rate of 4.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Benin, it is 7.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 12.1% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Niger, 41.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Benin, however, that number is 36.2% as of 2021.

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make 2.1 times more money

Niger has a GDP per capita of $775 as of 2025, while in Benin, the GDP per capita is $1,658 as of 2025.

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be 4.1 times more likely to be unemployed

In Niger, 0.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Benin, that number is 1.6% as of 2025.

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Life

be 44.3% more likely to be literate

In Niger, the literacy rate is 35.6% as of 2022. In Benin, it is 51.4% as of 2022.

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be 31.1% less likely to die during infancy

In Niger, approximately 65.6 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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be 48.0% more likely to die during childbirth

In Niger, approximately 350.0 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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have 19.3% fewer children

In Niger, there are approximately 41.4 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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Basic Needs

be 2.8 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Niger, approximately 20% of people have electricity access (67% in urban areas, and 10% 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 2.2 times more likely to have internet access

In Niger, approximately 15.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Benin, about 34.0% do as of 2024.

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be 30.2% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Niger, approximately 53% of people have access to drinking water (87% in urban areas, and 46% 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

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

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spend 17.5% less on healthcare

Niger spends 4.0% 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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Infrastructure

find 2.5 times more home broadband

Niger has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Benin has 0.3 as of 2024.

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live with 91.1% less strain on fresh water

Niger withdraws 11% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Benin withdraws 1% as of 2022.

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use 69.3% more electricity

Niger uses 68 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Benin uses 115 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

be 17.2% less likely to die from air pollution

In Niger, air pollution causes 93.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Benin, it causes 77.0 as of 2019.

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emit 4.1 times more CO2

Niger emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Benin emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019). 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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How big is Benin compared to Niger? See an in-depth size comparison.

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