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

Health

be 50.0% less likely to be obese

In Pakistan, 24.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Benin, that number is 12.2% of people as of 2024.

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live 6.8 years less

In Pakistan, the average life expectancy is 68 years (65 years for men, 70 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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have 81.4% fewer doctors per person

Pakistan has 11.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Benin has 2.2 as of 2023.

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have 15.6% less access to essential health services

Pakistan scores 45 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Benin scores 38 as of 2021.

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be 26.2% more likely to die by suicide

Pakistan has a suicide rate of 5.6 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 70.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Pakistan, 5.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Benin, that number is 1.6% as of 2025.

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be 25.3% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Pakistan, 28.9% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Benin, however, that number is 36.2% as of 2021.

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Life

have 21.9% more children

In Pakistan, there are approximately 27.4 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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be 3.3 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Pakistan, approximately 155.0 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 12.7% less likely to be literate

In Pakistan, the literacy rate is 58.9% as of 2021. In Benin, it is 51.4% as of 2022.

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Basic Needs

be 40.4% less likely to have access to electricity

In Pakistan, approximately 96% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 93% 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 40.6% less likely to have internet access

In Pakistan, approximately 57.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Benin, about 34.0% do as of 2024.

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be 23.3% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Pakistan, approximately 91% of people have access to drinking water (93% in urban areas, and 89% 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 65.6% more on education

Pakistan spends 1.9% 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 32.5% more on healthcare

Pakistan 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 88.4% less coastline

Pakistan has a total of 1,046 km of coastline. In Benin, that number is 121 km.

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Safety

be 2.1 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Pakistan, road accidents kill 11.9 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 99.1% less strain on fresh water

Pakistan withdraws 110% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Benin withdraws 1% as of 2022.

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find 81.0% less home broadband

Pakistan has 1.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Benin has 0.3 as of 2024.

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use 77.9% less electricity

Pakistan uses 518 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Benin uses 115 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

be 26.7% less likely to die from air pollution

In Pakistan, air pollution causes 105.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Benin, it causes 77.0 as of 2019.

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emit 39.5% less CO2

Pakistan emits 0.8 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), 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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How big is Benin compared to Pakistan? See an in-depth size comparison.

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