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

Health

be 64.7% less likely to be obese

In Paraguay, 34.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Benin, that number is 12.2% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live 13.0 years less

In Paraguay, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 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 →

see 90.6% less spent on your healthcare

Paraguay spends $1,469 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Benin spends $138 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 94.5% fewer doctors per person

Paraguay has 38.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Benin has 2.2 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 47.2% less access to essential health services

Paraguay scores 72 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Benin scores 38 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 11.9% more likely to die by suicide

Paraguay has a suicide rate of 6.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Benin, it is 7.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 66.9% less likely to be unemployed

In Paraguay, 4.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Benin, that number is 1.6% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

make 76.4% less money

Paraguay has a GDP per capita of $7,027 as of 2025, while in Benin, the GDP per capita is $1,658 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

have 69.4% more children

In Paraguay, there are approximately 19.7 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 →

be 8.9 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Paraguay, approximately 58.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Benin, 518.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 45.8% less likely to be literate

In Paraguay, the literacy rate is 94.9% as of 2024. In Benin, it is 51.4% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

be 3.1 times more likely to die during infancy

In Paraguay, approximately 14.5 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.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 42.9% less likely to have access to electricity

In Paraguay, 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 58.3% less likely to have internet access

In Paraguay, approximately 81.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Benin, about 34.0% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 30.1% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Paraguay, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 99% 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.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 60.0% less on healthcare

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

View global rankings →

Safety

be 18.1% more likely to die in a road accident

In Paraguay, road accidents kill 21.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Benin, they kill 24.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

live with 46.7% less strain on fresh water

Paraguay withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Benin withdraws 1% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

find 97.8% less home broadband

Paraguay has 12.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Benin has 0.3 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

use 95.2% less electricity

Paraguay uses 2,389 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Benin uses 115 kWh as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 57.8% less CO2

Paraguay emits 1.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Benin emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 3.1 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Paraguay, air pollution causes 25.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Benin, it causes 77.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →


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

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

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

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