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

Health

be 65.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Rwanda, 2.0% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Benin, that number is 0.7% of people as of 2024.

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have 2.4 times more doctors per person

Rwanda has 0.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Benin has 2.2 as of 2023.

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be 18.0% less likely to die by suicide

Rwanda has a suicide rate of 8.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Benin, it is 7.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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live 7.1 years less

In Rwanda, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 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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be 2.2 times more likely to be obese

In Rwanda, 5.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Benin, that number is 12.2% of people as of 2024.

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see 22.1% less spent on your healthcare

Rwanda spends $177 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Benin spends $138 as of 2023.

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have 22.4% less access to essential health services

Rwanda scores 49 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Benin scores 38 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 86.0% less likely to be unemployed

In Rwanda, 11.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Benin, that number is 1.6% as of 2025.

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make 47.6% more money

Rwanda has a GDP per capita of $1,124 as of 2025, while in Benin, the GDP per capita is $1,658 as of 2025.

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be 32.1% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Rwanda, 27.4% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Benin, however, that number is 36.2% as of 2021.

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Life

have 19.1% more children

In Rwanda, there are approximately 28.1 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 2.3 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Rwanda, approximately 229.0 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 34.8% less likely to be literate

In Rwanda, the literacy rate is 78.8% as of 2022. In Benin, it is 51.4% as of 2022.

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be 53.7% more likely to die during infancy

In Rwanda, approximately 29.4 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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Basic Needs

be 13.4% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Rwanda, approximately 61% of people have access to drinking water (88% in urban areas, and 56% 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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be 10.8% less likely to have access to electricity

In Rwanda, approximately 64% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 58% 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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Expenditures

spend 29.9% less on education

Rwanda spends 4.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Benin spends 3.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 34.9% less on healthcare

Rwanda spends 5.1% 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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Safety

be 68.7% less likely to be murdered

Rwanda has a homicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Benin, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2017.

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be 2.1 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Rwanda, road accidents kill 11.6 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 95.1% less strain on fresh water

Rwanda withdraws 20% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Benin withdraws 1% as of 2022.

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use 49.5% more electricity

Rwanda uses 77 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Benin uses 115 kWh as of 2023.

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find 53.3% less home broadband

Rwanda has 0.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Benin has 0.3 as of 2024.

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Environment

be 24.2% more likely to die from air pollution

In Rwanda, air pollution causes 62.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Benin, it causes 77.0 as of 2019.

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emit 3.1 times more CO2

Rwanda emits 0.2 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 (2017–2025), 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.
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