Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Benin instead of Senegal, you would:
Health
have 98.2% more doctors per person
Senegal has 1.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Benin has 2.2 as of 2023.
live 8.0 years less
In Senegal, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Benin, that number is 61 years (60 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024.
see 33.0% less spent on your healthcare
Senegal spends $206 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Benin spends $138 as of 2023.
have 24.0% less access to essential health services
Senegal scores 50 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Benin scores 38 as of 2021.
Economy
be 41.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Senegal, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Benin, that number is 1.6% as of 2025.
make 15.2% less money
Senegal has a GDP per capita of $1,955 as of 2025, while in Benin, the GDP per capita is $1,658 as of 2025.
Life
have 14.5% more children
In Senegal, there are approximately 29.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Benin, there are 33.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Senegal, approximately 237.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Benin, 518.0 women do as of 2023.
be 56.4% more likely to die during infancy
In Senegal, approximately 28.9 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.
Basic Needs
be 23.2% less likely to have access to electricity
In Senegal, approximately 74% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 56% 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.
be 43.5% less likely to have internet access
In Senegal, approximately 60.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Benin, about 34.0% do as of 2024.
be 21.0% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Senegal, approximately 88% of people have access to drinking water (95% in urban areas, and 81% 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.
Expenditures
spend 47.6% less on education
Senegal spends 6.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Benin spends 3.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 22.7% less on healthcare
Senegal spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Benin, that number is 3.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 77.2% less coastline
Senegal has a total of 531 km of coastline. In Benin, that number is 121 km.
Safety
be 4.2 times more likely to be murdered
Senegal has a homicide rate of 0.3 per 100,000 people as of 2015. In Benin, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2017.
be 19.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Senegal, road accidents kill 20.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Benin, they kill 24.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 94.0% less strain on fresh water
Senegal withdraws 16% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Benin withdraws 1% as of 2022.
find 93.1% less home broadband
Senegal has 4.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Benin has 0.3 as of 2024.
use 72.0% less electricity
Senegal uses 410 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Benin uses 115 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 36.4% less CO2
Senegal emits 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Benin emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 18.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Senegal, air pollution causes 65.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Benin, it causes 77.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2015–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Senegal vs. Benin
Benin: At a glance
How big is Benin compared to Senegal? See an in-depth size comparison.