Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Benin instead of Sierra Leone, you would:
Health
be 50.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Sierra Leone, 1.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Benin, that number is 0.7% of people as of 2024.
have 61.2% more doctors per person
Sierra Leone has 1.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Benin has 2.2 as of 2023.
live 1.0 years less
In Sierra Leone, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024. In Benin, that number is 61 years (60 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024.
be 49.6% more likely to be obese
In Sierra Leone, 8.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Benin, that number is 12.2% of people as of 2024.
see 13.3% less spent on your healthcare
Sierra Leone spends $159 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Benin spends $138 as of 2023.
be 16.0% more likely to die by suicide
Sierra Leone has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Benin, it is 7.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 49.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Sierra Leone, 3.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Benin, that number is 1.6% as of 2025.
be 36.3% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Sierra Leone, 56.8% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Benin, however, that number is 36.2% as of 2021.
make 95.9% more money
Sierra Leone has a GDP per capita of $846 as of 2025, while in Benin, the GDP per capita is $1,658 as of 2025.
Life
be 17.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Sierra Leone, approximately 54.6 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.
have 11.0% more children
In Sierra Leone, there are approximately 30.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Benin, there are 33.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 46.3% more likely to die during childbirth
In Sierra Leone, approximately 354.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Benin, 518.0 women do as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 60.6% more likely to have access to electricity
In Sierra Leone, approximately 36% of people have electricity access (56% in urban areas, and 19% 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 35.4% more likely to have internet access
In Sierra Leone, approximately 25.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Benin, about 34.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 29.2% less on healthcare
Sierra Leone spends 4.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Benin, that number is 3.3% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 23.3% more on education
Sierra Leone spends 2.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Benin spends 3.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 69.9% less coastline
Sierra Leone has a total of 402 km of coastline. In Benin, that number is 121 km.
Safety
be 49.1% less likely to be murdered
Sierra Leone has a homicide rate of 2.2 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Benin, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2017.
be 79.7% more likely to die in a road accident
In Sierra Leone, road accidents kill 13.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Benin, they kill 24.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 96.0% more strain on fresh water
Sierra Leone withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Benin withdraws 1% as of 2022.
Environment
be 20.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Sierra Leone, air pollution causes 97.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Benin, it causes 77.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.9 times more CO2
Sierra Leone emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Benin emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Sierra Leone vs. Benin
Benin: At a glance
How big is Benin compared to Sierra Leone? See an in-depth size comparison.