Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Benin instead of Somalia, you would:
Health
live 2.0 years longer
In Somalia, the average life expectancy is 59 years (56 years for men, 62 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 17.8% less likely to be obese
In Somalia, 14.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Benin, that number is 12.2% of people as of 2024.
see 2.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Somalia spends $52 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Benin spends $138 as of 2023.
have 40.7% more access to essential health services
Somalia scores 27 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Benin scores 38 as of 2021.
be 10.6% less likely to die by suicide
Somalia has a suicide rate of 8.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Benin, it is 7.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 91.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Somalia, 18.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Benin, that number is 1.6% as of 2025.
be 34.7% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Somalia, 55.4% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Benin, however, that number is 36.2% as of 2021.
make 2.5 times more money
Somalia has a GDP per capita of $661 as of 2025, while in Benin, the GDP per capita is $1,658 as of 2025.
Life
be 30.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Somalia, approximately 65.4 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.
have 21.1% fewer children
In Somalia, there are approximately 42.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Benin, there are 33.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 13.3% more likely to have access to electricity
In Somalia, approximately 50% of people have electricity access (79% in urban areas, and 24% 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 21.6% more likely to have internet access
In Somalia, approximately 27.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Benin, about 34.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 10.7% less on healthcare
Somalia spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Benin, that number is 3.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 96.0% less coastline
Somalia has a total of 3,025 km of coastline. In Benin, that number is 121 km.
Safety
be 22.8% more likely to die in a road accident
In Somalia, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Benin, they kill 24.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 96.0% less strain on fresh water
Somalia withdraws 25% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Benin withdraws 1% as of 2022.
find 61.1% less home broadband
Somalia has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Benin has 0.3 as of 2024.
Environment
be 20.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In Somalia, air pollution causes 64.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Benin, it causes 77.0 as of 2019.
emit 9.8 times more CO2
Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Benin emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Somalia vs. Benin
Benin: At a glance
How big is Benin compared to Somalia? See an in-depth size comparison.