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

Health

be 97.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Swaziland, 23.4% 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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be 58.6% less likely to be obese

In Swaziland, 29.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Benin, that number is 12.2% of people as of 2024.

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be 73.9% less likely to die by suicide

Swaziland has a suicide rate of 27.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Benin, it is 7.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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live 3.3 years less

In Swaziland, the average life expectancy is 64 years (61 years for men, 67 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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see 85.1% less spent on your healthcare

Swaziland spends $922 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Benin spends $138 as of 2023.

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have 61.2% fewer doctors per person

Swaziland has 5.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Benin has 2.2 as of 2023.

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have 32.1% less access to essential health services

Swaziland scores 56 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Benin scores 38 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 95.4% less likely to be unemployed

In Swaziland, 34.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Benin, that number is 1.6% as of 2025.

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be 32.3% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Swaziland, 53.5% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Benin, however, that number is 36.2% as of 2021.

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make 59.6% less money

Swaziland has a GDP per capita of $4,108 as of 2025, while in Benin, the GDP per capita is $1,658 as of 2025.

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Life

have 41.3% more children

In Swaziland, there are approximately 23.6 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 4.4 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Swaziland, approximately 118.0 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 43.4% less likely to be literate

In Swaziland, the literacy rate is 90.8% as of 2022. In Benin, it is 51.4% as of 2022.

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Basic Needs

be 34.0% less likely to have access to electricity

In Swaziland, approximately 86% of people have electricity access (91% in urban areas, and 85% 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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be 46.4% less likely to have internet access

In Swaziland, approximately 63.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Benin, about 34.0% do as of 2024.

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be 13.4% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Swaziland, approximately 80% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 74% 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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Expenditures

spend 46.4% less on education

Swaziland spends 6.0% 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 55.5% less on healthcare

Swaziland spends 7.5% 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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Infrastructure

live with 98.7% less strain on fresh water

Swaziland withdraws 78% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Benin withdraws 1% as of 2022.

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find 88.8% less home broadband

Swaziland has 2.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Benin has 0.3 as of 2024.

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use 90.4% less electricity

Swaziland uses 1,200 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Benin uses 115 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 44.3% less CO2

Swaziland emits 0.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Benin emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 16.7% more likely to die from air pollution

In Swaziland, air pollution causes 66.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Benin, it causes 77.0 as of 2019.

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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.
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