Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Benin instead of Syria, you would:
Health
be 62.9% less likely to be obese
In Syria, 33.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Benin, that number is 12.2% of people as of 2024.
see 12.6% more spent on your healthcare
Syria spends $122 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Benin spends $138 as of 2023.
live 11.6 years less
In Syria, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024. In Benin, that number is 61 years (60 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024.
have 85.8% fewer doctors per person
Syria has 15.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Benin has 2.2 as of 2023.
have 40.6% less access to essential health services
Syria scores 64 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Benin scores 38 as of 2021.
be 12.1 times more likely to die by suicide
Syria has a suicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Benin, it is 7.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 88.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Syria, 13.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Benin, that number is 1.6% as of 2025.
make 56.9% more money
Syria has a GDP per capita of $1,057 as of 2022, while in Benin, the GDP per capita is $1,658 as of 2025.
Life
have 44.3% more children
In Syria, there are approximately 23.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Benin, there are 33.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 25.9 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Syria, approximately 20.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Benin, 518.0 women do as of 2023.
be 45.6% less likely to be literate
In Syria, the literacy rate is 94.4% as of 2021. In Benin, it is 51.4% as of 2022.
be 2.6 times more likely to die during infancy
In Syria, approximately 17.7 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 35.5% less likely to have access to electricity
In Syria, approximately 88% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 73% 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 27.1% less likely to have internet access
In Syria, approximately 46.6% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Benin, about 34.0% do as of 2024.
be 26.1% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Syria, approximately 94% of people have access to drinking water (96% in urban areas, and 92% 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 23.2% more on healthcare
Syria spends 2.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Benin, that number is 3.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 37.3% less coastline
Syria has a total of 193 km of coastline. In Benin, that number is 121 km.
Safety
be 17.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Syria, road accidents kill 29.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Benin, they kill 24.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 99.2% less strain on fresh water
Syria withdraws 124% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Benin withdraws 1% as of 2022.
find 95.9% less home broadband
Syria has 6.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Benin has 0.3 as of 2024.
use 86.6% less electricity
Syria uses 854 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Benin uses 115 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 61.4% less CO2
Syria emits 1.3 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 (2021), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Syria vs. Benin
Benin: At a glance
How big is Benin compared to Syria? See an in-depth size comparison.