If you lived in Benin instead of Timor-Leste, you would:

Health

live 6.9 years less

In Timor-Leste, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 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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be 3.4 times more likely to be obese

In Timor-Leste, 3.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Benin, that number is 12.2% of people as of 2024.

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see 70.1% less spent on your healthcare

Timor-Leste spends $461 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Benin spends $138 as of 2023.

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have 71.3% fewer doctors per person

Timor-Leste has 7.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Benin has 2.2 as of 2023.

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have 26.9% less access to essential health services

Timor-Leste scores 52 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Benin scores 38 as of 2021.

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be 100.0% more likely to die by suicide

Timor-Leste has a suicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Benin, it is 7.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

make 23.7% more money

Timor-Leste has a GDP per capita of $1,341 as of 2025, while in Benin, the GDP per capita is $1,658 as of 2025.

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Life

have 53.5% more children

In Timor-Leste, there are approximately 21.8 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 2.7 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Timor-Leste, approximately 192.0 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 26.0% less likely to be literate

In Timor-Leste, the literacy rate is 69.4% as of 2022. In Benin, it is 51.4% as of 2022.

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be 30.6% more likely to die during infancy

In Timor-Leste, approximately 34.6 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.

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Basic Needs

be 43.0% less likely to have access to electricity

In Timor-Leste, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 16.6% less likely to have internet access

In Timor-Leste, approximately 40.8% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Benin, about 34.0% do as of 2024.

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be 20.3% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Timor-Leste, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 82% 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 38.4% less on education

Timor-Leste spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Benin spends 3.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 65.2% less on healthcare

Timor-Leste spends 9.6% 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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Geography

see 82.9% less coastline

Timor-Leste has a total of 706 km of coastline. In Benin, that number is 121 km.

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Safety

be 72.2% less likely to be murdered

Timor-Leste has a homicide rate of 4.1 per 100,000 people as of 2015. In Benin, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2017.

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be 2.1 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Timor-Leste, road accidents kill 12.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Benin, they kill 24.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 28.0 times more home broadband

Timor-Leste has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Benin has 0.3 as of 2024.

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live with 96.5% less strain on fresh water

Timor-Leste withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Benin withdraws 1% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 26.2% more likely to die from air pollution

In Timor-Leste, air pollution causes 61.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Benin, it causes 77.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2015–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. 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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