Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Benin instead of Vanuatu, you would:
Health
be 45.7% less likely to be obese
In Vanuatu, 22.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Benin, that number is 12.2% of people as of 2024.
be 54.7% less likely to die by suicide
Vanuatu has a suicide rate of 15.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Benin, it is 7.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 10.7 years less
In Vanuatu, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 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 19.1% less access to essential health services
Vanuatu scores 47 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Benin scores 38 as of 2021.
Economy
be 68.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Vanuatu, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Benin, that number is 1.6% as of 2025.
be 2.3 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Vanuatu, 15.9% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Benin, however, that number is 36.2% as of 2021.
make 58.9% less money
Vanuatu has a GDP per capita of $4,039 as of 2025, while in Benin, the GDP per capita is $1,658 as of 2025.
Life
have 20.9% more children
In Vanuatu, there are approximately 27.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Benin, there are 33.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 5.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Vanuatu, approximately 100.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Benin, 518.0 women do as of 2023.
be 41.6% less likely to be literate
In Vanuatu, the literacy rate is 88.0% as of 2023. In Benin, it is 51.4% as of 2022.
be 3.1 times more likely to die during infancy
In Vanuatu, approximately 14.4 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.
Basic Needs
be 51.4% less likely to have internet access
In Vanuatu, approximately 69.9% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Benin, about 34.0% do as of 2024.
be 20.1% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Vanuatu, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water (97% in urban areas, and 84% 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 57.7% less on education
Vanuatu spends 7.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Benin spends 3.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 18.9% less on healthcare
Vanuatu spends 4.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Benin, that number is 3.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 95.2% less coastline
Vanuatu has a total of 2,528 km of coastline. In Benin, that number is 121 km.
Safety
be 3.4 times more likely to be murdered
Vanuatu has a homicide rate of 0.3 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Benin, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2017.
be 98.4% more likely to die in a road accident
In Vanuatu, road accidents kill 12.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Benin, they kill 24.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 75.9% less home broadband
Vanuatu has 1.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Benin has 0.3 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 43.7% less CO2
Vanuatu emits 0.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Benin emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 35.1% more likely to die from air pollution
In Vanuatu, air pollution causes 57.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Benin, it causes 77.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2020), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Vanuatu vs. Benin
Benin: At a glance
How big is Benin compared to Vanuatu? See an in-depth size comparison.