Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Benin instead of Zambia, you would:
Health
be 92.6% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Zambia, 9.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Benin, that number is 0.7% of people as of 2024.
live 5.6 years less
In Zambia, the average life expectancy is 67 years (64 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024. In Benin, that number is 61 years (60 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024.
see 43.5% less spent on your healthcare
Zambia spends $244 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Benin spends $138 as of 2023.
have 33.3% fewer doctors per person
Zambia has 3.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Benin has 2.2 as of 2023.
have 32.1% less access to essential health services
Zambia scores 56 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Benin scores 38 as of 2021.
Economy
be 73.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Zambia, 5.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Benin, that number is 1.6% as of 2025.
be 39.7% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Zambia, 60.0% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Benin, however, that number is 36.2% as of 2021.
make 25.8% more money
Zambia has a GDP per capita of $1,318 as of 2025, while in Benin, the GDP per capita is $1,658 as of 2025.
Life
be 6.1 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Zambia, approximately 85.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Benin, 518.0 women do as of 2023.
be 28.4% less likely to be literate
In Zambia, the literacy rate is 71.8% as of 2024. In Benin, it is 51.4% as of 2022.
be 30.6% more likely to die during infancy
In Zambia, 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.
Basic Needs
be 11.5% more likely to have access to electricity
In Zambia, approximately 51% of people have electricity access (90% in urban areas, and 18% 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 98.7% more likely to have internet access
In Zambia, approximately 17.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Benin, about 34.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 20.6% less on education
Zambia spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Benin spends 3.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 44.1% less on healthcare
Zambia spends 6.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Benin, that number is 3.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 78.3% less likely to be murdered
Zambia has a homicide rate of 5.2 per 100,000 people as of 2015. In Benin, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2017.
be 45.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In Zambia, road accidents kill 17.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Benin, they kill 24.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 65.5% less strain on fresh water
Zambia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Benin withdraws 1% as of 2022.
find 64.6% less home broadband
Zambia has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Benin has 0.3 as of 2024.
use 84.2% less electricity
Zambia uses 727 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Benin uses 115 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 54.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Zambia, air pollution causes 50.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Benin, it causes 77.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2015–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Zambia vs. Benin
Benin: At a glance
How big is Benin compared to Zambia? See an in-depth size comparison.