Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Senegal instead of Kenya, you would:

Health

be 92.9% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Kenya, 4.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Senegal, that number is 0.3% of people as of 2020.

be 23.9% more likely to be obese

In Kenya, 7.1% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Senegal, that number is 8.8% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 48.4% less likely to be unemployed

In Kenya, 5.7% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Senegal, that number is 2.9% as of 2023.

make 22.8% less money

Kenya has a GDP per capita of $5,700 as of 2023, while in Senegal, the GDP per capita is $4,400 as of 2023.

be 29.4% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Kenya, 36.1% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Senegal, however, that number is 46.7% as of 2011.

pay a 33.3% higher top tax rate

Kenya has a top tax rate of 30.0% as of 2016. In Senegal, the top tax rate is 40.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 50.8% less likely to die during childbirth

In Kenya, approximately 530.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Senegal, 261.0 women do as of 2020.

have 18.0% more children

In Kenya, there are approximately 25.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Senegal, there are 30.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 31.8% less likely to be literate

In Kenya, the literacy rate is 82.6% as of 2021. In Senegal, it is 56.3% as of 2021.

be 16.4% more likely to die during infancy

In Kenya, approximately 27.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Senegal, on the other hand, 32.4 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 100.0% more likely to have internet access

In Kenya, approximately 29.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Senegal, about 58.0% do as of 2021.

be 22.6% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Kenya, approximately 71% of people have improved drinking water access (91% in urban areas, and 63% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Senegal, that number is 87% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 79% in rural areas) as of 2020.

be 10.7% less likely to have access to electricity

In Kenya, approximately 76% of people have electricity access (98% in urban areas, and 68% in rural areas) as of 2022. In Senegal, that number is 68% of people on average (94% in urban areas, and 43% in rural areas) as of 2022.

Expenditures

spend 14.6% more on education

Kenya spends 4.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Senegal spends 5.5% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 20.9% more on healthcare

Kenya spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Senegal, that number is 5.2% of GDP as of 2020.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: Revenue Authority, The World Factbook, Direction Generale des Impots et des Domaines.

Senegal: At a glance

Senegal is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 192,530 sq km. The French colonies of Senegal and the French Sudan were merged in 1959 and granted their independence as the Mali Federation in 1960. The union broke up after only a few months. Senegal joined with The Gambia to form the nominal confederation of Senegambia in 1982. The envisaged integration of the two countries was never carried out, and the union was dissolved in 1989. The Movement of Democratic Forces in the Casamance (MFDC) has led a low-level separatist insurgency in southern Senegal since the 1980s, and several peace deals have failed to resolve the conflict. Nevertheless, Senegal remains one of the most stable democracies in Africa and has a long history of participating in international peacekeeping and regional mediation. Senegal was ruled by a Socialist Party for 40 years until Abdoulaye WADE was elected president in 2000. He was reelected in 2007 and during his two terms amended Senegal's constitution over a dozen times to increase executive power and to weaken the opposition. His decision to run for a third presidential term sparked a large public backlash that led to his defeat in a March 2012 runoff election with Macky SALL.
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How big is Senegal compared to Kenya? See an in-depth size comparison.

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