Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 7.7 years less

In Senegal, the average life expectancy is 70 years (68 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2022. In Benin, that number is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

be 50.5% less likely to be unemployed

In Senegal, 2.9% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Benin, that number is 1.4% as of 2023.

be 17.6% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Senegal, 46.7% live below the poverty line as of 2011. In Benin, however, that number is 38.5% as of 2019.

make 13.6% less money

Senegal has a GDP per capita of $4,400 as of 2023, while in Benin, the GDP per capita is $3,800 as of 2023.

Life

have 33.4% more children

In Senegal, there are approximately 30.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Benin, there are 40.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 2.0 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Senegal, approximately 261.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Benin, 523.0 women do as of 2020.

be 18.7% less likely to be literate

In Senegal, the literacy rate is 56.3% as of 2021. In Benin, it is 45.8% as of 2021.

be 71.9% more likely to die during infancy

In Senegal, approximately 32.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Benin, on the other hand, 55.8 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 16.8% less likely to have access to electricity

In Senegal, approximately 68% of people have electricity access (94% in urban areas, and 43% in rural areas) as of 2022. In Benin, that number is 56% of people on average (67% in urban areas, and 18% in rural areas) as of 2022.

be 41.4% less likely to have internet access

In Senegal, approximately 58.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Benin, about 34.0% do as of 2021.

be 14.4% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Senegal, approximately 87% of people have improved drinking water access (96% in urban areas, and 79% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Benin, that number is 75% of people on average (79% in urban areas, and 71% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 45.5% less on education

Senegal spends 5.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Benin spends 3.0% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 50.0% less on healthcare

Senegal spends 5.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Benin, that number is 2.6% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 77.2% less coastline

Senegal has a total of 531 km of coastline. In Benin, that number is 121 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

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.
Read more

How big is Benin compared to Senegal? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Benin.or Senegal It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.