Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Benin instead of South Africa, you would:

Health

be 95.3% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In South Africa, 19.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Benin, that number is 0.9% of people as of 2020.

be 66.1% less likely to be obese

In South Africa, 28.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Benin, that number is 9.6% of people as of 2016.

live 3.1 years less

In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 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 94.8% less likely to be unemployed

In South Africa, 28.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Benin, that number is 1.4% as of 2023.

make 73.4% less money

South Africa has a GDP per capita of $14,300 as of 2023, while in Benin, the GDP per capita is $3,800 as of 2023.

be 2.3 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In South Africa, 16.6% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Benin, however, that number is 38.5% as of 2019.

Life

have 2.3 times more children

In South Africa, there are approximately 17.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Benin, there are 40.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 4.1 times more likely to die during childbirth

In South Africa, approximately 127.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Benin, 523.0 women do as of 2020.

be 51.8% less likely to be literate

In South Africa, the literacy rate is 95.0% as of 2019. In Benin, it is 45.8% as of 2021.

be 2.2 times more likely to die during infancy

In South Africa, approximately 25.9 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 34.7% less likely to have access to electricity

In South Africa, approximately 86% of people have electricity access (87% in urban areas, and 92% 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 52.8% less likely to have internet access

In South Africa, approximately 72.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Benin, about 34.0% do as of 2021.

be 22.8% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In South Africa, approximately 97% of people have improved drinking water access (100% in urban areas, and 90% 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 54.5% less on education

South Africa spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Benin spends 3.0% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 69.8% less on healthcare

South Africa spends 8.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Benin, that number is 2.6% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 95.7% less coastline

South Africa has a total of 2,798 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.
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How big is Benin compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.

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