Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Benin fits inside Niger 11 times
Benin: 114,760 km² (2024) · Niger: 1,267,000 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Benin: 121 km (2026 edition) · Niger: 0 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Niger’s highest peak towers 1,347 m above Benin’s
Benin: 675 m (2026 edition) · Niger: 2,022 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 43% of Benin, versus 37% of Niger
Benin: 43.1% (2024) · Niger: 36.8% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Niger has 88% more people than Benin
Benin: 14.8 million (2025) · Niger: 27.9 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Benin is 6 times as densely populated as Niger
Benin: 131 per km² (2025) · Niger: 22 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Niger are 1.8 cm taller than in Benin
Benin: 168.4 cm (2019) · Niger: 170.3 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Niger are 1.4 cm taller than in Benin
Benin: 158.4 cm (2019) · Niger: 159.8 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Benin is 2.5 years older than in Niger
Benin: 17.8 years (2023) · Niger: 15.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Niger have 1.5 more children on average than in Benin
Benin: 4.48 children per woman (2024) · Niger: 5.94 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
3.2% of people in Benin are 65 or older, versus 2.6% in Niger
Benin: 3.2% (2025) · Niger: 2.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Niger hosts 12 times as many refugees per resident as Benin
Benin: 1.1 per 1,000 (2025) · Niger: 13.8 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Benin and Niger are practically level
Benin: 0 (2026) · Niger: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Benin and Niger are practically level
Benin: 1 (2026) · Niger: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Benin’s economy is 13% larger than Niger’s
Benin: $24.6 billion (2025) · Niger: $21.6 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Benin produces 2.2 times as much per person as Niger
Benin: Int$4,817 (2025) · Niger: Int$2,177 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Benin than in Niger (Gini 1.5 points higher)
Benin: 34.4 (2021) · Niger: 32.9 (2021)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
61% of people in Niger live on less than $3 a day, versus 27% in Benin
Benin: 27.2% (2021) · Niger: 60.5% (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 1.6% in Benin, versus 0.4% in Niger
Benin: 1.6% (2025) · Niger: 0.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Niger spends 2.1% of its GDP on the military, Benin 0.9%
Benin: 0.9% (2025) · Niger: 2.1% (2025)
How expensive is it?
Niger’s price level (US = 100) is 1× Benin’s
Benin: 34% (2025) · Niger: 36% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Benin spends 79% more on health per person than Niger
Benin: $47 (2023) · Niger: $26 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Niger live 0.47 years longer than in Benin
Benin: 61 years (2024) · Niger: 61.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Niger is 45% more likely to die before turning one than in Benin
Benin: 45.2 per 1,000 (2024) · Niger: 65.6 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Benin has 5.7 times as many doctors per person as Niger
Benin: 0.2 per 1,000 (2023) · Niger: 0.038 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Benin has 54% more hospital beds per person than Niger
Benin: 0.4 per 1,000 (2021) · Niger: 0.3 per 1,000 (2020)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Benin is 29% higher than in Niger
Benin: 16.2 per 100k (2023) · Niger: 12.6 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
11% of adults in Benin are obese, versus 6.0% in Niger
Benin: 10.9% (2024) · Niger: 6% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
Benin and Niger are practically level
Benin: 7.4% (2024) · Niger: 7.4% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Niger rate their lives 0.55 points higher than in Benin
Benin: 4.39 (2025) · Niger: 4.94 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Benin drink 32 times as much alcohol as in Niger
Benin: 4.1 litres (2023) · Niger: 0.1 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Benin has 2.3 times as much meat per person as Niger
Benin: 17.3 kg (2022) · Niger: 7.7 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Benin has 49 kcal more food per person per day than Niger
Benin: 2,703 kcal (2022) · Niger: 2,654 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Benin: no data · Niger: 2,069 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Benin went to school 1.8 years longer than in Niger
Benin: 3.2 years (2023) · Niger: 1.4 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Benin welcomed 2.9 times as many tourists per resident as Niger (2019)
Benin: 0.02 (2019) · Niger: 0.01 (2019)
How many World Heritage sites?
Benin and Niger are practically level
Benin: 3 (2026) · Niger: 3 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Niger has won 2 Olympic medals, Benin none
Benin: 0 (2026 edition) · Niger: 2 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
34% of people in Benin are online, versus 16% in Niger
Benin: 34% (2024) · Niger: 16% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Benin is 54% faster than in Niger
Benin: 59 Mbps (2026) · Niger: 38 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
59% of people in Benin have electricity, versus 21% in Niger
Benin: 59% (2024) · Niger: 21.3% (2024)
How many live in cities?
53% of people in Benin live in cities, versus 18% in Niger
Benin: 53% (2025) · Niger: 18% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Benin has 126 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Niger 61
Benin: 126 (2024) · Niger: 61 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Benin: 438 km (2014) · Niger: no data
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Niger fly 3.4 times as many passengers per resident as those from Benin
Benin: 0.000061 (2016) · Niger: 0.00021 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 28% of Benin, but only 0.8% of Niger
Benin: 28.1% (2024) · Niger: 0.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Benin emits 3.6 times as much CO₂ as someone in Niger
Benin: 0.4 t (2024) · Niger: 0.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
4.0% of Benin’s electricity is renewable, versus 3.2% in Niger
Benin: 4% (2024) · Niger: 3.2% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Niger carries 36% more fine dust than in Benin
Benin: 35.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Niger: 47.9 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Benin are 21% deadlier than in Niger
Benin: 38.1 per 100k (2023) · Niger: 31.4 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Benin and Niger are practically level
Benin: 28°C (2016–2025 avg) · Niger: 28°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Benin gets 10 times as much rain as Niger
Benin: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Niger: 97 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Benin bigger than Niger?
Niger is larger. Benin fits inside Niger 11 times.
Which has more people, Benin or Niger?
Niger has 88% more people than Benin (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Benin or Niger?
People in Niger live 0.47 years longer than in Benin. Life expectancy at birth is 61.0 years in Benin and 61.4 in Niger.
Are people taller in Benin or Niger?
Men in Niger are 1.8 cm taller than in Benin (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
