World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Benin is 3% bigger than the median country
Benin: 114,760 km² (2024) · World median: 111,370 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
The median country’s coastline is 3.6 times as long as Benin’s
Benin: 121 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The median country’s highest peak towers 1,660 m above Benin’s
Benin: 675 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 43% of Benin, versus 38% of the median country
Benin: 43.1% (2024) · World median: 37.8% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Benin has 2 times as many people as the median country
Benin: 14.8 million (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Benin is 34% more densely populated than the median country
Benin: 131 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the median country are 5.1 cm taller than in Benin
Benin: 168.4 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the median country are 2.2 cm taller than in Benin
Benin: 158.4 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the median country is 13 years older than in Benin
Benin: 17.8 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Benin have 2.6 more children on average than in the median country
Benin: 4.48 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.6% of people in the median country are 65 or older, versus 3.2% in Benin
Benin: 3.2% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Benin hosts 40% more refugees per resident than the median country
Benin: 1.1 per 1,000 (2025) · World median: 0.8 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Benin and the median country are practically level
Benin: 0 (2026) · World median: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Benin and the median country are practically level
Benin: 1 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The median country’s economy is 85% larger than Benin’s
Benin: $24.6 billion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The median country produces 4.4 times as much per person as Benin
Benin: Int$4,817 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Benin and the median country are practically level
Benin: 34.4 (2021) · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
27% of people in Benin live on less than $3 a day, versus 1.6% in the median country
Benin: 27.2% (2021) · World median: 1.6% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.1% in the median country, versus 1.6% in Benin
Benin: 1.6% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The median country spends 1.8% of its GDP on the military, Benin 0.9%
Benin: 0.9% (2025) · World median: 1.8% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Benin: no data · World median: 17% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The median country’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× Benin’s
Benin: 34% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The median country spends 10 times as much on health per person as Benin
Benin: $47 (2023) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the median country live 14 years longer than in Benin
Benin: 61 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Benin is 3.6 times as likely to die before turning one as in the median country
Benin: 45.2 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The median country has 7.8 times as many doctors per person as Benin
Benin: 0.2 per 1,000 (2023) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
The median country has 5.6 times as many hospital beds per person as Benin
Benin: 0.4 per 1,000 (2021) · World median: 2.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Benin is 62% higher than in the median country
Benin: 16.2 per 100k (2023) · World median: 10 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in the median country are obese, versus 11% in Benin
Benin: 10.9% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
19% of adults in the median country smoke, versus 7.4% in Benin
Benin: 7.4% (2024) · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the median country rate their lives 1.44 points higher than in Benin
Benin: 4.39 (2025) · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the median country drink 6% more alcohol than in Benin
Benin: 4.1 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The median country has 3.3 times as much meat per person as Benin
Benin: 17.3 kg (2022) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The median country has 234 kcal more food per person per day than Benin
Benin: 2,703 kcal (2022) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Benin: no data · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the median country went to school 6.7 years longer than in Benin
Benin: 3.2 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The median country welcomed 14 times as many tourists per resident as Benin (2019)
Benin: 0.02 (2019) · World median: 0.34 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
Benin and the median country are practically level
Benin: 3 (2026) · World median: 3 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
The median country has won 4 Olympic medals, Benin none
Benin: 0 (2026 edition) · World median: 4 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
82% of people in the median country are online, versus 34% in Benin
Benin: 34% (2024) · World median: 82% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the median country is 2.7 times as fast as in Benin
Benin: 59 Mbps (2026) · World median: 161 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the median country have electricity, versus 59% in Benin
Benin: 59% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in the median country live in cities, versus 53% in Benin
Benin: 53% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Benin has 126 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the median country 115
Benin: 126 (2024) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The median country’s railway network is 4.9 times as long as Benin’s
Benin: 438 km (2014) · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the median country fly 3,933 times as many passengers per resident as those from Benin
Benin: 0.000061 (2016) · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 33% of the median country, but only 28% of Benin
Benin: 28.1% (2024) · World median: 32.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the median country emits 7.1 times as much CO₂ as someone in Benin
Benin: 0.4 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
31% of the median country’s electricity is renewable, versus 4.0% in Benin
Benin: 4% (2024) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Benin carries 2.1 times as much fine dust as in the median country
Benin: 35.3 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Benin: no data · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Benin are 2 times as deadly as in the median country
Benin: 38.1 per 100k (2023) · World median: 18.6 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Benin is on average 5.1 °C warmer than the median country
Benin: 28°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Benin and the median country are nearly identical here
Benin: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Benin bigger than the median country?
Benin is larger. Benin is 3% bigger than the median country.
Which has more people, Benin or the median country?
Benin has 2 times as many people as the median country (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Benin or the median country?
People in the median country live 14 years longer than in Benin. Life expectancy at birth is 61.0 years in Benin and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in Benin or the median country?
Men in the median country are 5.1 cm taller than in Benin (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
