Sub-Saharan Africa

A life that begins in Benin

One in every 271 babies in the world is born here: about 495,084 a year, 0.94 a minute.

Population: 14,814,460
Births a year: 495,084
Life expectancy: 61
Children who die before 5 (per 1,000): 74.7

Health and survival

Life expectancy, women (years)
62.4
World: 75.9
Life expectancy, men (years)
59.5
World: 71
Babies who die before 1 (per 1,000)
45.2
World: 27.8
Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)
74.7
World: 37.6
Mothers who die in childbirth (per 100,000 births)
518
World: 189
Adults living with HIV (%)
0.7
World: 0.7
Adults who smoke (%)
7
World: 20
Alcohol per adult (litres a year)
8.8
World: 4.6
Road deaths (per 100,000)
26.8
World: 17
Homicides (per 100,000)
1.1
World: 4.7

Family and school

Children per woman
4.48
World: 2.85
Women married before 18 (%)
28
World: 18
Children in primary school (%)
97
World: 89
Secondary school enrolment (%)
44
World: 81
Higher education enrolment (%)
10
World: 48
Children aged 7–14 who work (%)
24.1
World: 11.9

Money and work

Income per person (PPP)
$4,116
World: $21,797
Income inequality (Gini, 0–100)
34
World: 34
Living on under $3 a day (%)
27.2
World: 9.9
Unemployment (%)
1.6
World: 5.1
Jobs in farming (%)
40
World: 27
Women in the workforce (%)
75
World: 48
Health costs paid out of pocket (%)
42
World: 37

Home and connection

Living in cities (%)
53
World: 58
Access to electricity (%)
59
World: 92
Safe drinking water (%)
70
World: 91
Internet users (%)
34
World: 72

Peace and wellbeing

Life satisfaction (0–10)
4.39
World: 5.4
Deaths in armed conflict (per 100,000 a year)
0.41
World: 2.43
Refugees abroad (% of population)
0.01
World: 0.34

From 1960 to 2050

How life here has changed, and where UN projections expect it to go. The dashed part is a projection.

Life expectancy

1960: 38.8 → 2026: 61.3 → 2050: 64.9

World

Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)

1960: 308 → 2026: 72 → 2050: 39

World

Children per woman

1960: 6.3 → 2026: 4.4 → 2050: 3.1

World

Living in cities (%)

1960: 10 → 2026: 54 → 2050: 79

World

Nobody chooses where they are born

In the game, the country is drawn by the real share of births: Benin comes up about once in every 271 lives.

Other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa

All 178 countries →

Sources: World Bank (WDI), UN World Population Prospects, Our World in Data, World Happiness Report, UCDP and PRIO. Updated 2026-10-18.