Benin vs Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso is 2.39 times larger than Benin. Benin would fit into Burkina Faso about 2.4 times.
BeninBurkina FasoBenin moved onto Burkina Faso · Equal-area projection
0.42×
Benin is 0.42× the area of Burkina Faso. Put the other way, Burkina Faso is 2.39× the size of Benin.
 Benin |  Burkina Faso | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaBurkina Faso: 2.39× the area | 114,763 km²#100 of 194 | 274,200 km²#73 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 4 | 6 |
| People | ||
| PopulationBurkina Faso: 1.63× the population | 14,814,460#76 of 194 · 2025 | 24,074,580#59 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityBenin: 1.47× the density | 129 / km²#70 of 194 | 88 / km²#97 of 194 |
| Urban populationBenin: 1.85× the urban share | 53%#126 of 192 · 2025 | 29%#173 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateBenin: 1.09× the births per woman | 4.48 per woman#14 of 192 · 2024 | 4.11 per woman#23 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthBenin: 0.19 points higher | +2.40%#26 of 192 · 2025 | +2.21%#37 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateBenin: 1.07× the birth rate | 33.4 per 1,000#14 of 192 · 2024 | 31.3 per 1,000#25 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateBenin: 1.1× the death rate | 8.7 per 1,000#58 of 192 · 2024 | 7.9 per 1,000#72 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Benin: 0.1 points higher | 41.3%#14 of 192 · 2025 | 41.2%#15 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Benin: 0.5 points higher | 3.2%#161 of 192 · 2025 | 2.7%#176 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationBenin: 0.6 per 1,000 higher | −0.5 per 1,000#100 of 192 · 2025 | −1.1 per 1,000#119 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadBurkina Faso: 162× the refugees for its size | 0.09 per 1,000#119 of 190 · 2025 | 14.59 per 1,000#15 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyBurkina Faso: 0.3 years longer | 61.0 years#184 of 192 · 2024 | 61.3 years#183 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityBenin: 1.04× the infant mortality | 45.2 per 1,000 births#17 of 191 · 2024 | 43.6 per 1,000 births#20 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsBenin: 1.47× the doctors per person | 0.22 per 1,000#146 of 178 · 2023 | 0.15 per 1,000#159 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentAbout the same university enrolment | 10.2%#132 of 145 · 2022 | 10.0%#133 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexBenin: 0.056 higher | 0.515#170 of 190 · 2023 | 0.459#183 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaBenin: 1.63× the income per person | $1,600#155 of 185 · 2025 | $980#170 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPBurkina Faso: 1.12× the economy | $24.57B2025 | $27.63B2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | Low income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Benin: 1.57× the output per person | $4,817#153 of 184 · 2025 | $3,072#171 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthBenin: 2.8 points higher | +8.1%#9 of 187 · 2025 | +5.3%#41 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationBenin: 1.7 points higher | +1.1%#138 of 176 · 2025 | −0.6%#171 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentBurkina Faso: 2.19× the unemployment | 1.6%#165 of 178 · 2025 | 3.5%#121 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyBurkina Faso: 1.55× the share in extreme poverty | 27.2%#28 of 149 · 2021 | 42.1%#15 of 149 · 2021 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Burkina Faso: 3.0 higher | 34.4#74 of 149 · 2021 | 37.4#56 of 149 · 2021 |
| Jobs in agricultureBurkina Faso: 11.6 points higher | 40.2% of jobs#40 of 178 · 2025 | 51.8% of jobs#22 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryBenin: 1.6 points higher | 18.3% of jobs#100 of 178 · 2025 | 16.7% of jobs#121 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesBenin: 9.8 points higher | 41.4% of jobs#144 of 178 · 2025 | 31.6% of jobs#164 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentBenin: 0.9 points higher | 2.0% of GDP#92 of 184 · 2025 | 1.1% of GDP#125 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsBurkina Faso: 17.9 points higher | 17.1% of GDP#141 of 168 · 2025 | 35.0% of GDP#85 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingBurkina Faso: 3.71× the military spending | 0.9% of GDP#121 of 155 · 2025 | 3.3% of GDP#21 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersBenin: 1.2× the share online | 34%#160 of 184 · 2024 | 28%#168 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsBenin: 1.08× the mobile subscriptions | 126 per 100#64 of 191 · 2024 | 117 per 100#91 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaBenin: 2.28× the forest share | 28% of land#104 of 192 · 2024 | 12% of land#142 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personBenin: 1.81× the CO₂ per person | 0.49 t a year#152 of 185 · 2024 | 0.27 t a year#165 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyBurkina Faso: 16.9 points higher | 54.5%#44 of 190 · 2021 | 71.4%#26 of 190 · 2022 |
| Access to electricityBenin: 25.0 points higher | 59.0%#166 of 192 · 2024 | 34.0%#185 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Benin: 1.06× the air pollution | 39.7 µg/m³#24 of 191 · 2023 | 37.3 µg/m³#28 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landBenin: 19.3 points higher | 36.1% of land#22 of 191 · 2025 | 16.8% of land#102 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landBenin: 3.4 points higher | 32.3% of land#24 of 190 · 2024 | 28.9% of land#32 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressBurkina Faso: 7.8× the water stress | 1.0%#160 of 176 · 2022 | 7.8%#102 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationBenin: 1.39× the rain and snow | 1,039 mm#89 of 180 · 2022 | 748 mm#110 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityBenin: 1.40 higher | −0.40#132 of 193 · 2025 | −1.80#181 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionBenin: 0.01 higher | −0.21#93 of 193 · 2025 | −0.22#94 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateBurkina Faso: 1.18× the homicide rate | 1.1 per 100,000#99 of 146 · 2017 | 1.3 per 100,000#92 of 146 · 2017 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Presidential republic |
| Capital | Porto-Novo | Ouagadougou |
| Currency | West African CFA franc (XOF) | West African CFA franc (XOF) |
| Official languages | French | French, Mooré, Dioula, Bissa |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC |
| Calling code | +229 | +226 |
| Region | Western Africa, Africa | Western Africa, Africa |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Benin sits at about 10° N and is stretched to 1.03× its true area; Burkina Faso at 12° N is stretched to 1.05×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Benin bigger than Burkina Faso?
- No. Benin is 2.39 times smaller than Burkina Faso. Benin covers 114,763 km² and Burkina Faso covers 274,200 km².
- How many times does Benin fit into Burkina Faso?
- About 2.4 times: Burkina Faso has 2.39× the area of Benin.
- Why do Benin and Burkina Faso look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Benin is drawn about 1.03× its true area there and Burkina Faso about 1.05×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Benin or Burkina Faso?
- Burkina Faso: 24,074,580 people against 14,814,460. Density: Benin 129 per km², Burkina Faso 88 per km².
- Which is richer, Benin or Burkina Faso?
- By gross national income per person, Benin: $1,600 against $980 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.63× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Benin or Burkina Faso?
- In Burkina Faso: life expectancy at birth is 61.3 years, against 61.0 — 0.3 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Benin and Burkina Faso have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: presidential republic (CIA World Factbook).