Benin vs Guatemala
Benin is 5% larger than Guatemala.
BeninGuatemalaBenin moved onto Guatemala · Equal-area projection
1.05×
Benin is 1.05× the area of Guatemala.
 Benin |  Guatemala | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaBenin: 1.05× the area | 114,763 km²#100 of 194 | 108,889 km²#105 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 4 | 4 |
| People | ||
| PopulationGuatemala: 1.26× the population | 14,814,460#76 of 194 · 2025 | 18,687,881#70 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityGuatemala: 1.33× the density | 129 / km²#70 of 194 | 172 / km²#55 of 194 |
| Urban populationGuatemala: 1.05× the urban share | 53%#126 of 192 · 2025 | 56%#116 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateBenin: 1.96× the births per woman | 4.48 per woman#14 of 192 · 2024 | 2.29 per woman#81 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthBenin: 0.88 points higher | +2.40%#26 of 192 · 2025 | +1.52%#67 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateBenin: 1.62× the birth rate | 33.4 per 1,000#14 of 192 · 2024 | 20.6 per 1,000#68 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateBenin: 1.78× the death rate | 8.7 per 1,000#58 of 192 · 2024 | 4.9 per 1,000#173 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Benin: 10.3 points higher | 41.3%#14 of 192 · 2025 | 31.0%#65 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Guatemala: 1.8 points higher | 3.2%#161 of 192 · 2025 | 5.0%#123 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationGuatemala: 0.1 per 1,000 higher | −0.5 per 1,000#100 of 192 · 2025 | −0.4 per 1,000#95 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadGuatemala: 20.8× the refugees for its size | 0.09 per 1,000#119 of 190 · 2025 | 1.87 per 1,000#46 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyGuatemala: 11.7 years longer | 61.0 years#184 of 192 · 2024 | 72.7 years#106 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityBenin: 2.63× the infant mortality | 45.2 per 1,000 births#17 of 191 · 2024 | 17.2 per 1,000 births#73 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsGuatemala: 5.82× the doctors per person | 0.22 per 1,000#146 of 178 · 2023 | 1.28 per 1,000#100 of 178 · 2020 |
| University enrolmentGuatemala: 2.68× the university enrolment | 10.2%#132 of 145 · 2022 | 27.3%#103 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexGuatemala: 0.147 higher | 0.515#170 of 190 · 2023 | 0.662#134 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaGuatemala: 3.98× the income per person | $1,600#155 of 185 · 2025 | $6,360#99 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPGuatemala: 5.02× the economy | $24.57B2025 | $123.31B2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Guatemala: 3.15× the output per person | $4,817#153 of 184 · 2025 | $15,197#109 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthBenin: 3.8 points higher | +8.1%#9 of 187 · 2025 | +4.3%#64 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationGuatemala: 0.4 points higher | +1.1%#138 of 176 · 2025 | +1.5%#128 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentGuatemala: 1.63× the unemployment | 1.6%#165 of 178 · 2025 | 2.6%#154 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyBenin: 2.8× the share in extreme poverty | 27.2%#28 of 149 · 2021 | 9.7%#46 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Guatemala: 10.8 higher | 34.4#74 of 149 · 2021 | 45.2#15 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureBenin: 11.1 points higher | 40.2% of jobs#40 of 178 · 2025 | 29.1% of jobs#62 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryGuatemala: 4.4 points higher | 18.3% of jobs#100 of 178 · 2025 | 22.7% of jobs#58 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesGuatemala: 6.8 points higher | 41.4% of jobs#144 of 178 · 2025 | 48.2% of jobs#127 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentBenin: 0.6 points higher | 2.0% of GDP#92 of 184 · 2025 | 1.4% of GDP#112 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsBenin: 1.5 points higher | 17.1% of GDP#141 of 168 · 2025 | 15.6% of GDP#147 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingBenin: 1.71× the military spending | 0.9% of GDP#121 of 155 · 2025 | 0.5% of GDP#143 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersGuatemala: 1.77× the share online | 34%#160 of 184 · 2024 | 60%#134 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsBenin: 1.12× the mobile subscriptions | 126 per 100#64 of 191 · 2024 | 113 per 100#102 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaGuatemala: 1.18× the forest share | 28% of land#104 of 192 · 2024 | 33% of land#94 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personGuatemala: 2.27× the CO₂ per person | 0.49 t a year#152 of 185 · 2024 | 1.11 t a year#126 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyGuatemala: 7.6 points higher | 54.5%#44 of 190 · 2021 | 62.1%#35 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityGuatemala: 31.9 points higher | 59.0%#166 of 192 · 2024 | 90.9%#137 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Benin: 1.34× the air pollution | 39.7 µg/m³#24 of 191 · 2023 | 29.7 µg/m³#50 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landBenin: 16.0 points higher | 36.1% of land#22 of 191 · 2025 | 20.1% of land#82 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landBenin: 14.8 points higher | 32.3% of land#24 of 190 · 2024 | 17.5% of land#61 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressGuatemala: 5.7× the water stress | 1.0%#160 of 176 · 2022 | 5.7%#115 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationGuatemala: 1.92× the rain and snow | 1,039 mm#89 of 180 · 2022 | 1,996 mm#33 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityGuatemala: 0.19 higher | −0.40#132 of 193 · 2025 | −0.21#120 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionBenin: 0.71 higher | −0.21#93 of 193 · 2025 | −0.92#147 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateGuatemala: 21.3× the homicide rate | 1.1 per 100,000#99 of 146 · 2017 | 23.4 per 100,000#15 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Presidential republic |
| Capital | Porto-Novo | Guatemala City |
| Currency | West African CFA franc (XOF) | Quetzal (GTQ) |
| Official languages | French | Spanish |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC−6 |
| Calling code | +229 | +502 |
| Region | Western Africa, Africa | Central America, North America |
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; Guatemala at 16° N is stretched to 1.08×. 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 Guatemala?
- Yes. Benin is 5% larger than Guatemala. Benin covers 114,763 km² and Guatemala covers 108,889 km².
- How many times does Guatemala fit into Benin?
- About 1.1 times: Benin has 1.05× the area of Guatemala.
- Why do Benin and Guatemala 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 Guatemala about 1.08×. 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 Guatemala?
- Guatemala: 18,687,881 people against 14,814,460. Density: Benin 129 per km², Guatemala 172 per km².
- Which is richer, Benin or Guatemala?
- By gross national income per person, Guatemala: $6,360 against $1,600 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 3.98× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Benin or Guatemala?
- In Guatemala: life expectancy at birth is 72.7 years, against 61.0 — 11.7 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Benin and Guatemala have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: presidential republic (CIA World Factbook).