Benin vs Nicaragua
Nicaragua is 5% larger than Benin.
BeninNicaraguaBenin moved onto Nicaragua · Equal-area projection
0.95×
Benin is 0.95× the area of Nicaragua. Put the other way, Nicaragua is 1.05× the size of Benin.
 Benin |  Nicaragua | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaNicaragua: 1.05× the area | 114,763 km²#100 of 194 | 120,340 km²#97 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 4 | 2 |
| People | ||
| PopulationBenin: 2.11× the population | 14,814,460#76 of 194 · 2025 | 7,007,502#108 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityBenin: 2.22× the density | 129 / km²#70 of 194 | 58 / km²#127 of 194 |
| Urban populationNicaragua: 1.11× the urban share | 53%#126 of 192 · 2025 | 59%#108 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateBenin: 2.03× the births per woman | 4.48 per woman#14 of 192 · 2024 | 2.21 per woman#86 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthBenin: 1.09 points higher | +2.40%#26 of 192 · 2025 | +1.31%#76 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateBenin: 1.75× the birth rate | 33.4 per 1,000#14 of 192 · 2024 | 19.1 per 1,000#77 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateBenin: 1.89× the death rate | 8.7 per 1,000#58 of 192 · 2024 | 4.6 per 1,000#179 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Benin: 13.0 points higher | 41.3%#14 of 192 · 2025 | 28.3%#78 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Nicaragua: 2.5 points higher | 3.2%#161 of 192 · 2025 | 5.7%#115 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationBenin: 0.7 per 1,000 higher | −0.5 per 1,000#100 of 192 · 2025 | −1.2 per 1,000#122 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadNicaragua: 56× the refugees for its size | 0.09 per 1,000#119 of 190 · 2025 | 5.04 per 1,000#27 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyNicaragua: 14.1 years longer | 61.0 years#184 of 192 · 2024 | 75.1 years#85 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityBenin: 4.81× the infant mortality | 45.2 per 1,000 births#17 of 191 · 2024 | 9.4 per 1,000 births#113 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsNicaragua: 3.09× the doctors per person | 0.22 per 1,000#146 of 178 · 2023 | 0.68 per 1,000#120 of 178 · 2018 |
| University enrolmentNicaragua: 2.98× the university enrolment | 10.2%#132 of 145 · 2022 | 30.4%#102 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexNicaragua: 0.191 higher | 0.515#170 of 190 · 2023 | 0.706#122 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaNicaragua: 1.78× the income per person | $1,600#155 of 185 · 2025 | $2,850#136 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPBenin: 1.1× the economy | $24.57B2025 | $22.24B2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Nicaragua: 1.93× the output per person | $4,817#153 of 184 · 2025 | $9,284#130 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthBenin: 3.2 points higher | +8.1%#9 of 187 · 2025 | +4.9%#50 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationNicaragua: 1.0 points higher | +1.1%#138 of 176 · 2025 | +2.1%#116 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentNicaragua: 3.13× the unemployment | 1.6%#165 of 178 · 2025 | 5.0%#93 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | 27.2%#28 of 149 · 2021 | — |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 34.4#74 of 149 · 2021 | — |
| Jobs in agricultureBenin: 9.7 points higher | 40.2% of jobs#40 of 178 · 2025 | 30.5% of jobs#59 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryBenin: 1.4 points higher | 18.3% of jobs#100 of 178 · 2025 | 16.9% of jobs#115 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesNicaragua: 11.2 points higher | 41.4% of jobs#144 of 178 · 2025 | 52.6% of jobs#107 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentNicaragua: 4.8 points higher | 2.0% of GDP#92 of 184 · 2025 | 6.8% of GDP#26 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsNicaragua: 24.5 points higher | 17.1% of GDP#141 of 168 · 2025 | 41.6% of GDP#65 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingBenin: 1.59× the military spending | 0.9% of GDP#121 of 155 · 2025 | 0.6% of GDP#139 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersNicaragua: 1.81× the share online | 34%#160 of 184 · 2024 | 61%#133 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsBenin: 1.19× the mobile subscriptions | 126 per 100#64 of 191 · 2024 | 106 per 100#122 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaBenin: 1.09× the forest share | 28% of land#104 of 192 · 2024 | 26% of land#107 of 192 · 2023 |
| CO₂ per personNicaragua: 1.69× the CO₂ per person | 0.49 t a year#152 of 185 · 2024 | 0.83 t a year#134 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyBenin: 4.1 points higher | 54.5%#44 of 190 · 2021 | 50.4%#47 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityNicaragua: 29.7 points higher | 59.0%#166 of 192 · 2024 | 88.7%#142 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Benin: 1.95× the air pollution | 39.7 µg/m³#24 of 191 · 2023 | 20.4 µg/m³#77 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landBenin: 14.9 points higher | 36.1% of land#22 of 191 · 2025 | 21.2% of land#77 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landBenin: 19.8 points higher | 32.3% of land#24 of 190 · 2024 | 12.5% of land#82 of 190 · 2022 |
| Water stressNicaragua: 2.2× the water stress | 1.0%#160 of 176 · 2022 | 2.2%#143 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationNicaragua: 2.19× the rain and snow | 1,039 mm#89 of 180 · 2022 | 2,280 mm#22 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityNicaragua: 0.39 higher | −0.40#132 of 193 · 2025 | −0.01#105 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionBenin: 1.17 higher | −0.21#93 of 193 · 2025 | −1.38#178 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateNicaragua: 10.3× the homicide rate | 1.1 per 100,000#99 of 146 · 2017 | 11.3 per 100,000#26 of 146 · 2021 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Presidential republic |
| Capital | Porto-Novo | Managua |
| Currency | West African CFA franc (XOF) | Nicaraguan córdoba (NIO) |
| Official languages | French | Spanish |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC−6 |
| Calling code | +229 | +505 |
| 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; Nicaragua at 13° 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 Nicaragua?
- No. Benin is 5% smaller than Nicaragua. Benin covers 114,763 km² and Nicaragua covers 120,340 km².
- How many times does Benin fit into Nicaragua?
- About 1.0 times: Nicaragua has 1.05× the area of Benin.
- Why do Benin and Nicaragua 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 Nicaragua 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 Nicaragua?
- Benin: 14,814,460 people against 7,007,502. Density: Benin 129 per km², Nicaragua 58 per km².
- Which is richer, Benin or Nicaragua?
- By gross national income per person, Nicaragua: $2,850 against $1,600 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.78× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Benin or Nicaragua?
- In Nicaragua: life expectancy at birth is 75.1 years, against 61.0 — 14.1 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Benin and Nicaragua have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: presidential republic (CIA World Factbook).