Benin vs Niger
Niger is 11 times larger than Benin. Benin would fit into Niger about 11 times.
BeninNigerBenin moved onto Niger · Equal-area projection
0.09×
Benin is 0.09× the area of Niger. Put the other way, Niger is 11× the size of Benin.
 Benin |  Niger | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaNiger: 11× the area | 114,763 km²#100 of 194 | 1,267,000 km²#21 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 4 | 7 |
| People | ||
| PopulationNiger: 1.88× the population | 14,814,460#76 of 194 · 2025 | 27,917,831#54 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityBenin: 5.86× the density | 129 / km²#70 of 194 | 22 / km²#163 of 194 |
| Urban populationBenin: 2.9× the urban share | 53%#126 of 192 · 2025 | 18%#188 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateNiger: 1.33× the births per woman | 4.48 per woman#14 of 192 · 2024 | 5.94 per woman#5 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthNiger: 0.82 points higher | +2.40%#26 of 192 · 2025 | +3.22%#9 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateNiger: 1.24× the birth rate | 33.4 per 1,000#14 of 192 · 2024 | 41.4 per 1,000#4 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateAbout the same death rate | 8.7 per 1,000#58 of 192 · 2024 | 8.7 per 1,000#58 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Niger: 4.9 points higher | 41.3%#14 of 192 · 2025 | 46.2%#3 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Benin: 0.6 points higher | 3.2%#161 of 192 · 2025 | 2.6%#180 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationNiger: 0.2 per 1,000 higher | −0.5 per 1,000#100 of 192 · 2025 | −0.3 per 1,000#89 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadNiger: 34.1× the refugees for its size | 0.09 per 1,000#119 of 190 · 2025 | 3.07 per 1,000#34 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyNiger: 0.4 years longer | 61.0 years#184 of 192 · 2024 | 61.4 years#182 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityNiger: 1.45× the infant mortality | 45.2 per 1,000 births#17 of 191 · 2024 | 65.6 per 1,000 births#3 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsBenin: 5.5× the doctors per person | 0.22 per 1,000#146 of 178 · 2023 | 0.04 per 1,000#177 of 178 · 2023 |
| University enrolment | 10.2%#132 of 145 · 2022 | — |
| Human Development IndexBenin: 0.096 higher | 0.515#170 of 190 · 2023 | 0.419#185 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaBenin: 2.13× the income per person | $1,600#155 of 185 · 2025 | $750#176 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPBenin: 1.13× the economy | $24.57B2025 | $21.65B2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | Low income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Benin: 2.21× the output per person | $4,817#153 of 184 · 2025 | $2,177#176 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthBenin: 1.1 points higher | +8.1%#9 of 187 · 2025 | +7.0%#18 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationBenin: 5.6 points higher | +1.1%#138 of 176 · 2025 | −4.5%#174 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentBenin: 4.0× the unemployment | 1.6%#165 of 178 · 2025 | 0.4%#176 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyNiger: 2.22× the share in extreme poverty | 27.2%#28 of 149 · 2021 | 60.5%#9 of 149 · 2021 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Benin: 1.5 higher | 34.4#74 of 149 · 2021 | 32.9#95 of 149 · 2021 |
| Jobs in agricultureNiger: 32.8 points higher | 40.2% of jobs#40 of 178 · 2025 | 73.0% of jobs#2 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryBenin: 9.0 points higher | 18.3% of jobs#100 of 178 · 2025 | 9.3% of jobs#159 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesBenin: 23.7 points higher | 41.4% of jobs#144 of 178 · 2025 | 17.7% of jobs#177 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentBenin: 0.8 points higher | 2.0% of GDP#92 of 184 · 2025 | 1.2% of GDP#122 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsBenin: 1.3 points higher | 17.1% of GDP#141 of 168 · 2025 | 15.8% of GDP#144 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingNiger: 2.4× the military spending | 0.9% of GDP#121 of 155 · 2025 | 2.1% of GDP#54 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersBenin: 2.18× the share online | 34%#160 of 184 · 2024 | 16%#179 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsBenin: 2.07× the mobile subscriptions | 126 per 100#64 of 191 · 2024 | 61 per 100#175 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaBenin: 35.1× the forest share | 28% of land#104 of 192 · 2024 | 1% of land#181 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personBenin: 4.08× the CO₂ per person | 0.49 t a year#152 of 185 · 2024 | 0.12 t a year#178 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyNiger: 25.1 points higher | 54.5%#44 of 190 · 2021 | 79.6%#18 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityBenin: 37.7 points higher | 59.0%#166 of 192 · 2024 | 21.3%#187 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Niger: 1.64× the air pollution | 39.7 µg/m³#24 of 191 · 2023 | 65.2 µg/m³#5 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landBenin: 15.1 points higher | 36.1% of land#22 of 191 · 2025 | 21.0% of land#78 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landBenin: 18.3 points higher | 32.3% of land#24 of 190 · 2024 | 14.0% of land#77 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressNiger: 11× the water stress | 1.0%#160 of 176 · 2022 | 11.0%#88 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationBenin: 6.88× the rain and snow | 1,039 mm#89 of 180 · 2022 | 151 mm#169 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityBenin: 1.37 higher | −0.40#132 of 193 · 2025 | −1.77#180 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionBenin: 0.53 higher | −0.21#93 of 193 · 2025 | −0.74#136 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | 1.1 per 100,000#99 of 146 · 2017 | — |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Military or transitionalformerly, semi-presidential republic |
| Capital | Porto-Novo | Niamey |
| Currency | West African CFA franc (XOF) | West African CFA franc (XOF) |
| Official languages | French | Hausa |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC+1 |
| Calling code | +229 | +227 |
| 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; Niger at 17° N is stretched to 1.1×. 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 Niger?
- No. Benin is 11 times smaller than Niger. Benin covers 114,763 km² and Niger covers 1,267,000 km².
- How many times does Benin fit into Niger?
- About 11 times: Niger has 11× the area of Benin.
- Why do Benin and Niger 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 Niger about 1.1×. 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 Niger?
- Niger: 27,917,831 people against 14,814,460. Density: Benin 129 per km², Niger 22 per km².
- Which is richer, Benin or Niger?
- By gross national income per person, Benin: $1,600 against $750 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 2.13× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Benin or Niger?
- In Niger: life expectancy at birth is 61.4 years, against 61.0 — 0.4 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Benin and Niger have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Benin: presidential republic; Niger: military or transitional.