Benin vs North Korea
North Korea is 5% larger than Benin.
BeninNorth KoreaBenin moved onto North Korea · Equal-area projection
0.95×
Benin is 0.95× the area of North Korea. Put the other way, North Korea is 1.05× the size of Benin.
 Benin |  North Korea | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaNorth Korea: 1.05× the area | 114,763 km²#100 of 194 | 120,540 km²#96 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 4 | 3 |
| People | ||
| PopulationNorth Korea: 1.79× the population | 14,814,460#76 of 194 · 2025 | 26,571,036#56 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityNorth Korea: 1.71× the density | 129 / km²#70 of 194 | 220 / km²#45 of 194 |
| Urban populationNorth Korea: 1.2× the urban share | 53%#126 of 192 · 2025 | 64%#91 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateBenin: 2.52× the births per woman | 4.48 per woman#14 of 192 · 2024 | 1.78 per woman#110 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthBenin: 2.13 points higher | +2.40%#26 of 192 · 2025 | +0.27%#145 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateBenin: 2.59× the birth rate | 33.4 per 1,000#14 of 192 · 2024 | 12.9 per 1,000#106 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateNorth Korea: 1.14× the death rate | 8.7 per 1,000#58 of 192 · 2024 | 9.9 per 1,000#37 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Benin: 22.4 points higher | 41.3%#14 of 192 · 2025 | 18.9%#122 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65North Korea: 9.5 points higher | 3.2%#161 of 192 · 2025 | 12.7%#64 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationNorth Korea: 0.4 per 1,000 higher | −0.5 per 1,000#100 of 192 · 2025 | −0.1 per 1,000#78 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadBenin: 9.0× the refugees for its size | 0.09 per 1,000#119 of 190 · 2025 | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyNorth Korea: 12.7 years longer | 61.0 years#184 of 192 · 2024 | 73.7 years#98 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityBenin: 3.4× the infant mortality | 45.2 per 1,000 births#17 of 191 · 2024 | 13.3 per 1,000 births#92 of 191 · 2024 |
| Doctors | 0.22 per 1,000#146 of 178 · 2023 | — |
| University enrolment | 10.2%#132 of 145 · 2022 | — |
| Human Development Index | 0.515#170 of 190 · 2023 | — |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capita | $1,600#155 of 185 · 2025 | — |
| GDP | $24.57B2025 | — |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | Low income |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $4,817#153 of 184 · 2025 | — |
| GDP growth | +8.1%#9 of 187 · 2025 | — |
| Inflation | +1.1%#138 of 176 · 2025 | — |
| UnemploymentNorth Korea: 2.19× the unemployment | 1.6%#165 of 178 · 2025 | 3.5%#121 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | 27.2%#28 of 149 · 2021 | — |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 34.4#74 of 149 · 2021 | — |
| Jobs in agricultureNorth Korea: 13.9 points higher | 40.2% of jobs#40 of 178 · 2025 | 54.1% of jobs#20 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryNorth Korea: 4.1 points higher | 18.3% of jobs#100 of 178 · 2025 | 22.4% of jobs#62 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesBenin: 17.9 points higher | 41.4% of jobs#144 of 178 · 2025 | 23.5% of jobs#172 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investment | 2.0% of GDP#92 of 184 · 2025 | — |
| Exports | 17.1% of GDP#141 of 168 · 2025 | — |
| Military spending | 0.9% of GDP#121 of 155 · 2025 | — |
| Internet users | 34%#160 of 184 · 2024 | — |
| Mobile subscriptionsBenin: 5.25× the mobile subscriptions | 126 per 100#64 of 191 · 2024 | 24 per 100#190 of 191 · 2022 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaNorth Korea: 2.28× the forest share | 28% of land#104 of 192 · 2024 | 64% of land#20 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personNorth Korea: 5.1× the CO₂ per person | 0.49 t a year#152 of 185 · 2024 | 2.50 t a year#94 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyBenin: 39.8 points higher | 54.5%#44 of 190 · 2021 | 14.7%#124 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityNorth Korea: 2.4 points higher | 59.0%#166 of 192 · 2024 | 61.4%#162 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Benin: 1.82× the air pollution | 39.7 µg/m³#24 of 191 · 2023 | 21.8 µg/m³#73 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landBenin: 33.7 points higher | 36.1% of land#22 of 191 · 2025 | 2.4% of land#178 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landBenin: 13.2 points higher | 32.3% of land#24 of 190 · 2024 | 19.1% of land#56 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressNorth Korea: 27.7× the water stress | 1.0%#160 of 176 · 2022 | 27.7%#59 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationAbout the same rain and snow | 1,039 mm#89 of 180 · 2022 | 1,054 mm#88 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityNorth Korea: 0.48 higher | −0.40#132 of 193 · 2025 | +0.08#100 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionBenin: 1.34 higher | −0.21#93 of 193 · 2025 | −1.55#186 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | 1.1 per 100,000#99 of 146 · 2017 | — |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | One-party statedictatorship, single-party communist state |
| Capital | Porto-Novo | Pyongyang |
| Currency | West African CFA franc (XOF) | North Korean won (KPW) |
| Official languages | French | Korean, North Korean standard language |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC+9 |
| Calling code | +229 | +850 |
| Region | Western Africa, Africa | Eastern Asia, Asia |
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; North Korea at 40° N is stretched to 1.71×. That difference is why North Korea looks so much bigger than it is next to Benin. 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 North Korea?
- No. Benin is 5% smaller than North Korea. Benin covers 114,763 km² and North Korea covers 120,540 km².
- How many times does Benin fit into North Korea?
- About 1.1 times: North Korea has 1.05× the area of Benin.
- Why do Benin and North Korea 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 North Korea about 1.71×. That is why North Korea looks so much bigger than it really is next to Benin. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Benin or North Korea?
- North Korea: 26,571,036 people against 14,814,460. Density: Benin 129 per km², North Korea 220 per km².
- Where do people live longer, Benin or North Korea?
- In North Korea: life expectancy at birth is 73.7 years, against 61.0 — 12.7 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Benin and North Korea have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Benin: presidential republic; North Korea: one-party state.