Sex gap in life expectancy in Benin
Benin: Sex gap in life expectancy was 2.86 years in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
2.86 years
Change on year
up 12.1%
World rank
223rd
of 236 countries
All-time high
5.9 years
in 1986
All-time low
1.78 years
in 2011
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Sex gap in life expectancy in Benin, 1950–2023
Source: Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2023, sex gap in life expectancy in Benin stood at 2.86 years.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 12.1% on the previous year and up 50.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, sex gap in life expectancy in Benin peaked at 5.9 years in 1986 and was at its lowest, 1.78 years, in 2011.
That places Benin 223rd out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Sex gap in life expectancy in Benin, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 3.58 years | — |
| 1951 | 3.67 years | +2.5% |
| 1952 | 3.63 years | -1.3% |
| 1953 | 3.73 years | +2.8% |
| 1954 | 3.72 years | -0.2% |
| 1955 | 3.7 years | -0.5% |
| 1956 | 3.72 years | +0.5% |
| 1957 | 3.88 years | +4.4% |
| 1958 | 3.82 years | -1.5% |
| 1959 | 3.92 years | +2.5% |
| 1960 | 3.87 years | -1.2% |
| 1961 | 4.1 years | +6.0% |
| 1962 | 4.02 years | -2.0% |
| 1963 | 4.04 years | +0.4% |
| 1964 | 4.14 years | +2.7% |
| 1965 | 4.21 years | +1.5% |
| 1966 | 3.95 years | -6.2% |
| 1967 | 3.92 years | -0.8% |
| 1968 | 4.05 years | +3.2% |
| 1969 | 4.15 years | +2.5% |
| 1970 | 4.19 years | +1.0% |
| 1971 | 4.07 years | -2.8% |
| 1972 | 4.2 years | +3.0% |
| 1973 | 4.16 years | -0.9% |
| 1974 | 4.26 years | +2.4% |
| 1975 | 4.34 years | +2.0% |
| 1976 | 4.6 years | +5.8% |
| 1977 | 4.85 years | +5.4% |
| 1978 | 4.97 years | +2.6% |
| 1979 | 5.06 years | +1.8% |
| 1980 | 5.19 years | +2.5% |
| 1981 | 5.31 years | +2.3% |
| 1982 | 5.45 years | +2.6% |
| 1983 | 5.59 years | +2.5% |
| 1984 | 5.72 years | +2.3% |
| 1985 | 5.83 years | +1.9% |
| 1986 | 5.9 years | +1.3% |
| 1987 | 5.82 years | -1.4% |
| 1988 | 5.84 years | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 5.87 years | +0.5% |
| 1990 | 5.79 years | -1.4% |
| 1991 | 5.65 years | -2.4% |
| 1992 | 5.5 years | -2.6% |
| 1993 | 5.08 years | -7.6% |
| 1994 | 4.75 years | -6.5% |
| 1995 | 4.45 years | -6.3% |
| 1996 | 4.02 years | -9.7% |
| 1997 | 3.94 years | -2.1% |
| 1998 | 3.81 years | -3.3% |
| 1999 | 3.75 years | -1.5% |
| 2000 | 3.46 years | -7.6% |
| 2001 | 3.27 years | -5.7% |
| 2002 | 2.96 years | -9.5% |
| 2003 | 2.7 years | -8.6% |
| 2004 | 2.5 years | -7.4% |
| 2005 | 2.39 years | -4.5% |
| 2006 | 2.39 years | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 2.29 years | -4.1% |
| 2008 | 2.04 years | -10.8% |
| 2009 | 1.89 years | -7.6% |
| 2010 | 1.8 years | -4.7% |
| 2011 | 1.78 years | -1.2% |
| 2012 | 1.82 years | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 1.9 years | +4.5% |
| 2014 | 1.93 years | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 1.97 years | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 2.04 years | +3.4% |
| 2017 | 2.23 years | +9.2% |
| 2018 | 2.1 years | -5.6% |
| 2019 | 2.37 years | +12.8% |
| 2020 | 2.83 years | +19.4% |
| 2021 | 2.43 years | -14.2% |
| 2022 | 2.55 years | +4.9% |
| 2023 | 2.86 years | +12.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 3.74 years | 3.58 years | 3.92 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 4.05 years | 3.87 years | 4.21 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 4.47 years | 4.07 years | 5.06 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.65 years | 5.19 years | 5.9 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.67 years | 3.75 years | 5.79 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.59 years | 1.89 years | 3.46 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 2 years | 1.78 years | 2.37 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.67 years | 2.43 years | 2.86 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near Benin
More health data for Benin
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.1 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.8458 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,002 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 13,632 deaths (2100)
- Total tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 21 (2025)
- Total tetanus - number of reported cases, per capita 0 units per person (2025)
- Diphtheria - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Diphtheria - number of reported cases, per capita 0 units per person (2025)
- Measles - number of reported cases, gaps filled 747 (2025)
- Measles - number of reported cases, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is sex gap in life expectancy in Benin?
- Sex gap in life expectancy in Benin was 2.86 years in 2023, according to Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest sex gap in life expectancy recorded in Benin?
- The highest recorded value was 5.9 years in 1986.
- What is the lowest sex gap in life expectancy recorded in Benin?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.78 years in 2011.
- How does Benin rank for sex gap in life expectancy?
- Benin ranks 223rd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is sex gap in life expectancy rising or falling in Benin?
- Over the last ten years it is up 50.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Benin data come from?
- The figures come from Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Sex gap in life expectancy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Difference in period life expectancy (females - males) at a given age.