180 countries ranked by safety, peace, freedom and LGBT+ equality
Visiting: Recommend CautionLGBT+ visiting: Recommend Caution
Voodoo was born in Benin, and you can feel it — Ouidah's shrines and festivals treat it as the living religion it is, not a sideshow. Add Ganvié, a whole town built on stilts in a lagoon, and the royal palaces of Abomey, and you've got a genuinely different West African trip. Pickpockets and street crime are the main worry, so travel the way you would in any big city.
Intentional homicides per 100,000 people — lower is better.
Benin: 5.8
Ranked 64th in the world for the highest homicide rate.
An estimated 5.78 homicides per 100,000 people — an elevated rate by world standards. The 2021 estimate is the freshest figure that exists.
Higher than 64% of the 230 countries and territories measured.
How peaceful the country is — lower is better.
Benin: 2.2
Ranked 52nd least peaceful country in the world.
More peaceful than 31% of the 163 countries ranked, scoring 2.211.
Up 5 places since 2024.
Personal and economic freedom — higher is better.
Benin: 7.0
Ranked 76th freest country in the world.
Freer than 53% of the 165 countries measured — 7.01 out of 10.
Day-to-day life (speech, movement, religion) scores 7.50; doing business and owning property, 6.33.
LGBT+ equality in law and daily life — higher is better.
Benin: 2.8
Ranked 71st least equal in the world for LGBT+ people.
Ranks behind 63% of the 197 countries scored for LGBT+ equality — 28 out of 100.
The law runs ahead of public opinion here — legal protections score 40 out of 100, everyday attitudes 16.