I have just gotten back to Canada after a week in Benin, West Africa – a country between Togo and Nigeria that is about the equivalent size of either Pennsylvania or Newfoundland, but has a population of just fewer than 10 million people. Here are some other facts I’ve learned:
~ Benin has 12 provinces with at least one king per province/area.
~ 44.7% of the population is 14 years of age and younger.
~ 2.7% of the population is 65 years of age and older.
~ The median age is 17.4 years.
~ The life expectancy is 59.84 years of age.
~ 1.2% of the population is infected with HIV/AIDS (approx. 60,000 in 2009)
~ 40% of the population lives below the poverty line at an earning of $1.25 per hour.
~ With the definition of literacy being that over the age of 15 one can read and write, only 34.7% of the total population is literate (47.9% of the male population and only 23.3% of the female population).
~ The average dropout age for girls who attend school is age 8, while the average dropout age for boys is age of 11.
~ Women have an average of 6 children each.
~ The infant mortality rate is 61.56 deaths for every 1000 live births.
~ Although it is legal to only have one wife, in reality, men have an average of 2-3 wives, with some having 6 or 7.
