Benin

total: 24,000 (2023 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2023 est.) less than 1

state-run Office de Radiodiffusion et de T l vision du Benin (ORTB) operates a TV station with a wide broadcast reach; several privately owned TV stations broadcast from Cotonou; satellite TV subscription service is available; state-owned radio, under ORTB control, includes a national station supplemented by a number of regional stations; substantial number of privately owned radio stations; transmissions of a few international broadcasters are available on FM in Cotonou (2019)

.bj

percent of population: 32% (2023 est.)

total subscriptions: 1,350 (2024 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2024 est.) less than 1

total subscriptions: 18.2 million (2024 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 126 (2024 est.)

cassava, yams, maize, oil palm fruit, cotton, soybeans, rice, pineapples, tomatoes, chillies/peppers (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

revenues: $2.024 billion (2019 est.) expenditures: $2.101 billion (2019 est.)

-$1.609 billion (2023 est.) -$991.005 million (2022 est.) -$734.659 million (2021 est.) note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars

$6.309 billion (2023 est.) note: present value of external debt in current US dollars

robust economic growth; slightly declining but still widespread poverty; strong trade relations with Nigeria; cotton exporter; COVID-19 has led to capital outflows and border closures; WAEMU member with currency pegged to the euro; recent fiscal deficit and debt reductions

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 606.345 (2024 est.) 606.655 (2023 est.) 622.912 (2022 est.) 554.608 (2021 est.) 574.295 (2020 est.)

$4.511 billion (2023 est.) $4.271 billion (2022 est.) $4.154 billion (2021 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

gold, cotton, coconuts/brazil nuts/cashews, soybeans, wood (2023) note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

UAE 42%, Bangladesh 20%, India 11%, China 5%, Togo 3% (2023) note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

$21.483 billion (2024 est.) note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate

household consumption: 58.9% (2024 est.) government consumption: 9% (2024 est.) investment in fixed capital: 34.7% (2024 est.) investment in inventories: 0.4% (2024 est.) exports of goods and services: 18.8% (2024 est.) imports of goods and services: -21.8% (2024 est.) note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

agriculture: 24.2% (2024 est.) industry: 17.4% (2024 est.) services: 48.9% (2024 est.) note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

34.4 (2021 est.) note: index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality

lowest 10%: 3.1% (2021 est.) highest 10%: 27.2% (2021 est.) note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

$6.189 billion (2023 est.) $5.296 billion (2022 est.) $4.925 billion (2021 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

rice, refined petroleum, palm oil, poultry, cars (2023) note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

China 21%, India 15%, USA 6%, France 6%, Nigeria 4% (2023) note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

9.7% (2024 est.) note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

textiles, food processing, construction materials, cement

1.2% (2024 est.) 2.7% (2023 est.) 1.4% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

6.397 million (2024 est.) note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

38.5% (2018 est.) note: % of population with income below national poverty line

49.7% of GDP (2016 est.)

$56.424 billion (2024 est.) $52.51 billion (2023 est.) $49.374 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

7.5% (2024 est.) 6.4% (2023 est.) 6.3% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

$3,900 (2024 est.) $3,700 (2023 est.) $3,600 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

1.7% of GDP (2023 est.) 1.4% of GDP (2022 est.) 1.3% of GDP (2021 est.) note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities

1.8% (2024 est.) 1.7% (2023 est.) 1.7% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

total: 3.3% (2024 est.) male: 3.6% (2024 est.) female: 2.9% (2024 est.) note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

consumption: 164,000 metric tons (2023 est.) imports: 164,000 metric tons (2023 est.)

installed generating capacity: 505,000 kW (2023 est.) consumption: 1.459 billion kWh (2023 est.) exports: 2 million kWh (2023 est.) imports: 844.888 million kWh (2023 est.) transmission/distribution losses: 385 million kWh (2023 est.)

electrification - total population: 56.5% (2022 est.) electrification - urban areas: 71.1% electrification - rural areas: 45.5%

fossil fuels: 96.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) solar: 3.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

6.472 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

consumption: 157.25 million cubic meters (2023 est.) imports: 157.25 million cubic meters (2023 est.) proven reserves: 1.133 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

refined petroleum consumption: 40,000 bbl/day (2023 est.) crude oil estimated reserves: 8 million barrels (2021 est.)

5.948 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.) from coal and metallurgical coke: 379,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.) from petroleum and other liquids: 5.263 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.) from consumed natural gas: 306,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north

inadequate supplies of potable water; water pollution; poaching; deforestation; desertification; droughts

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

agricultural land: 41.8% (2023 est.) arable land: 31.4% (2023 est.) permanent crops: 5.5% (2023 est.) permanent pasture: 4.9% (2023 est.) forest: 28.5% (2023 est.) other: 29.7% (2023 est.)

energy: 63.4 kt (2022-2024 est.) agriculture: 106.1 kt (2019-2021 est.) waste: 34.3 kt (2019-2021 est.) other: 43.5 kt (2019-2021 est.)

32.6 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

26.39 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

municipal: 145 million cubic meters (2022 est.) industrial: 30 million cubic meters (2022 est.) agricultural: 59 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

urban population: 50.1% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 3.74% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually: 685,900 tons (2024 est.) percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 56.9% (2022 est.)

total : 112,622 sq km land: 110,622 sq km water: 2,000 sq km

slightly smaller than Pennsylvania

tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north

121 km

highest point: unnamed elevation 675 m; located 2.5 km southeast of the town of Kotopounga lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 273 m

9 30 N, 2 15 E

sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands

530 sq km (2019)

total: 2,123 km border countries (4): Burkina Faso 386 km; Niger 277 km; Nigeria 809 km; Togo 651 km

agricultural land: 41.8% (2023 est.) arable land: 31.4% (2023 est.) permanent crops: 5.5% (2023 est.) permanent pasture: 4.9% (2023 est.) forest: 28.5% (2023 est.) other: 29.7% (2023 est.)

Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo

Atlantic Ocean drainage: Niger (2,261,741 sq km), Volta (410,991 sq km)

Africa

territorial sea: 200 nm; note: the US does not recognize this claim continental shelf: 200 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm

hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March

small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber

the population is primarily located in the south, with the highest concentration of people residing in and around the cities on the Atlantic coast; most of the north remains sparsely populated with higher concentrations of residents in the west, as shown in this population distribution map

mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains

12 departments; Alibori, Atacora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Couffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou

name: Porto-Novo (constitutional capital); Cotonou (seat of government) geographic coordinates: 6 29 N, 2 37 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: the name Porto-Novo is Portuguese for "new port"; Cotonou means "mouth of the river of death" in the native Fon language

citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Benin dual citizenship recognized: yes residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years

history: previous 1946, 1958 (pre-independence); latest adopted by referendum 2 December 1990, promulgated 11 December 1990 amendment process: proposed concurrently by the president of the republic (after a decision in the Council of Ministers) and the National Assembly; consideration of drafts or proposals requires at least three-fourths majority vote of the Assembly membership; passage requires approval in a referendum unless approved by at least four-fifths majority vote of the Assembly membership; constitutional articles affecting territorial sovereignty, the republican form of government, and secularity of Benin cannot be amended

conventional long form: Republic of Benin conventional short form: Benin local long form: R publique du Benin local short form: Benin former: Dahomey, People's Republic of Benin etymology: the current name comes from a local ethnic group, the Bini, whose name may be related to the Arabic word bani , meaning "sons;" the former name, Dahomey, comes from a previous kingdom in the area called Dan Hom

chief of mission: Ambassador Brian SHUKAN (since 5 May 2022) embassy: 01BP 2012, Cotonou mailing address: 2120 Cotonou Place, Washington DC 20521-2120 telephone: [229] 21-36-75-00 FAX: [229] 21-30-03-84 email address and website: ACSCotonou@state.gov https://bj.usembassy.gov/

chief of mission: Ambassador Agniola AHOUANMENOU (since 24 July 2025) chancery: 2124 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 232-6656 FAX: [1] (202) 265-1996 email address and website: ambassade.washington@gouv.bj https://beninembassy.us/

chief of state: President Patrice TALON (since 6 April 2016) head of government: President Patrice TALON (since 6 April 2016) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president election/appointment process: president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term) most recent election date: 11 April 2021 election results: 2021: Patrice TALON reelected president in the ; percent of vote - Patrice TALON (independent) 86.3%, Alassane SOUMANOU (FCBE) 11.4%, Corentin KOHOUE (The Democrats) 2.3% 2016: Patrice TALON elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Lionel ZINSOU (FCBE) 28.4%, Patrice TALON (independent) 24.8%, Sebastien AJAVON (independent) 23%, Abdoulaye Bio TCHANE (ABT) 8.8%, Pascal KOUPAKI (NC) 5.9%, other 9.1%; percent of vote in second round - Patrice TALON 65.4%, Lionel ZINSOU 34.6% expected date of next election: 12 April 2026 note: the president is both head of state and head of government

description: two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red (bottom) to the right, with a vertical green band on the left side meaning: green stands for hope and revival, yellow for wealth, and red for courage history: uses the colors of the Pan-African movement

presidential republic

1 August 1960 (from France)

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

ACP, AfDB, AU, CD, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MNJTF, MONUSCO, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

highest court(s): Supreme Court or Cour Supreme (consists of the chief justice and 16 justices organized into an administrative division, judicial chamber, and chamber of accounts); Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle (consists of 7 members, including the court president); High Court of Justice (consists of the Constitutional Court members, 6 members appointed by the National Assembly, and the Supreme Court president) judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court president and judges appointed by the president of the republic on the advice of the National Assembly; judges appointed for single renewable 5-year terms; Constitutional Court members - 4 appointed by the National Assembly and 3 by the president of the republic; members appointed for single renewable 5-year terms; other members of the High Court of Justice elected by the National Assembly; member tenure NA subordinate courts: Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; Court for the Repression of Economic and Terrorism Infractions (CRIET) or Cour de R pression des Infractions Economiques et du Terrorisme; district courts; village courts; Assize courts note: jurisdiction of the High Court of Justice is limited to cases of high treason by the national president or members of the government while in office

civil law system modeled largely on the French system and some customary law

legislature name: National Assembly (Assemblée nationale) legislative structure: unicameral number of seats: 109 (all directly elected) electoral system: proportional representation scope of elections: full renewal term in office: 4 years most recent election date: 1/8/2023 parties elected and seats per party: Progressive Union for Renewal (53); Republican Block (BR) (28); Democrats (28) percentage of women in chamber: 26.6% expected date of next election: January 2026 note: seat total includes 24 seats reserved for women

title: "L'Aube Nouvelle" (The Dawn of a New Day) lyrics/music: Gilbert Jean DAGNON history: adopted 1960

green, yellow, red

total World Heritage Sites: 3 (2 cultural, 1 natural) selected World Heritage Site locales: Royal Palaces of Abomey (c); W-Arly-Pendjari Complex (n); Koutammakou, the Land of the Batammariba (c)

Independence Day, 1 August (1960)

leopard

African Movement for Development and Progress or MADEP Benin Renaissance or RB Cowrie Force for an Emerging Benin or FCBE Democratic Renewal Party or PRD Progressive Union for Renewal Republican Bloc Sun Alliance or AS The Democrats Union Makes the Nation or UN (includes PRD, MADEP) note: approximately 20 additional minor parties

18 years of age; universal

Present-day Benin is comprised of about 42 ethnic groups, including the Yoruba in the southeast, who migrated from what is now Nigeria in the 12th century; the Dendi in the north-central area, who came from Mali in the 16th century; the Bariba and the Fula in the northeast; the Ottamari in the Atakora mountains; the Fon in the area around Abomey in the south-central area; and the Mina, Xueda, and Aja, who came from Togo, on the coast. The Kingdom of Dahomey emerged on the Abomey plateau in the 17th century and was a regional power for much of the 18th and 19th centuries. The growth of Dahomey coincided with the growth of the Atlantic slave trade, and it became known as a major source of enslaved people. France began to control the coastal areas of Dahomey in the second half of the 19th century; the entire kingdom was conquered by 1894. French Dahomey achieved independence in 1960, and it changed its name to the Republic of Benin in 1975. A succession of military governments ended in 1972 with the rise to power of Mathieu KEREKOU and a Marxist-Leninist government. A move to representative government began in 1989. Two years later, free elections ushered in former Prime Minister Nicephore SOGLO as president, marking the first successful transfer of power in Africa from a dictatorship to a democracy. KEREKOU returned to power after elections in 1996 and 2001. He stepped down in 2006 and was succeeded by Thomas YAYI Boni, a political outsider and independent, who won a second term in 2011. Patrice TALON, a wealthy businessman, took office in 2016; the space for pluralism, dissent, and free expression has narrowed under his administration. TALON won a second term in 2021.

the Beninese Armed Forces (FAB) are responsible for defense against external aggression and may be required to assist in maintaining public order and internal security under conditions defined by the country's president; it may also participate in economic development projects a key focus for the security forces of Benin is countering infiltrations into the country by terrorist groups tied to al-Qa'ida and the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS) operating just over the border from northern Benin in Burkina Faso and Niger; in 2022, the Benin Government said it was "at war" after suffering a series of attacks from these groups; later that same year, President TALON pledged to increase the size of the military, modernize military equipment, and establish forward operating bases; the military since 2022 has also deployed thousands of additional troops to the north of the country to better secure the border region; in addition, the FAB participates in the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) against Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa in the general area of the Lake Chad Basin and along Nigeria's northeastern border (2025)

Beninese Armed Forces (Forces Armees Beninoises, FAB; aka Benin Defense Forces): Army, Air Force, National Navy, National Guard (aka Republican Guard) Ministry of Interior and Public Security: Republican Police (Police Republicaine, DGPR) (2025) note: FAB is under the Ministry of Defense and is responsible for external security and supporting the DGPR in maintaining internal security, which has primary responsibility for enforcing law and maintaining order; the DGPR was formed in 2018 through a merger of police and gendarmes

estimated 10-12,000 active duty Armed Forces (including National Guard) (2025)

the military is equipped with a mix of older, secondhand, and limited amounts of newer equipment from a variety of suppliers, including China, France, Germany, South Africa, the former Soviet Union, Spain, and the US (2025)

0.7% of GDP (2024 est.) 0.5% of GDP (2023 est.) 0.7% of GDP (2022 est.) 0.7% of GDP (2021 est.) 0.5% of GDP (2020 est.)

18-30 years of age for voluntary and selective compulsory military service for men and women; compulsory service is 18 months (2025)

0-14 years: 45.3% (male 3,360,027/female 3,294,201) 15-64 years: 52.2% (male 3,727,040/female 3,951,786) 65 years and over: 2.5% (2024 est.) (male 166,191/female 197,807)

total: 1.25 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) beer: 0.81 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) wine: 0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) spirits: 0.2 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) other alcohols: 0.22 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

39.82 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

women married by age 15: 5.9% (2022) women married by age 18: 27.5% (2022) men married by age 18: 4.6% (2022)

19.6% (2021 est.)

65.7% (2022 est.)

7.45 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

total dependency ratio: 91.1 (2025 est.) youth dependency ratio: 86.3 (2025 est.) elderly dependency ratio: 4.8 (2025 est.) potential support ratio: 21 (2025 est.)

urban: 74.1% of population (2022 est.) rural: 60.8% of population (2022 est.) total: 67.4% of population (2022 est.) urban: 25.9% of population (2022 est.) rural: 39.2% of population (2022 est.) total: 32.6% of population (2022 est.)

3.2% of GDP (2023 est.) 18% national budget (2025 est.)

Fon and related 38.4%, Adja and related 15.1%, Yoruba and related 12%, Bariba and related 9.6%, Fulani and related 8.6%, Ottamari and related 6.1%, Yoa-Lokpa and related 4.3%, Dendi and related 2.9%, other 0.9%, foreigner 1.9% (2013 est.)

2.59 (2025 est.)

2.6% of GDP (2021) 2.6% of national budget (2022 est.)

0.4 beds/1,000 population (2021 est.)

total: 51.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.) male: 57.8 deaths/1,000 live births female: 47.8 deaths/1,000 live births

55 languages; French (official); Fon (a Gbe language), Yom (a Gur language) and Yoruba are the most important indigenous languages in the south; half a dozen regionally important languages in the north, including Bariba and Fulfulde

total population: 63 years (2024 est.) male: 61.1 years female: 65 years

total population: 51.4% (2022 est.) male: 62.6% (2022 est.) female: 41.5% (2022 est.)

285,000 PORTO-NOVO (capital) (2018); 1.253 million Abomey-Calavi, 722,000 COTONOU (seat of government) (2022)

518 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

total: 17.2 years (2025 est.) male: 16.6 years female: 17.7 years

20.5 years (2017/18 est.) note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49

noun: Beninese (singular and plural) adjective: Beninese

0.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

9.6% (2016)

0.22 physicians/1,000 population (2023)

total: 15,186,090 (2025 est.) male: 7,500,771 female: 7,685,319

the population is primarily located in the south, with the highest concentration of people residing in and around the cities on the Atlantic coast; most of the north remains sparsely populated with higher concentrations of residents in the west, as shown in this population distribution map

3.26% (2025 est.)

Muslim 27.7%, Roman Catholic 25.5%, Protestant 13.5% (Celestial 6.7%, Methodist 3.4%, other Protestant 3.4%), Vodoun 11.6%, other Christian 9.5%, other traditional religions 2.6%, other 2.6%, none 5.8% (2013 est.)

urban: 58.5% of population (2022 est.) rural: 20.8% of population (2022 est.) total: 39.5% of population (2022 est.) urban: 41.5% of population (2022 est.) rural: 79.2% of population (2022 est.) total: 60.5% of population (2022 est.)

total: 10 years (2022 est.) male: 11 years (2022 est.) female: 9 years (2022 est.)

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

total: 4.8% (2025 est.) male: 8.3% (2025 est.) female: 1.5% (2025 est.)

5.3 children born/woman (2025 est.)

urban population: 50.1% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 3.74% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Jama at Nusrat al Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM); Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISIS-GS); Boko Haram note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in the Terrorism reference guide

refugees: 23,225 (2024 est.) IDPs: 12,501 (2024 est.)

10 (2025)

TY

total: 6 (2023) by type: other 6

total ports: 1 (2024) large: 0 medium: 1 small: 0 very small: 0 ports with oil terminals: 1 key ports: Cotonou

total: 438 km (2014) narrow gauge: 438 km (2014) 1.000-m gauge