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Benin
Republic of Benin · Western Africa
At a glance
CapitalPorto-Novo
Most common first languageFon20% speak it as a mother tongue
Official languageFrench
CurrencyWest African CFA franc
Drives on theright
Highest pointMont Sokbaro658 m
Biggest category of goods exportedraw agricultural materials53% of goods exports, 2024
Services share of exports10.2%of everything sold abroad, 2023
Internet domain.bj
Benin by the numbers
Rank is out of the countries with data for that measure. Every figure is the latest year the source publishes.
| Measure | Value | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| PopulationEveryone living in the country, all ages, counted mid-year. | 14.8m (2025) | 75th of 209 |
| GDPThe total value of everything the country produces in a year, at current prices. | $24.6bn (2025) | 124th of 203 |
| Land areaTotal land area, excluding inland water and offshore territory. | 113k km² (2023) | 100th of 209 |
| Military spending, totalWhat the government spends on its armed forces in a year — pay, equipment and operations. | $154m (2024) | 128th of 151 |
| Exports of goods & servicesThe value of everything the country sells abroad in a year, goods and services combined. | $4.19bn (2025) | 133rd of 180 |
| Mobile subscriptionsActive mobile phone subscriptions — NOT the same as people. Many people hold two, so a country can have more subscriptions than residents. | 18.2m (2024) | 68th of 205 |
| Forest areaLand under natural or planted trees, whether or not it is productive. | 29.9k km² (2023) | 91st of 203 |
| Agricultural landCropland, land under permanent crops, and permanent pasture. | 47.2k km² (2023) | 90th of 206 |
| COâ‚‚ emissionsCarbon dioxide released in a year, in millions of tonnes. | 7 Mt (2024) | 126th of 198 |
| Urban populationThe number of people living in urban areas, as each country defines them. | 7.91m (2025) | 78th of 209 |
| Life expectancyHow long a baby born today would live if death rates never changed. | 61.0 years (2024) | 201st of 209 |
| GDP per personEverything the country produces in a year, divided by its population. | $1,658 (2025) | 173rd of 205 |
| Internet useThe share of people who have used the internet in the last three months. | 34.0% (2024) | 164th of 191 |
| InflationHow much prices rose over the year, measured on a basket of consumer goods. | 1.1% (2025) | 143rd of 182 |
| UnemploymentThe share of people who want a job and are looking for one but do not have one. | 1.6% (2025) | 173rd of 185 |
| Urban shareThe share of the population living in urban areas. | 53.4% (2025) | 141st of 209 |
| Births per womanHow many children a woman would have across her life at current birth rates. | 4.48 (2024) | 14th of 209 |
| Military spending, share of GDPWhat the country spends on its armed forces, as a share of everything it produces. | 0.72% of GDP (2024) | 132nd of 155 |
| Trade opennessImports plus exports as a share of GDP. Above 100% is normal for small trading economies. | 37.1% of GDP (2025) | 167th of 183 |
| COâ‚‚ per personCarbon dioxide from fuel and industry, divided by the population. | 0.48 t (2024) | 162nd of 198 |
| Human Development IndexThe UN’s combined measure of health, education and income, on a scale from 0 to 1. | 0.515 (2023) | 173rd of 193 |
Land borders
Benin shares these with other countries
Drives on the right 149Has a coast and land neighbours 115Has french as an official language 28Uses the west african cfa franc 8Is a member of the african union 54Mainly exports raw agricultural materials 3Is in western africa 16
Keep going
Country data from the World Bank (CC BY 4.0) and the UNDP Human Development Report (CC BY 3.0 IGO)
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