# Benin and Nigeria compared

Benin and Nigeria side by side: 40 shared sourced indicators across 9 domains, and the 3 events their chronicles record of each other.

Canonical: https://terralore.co/compare/ben-vs-nga
Updated: 2026-08-10 (latest of the two dossiers' refreshes and the two chronicles' verification dates)

Two sourced records set beside each other — nothing on this page was written for the pair. Every figure is the same observation, with the same source, as on the two national dossiers; every event is the same record, with the same sources, as on its own chronicle. Figures are compared, never graded. A "—" is an absence in the source data, never a zero; each value shows its own observation year — vintages differ by indicator and nation.

## Formation

- Benin: c. 1600 — The Kingdom of Dahomey is founded on the Abomey plateau
- Nigeria: 1 October 1960 — The Federation of Nigeria becomes independent of Britain

## Economy

| Metric | Benin | Observed | Nigeria | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP | $21 B | 2024 | $252 B | 2024 |
| GDP per capita | $1,485 | 2024 | $1,084 | 2024 |
| GDP growth | 7.5% | 2024 | 4.1% | 2024 |
| Inflation | 1.2% | 2024 | 33.2% | 2024 |
| Trade openness | 40.6% | 2024 | — | — |

## Society

| Metric | Benin | Observed | Nigeria | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 14 m | 2024 | 233 m | 2024 |
| Life expectancy | 61.0 yrs | 2024 | 54.6 yrs | 2024 |
| Urban population | 52.5% | 2024 | 63.0% | 2024 |
| Fertility rate | 4.5 | 2024 | 4.4 | 2024 |

## Governance

| Metric | Benin | Observed | Nigeria | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voice & accountability | 50.2 | 2024 | 44.1 | 2024 |
| Political stability | 59.0 | 2024 | 31.7 | 2024 |
| Government effectiveness | 47.7 | 2024 | 31.8 | 2024 |
| Regulatory quality | 50.5 | 2024 | 44.9 | 2024 |
| Rule of law | 49.9 | 2024 | 39.6 | 2024 |
| Control of corruption | 43.0 | 2024 | 25.3 | 2024 |

## Health

| Metric | Benin | Observed | Nigeria | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health spending | 3.3% | 2023 | 4.2% | 2023 |
| Physicians | 0.22 | 2023 | 0.38 | 2023 |
| Under-5 mortality | 74.7 | 2024 | 115.6 | 2024 |
| Measles immunisation | 44.0% | 2024 | 57.0% | 2024 |
| Safe drinking water | 17.7% | 2024 | 29.9% | 2024 |

## Education

| Metric | Benin | Observed | Nigeria | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult literacy | 51.4% | 2022 | 70.4% | 2024 |
| Education spending | 3.2% | 2023 | 0.3% | 2023 |
| Primary enrolment | 108.0% | 2022 | 89.6% | 2023 |
| Secondary enrolment | 43.6% | 2022 | 46.9% | 2023 |
| Tertiary enrolment | 10.2% | 2022 | 9.7% | 2011 |

## Technology

| Metric | Benin | Observed | Nigeria | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Internet users | 34.0% | 2024 | 41.2% | 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 126 | 2024 | 71 | 2024 |
| High-tech exports | 30.5% | 2024 | 2.7% | 2024 |
| R&D spending | — | — | 0.3% | 2019 |
| Researchers (per million) | — | — | 22 | 2019 |

## Geography

| Metric | Benin | Observed | Nigeria | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land area | 112,760 km² | 2023 | 910,770 km² | 2023 |
| Forest area | 26.5% | 2023 | 23.2% | 2023 |
| Agricultural land | 41.8% | 2023 | 76.2% | 2023 |
| CO₂ per capita (t) | 0.5 | 2024 | 0.6 | 2024 |
| Renewable energy | 54.5% | 2021 | 80.3% | 2021 |

## Resources

| Metric | Benin | Observed | Nigeria | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resource rents | 2.3% | 2021 | 8.6% | 2021 |
| Oil rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 6.2% | 2021 |
| Mineral rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2021 |
| Forest rents | 2.3% | 2021 | 1.1% | 2021 |
| Electricity access | 57.0% | 2023 | 61.2% | 2023 |
| Rare earths | — | — | 1,500 t | 2025 |

## Military

| Metric | Benin | Observed | Nigeria | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Military burden | 0.7% | 2024 | 0.6% | 2024 |
| Defense spending | $154 M | 2024 | $1.1 B | 2024 |
| Armed forces | 12,000 | 2020 | 223,000 | 2020 |

Each metric is also ranked across all nations: https://terralore.co/rankings (markdown twins at /rankings/<metric>.md). Full dossiers: https://terralore.co/country/BEN.md and https://terralore.co/country/NGA.md.

## Entangled histories (3 events)

Events in which either nation's sourced chronicle names the other — including under earlier names of the same state. Each is the record exactly as its own chronicle carries it, with that chronicle's sources.

- c. 13th–17th centuries: **Flourishing of Benin and Oyo** — The Edo kingdom of Benin and the Yoruba empire of Oyo rose as major forest powers, Benin renowned for its court art and Oyo for the cavalry empire of its Alaafin. (from the Nigeria chronicle; sources: Oyo empire; Benin Bronzes; Nigeria (country overview and history))
- 16th century onward: **The Atlantic slave trade** — European demand drew the Bights of Benin and Biafra into the transatlantic slave trade; ports such as Bonny and Old Calabar became major export points, and vast numbers of people were deported in conditions of extreme violence. (from the Nigeria chronicle; sources: Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database (Estimates); Bight of Biafra; Nigeria (country overview and history))
- February 1897: **British sack of Benin City** — A British punitive expedition destroyed Benin City, exiled the Oba, and looted thousands of the Benin Bronzes, dispersing centuries of court art to foreign museums and collectors. (from the Nigeria chronicle; sources: Benin Bronzes; The Benin Bronzes; The British raid on Benin 1897)

## Sources

- World Development Indicators — World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://data.worldbank.org
- Worldwide Governance Indicators (via World Bank API) — Worldwide Governance Indicators / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators
- Global Health Observatory (WHO, via World Bank WDI) — WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.who.int/data/gho
- Child mortality & immunisation estimates (UN IGME and WHO/UNICEF, via World Bank WDI) — UNICEF and WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://childmortality.org
- R&D statistics (UNESCO UIS, via World Bank WDI) — UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://uis.unesco.org
- ICT indicators (ITU, via World Bank WDI) — ITU / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics
- Military Expenditure Database (via World Development Indicators) — SIPRI / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://www.sipri.org/databases/milex
- Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 — U.S. Geological Survey · Public domain (U.S. Government work) · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center

Chronicle references are cited inline above and resolve in full at https://terralore.co/country/BEN/chronicle.md and https://terralore.co/country/NGA/chronicle.md.

Citation template: Terralore, "Benin and Nigeria compared", terralore.co/compare/ben-vs-nga, retrieved <YYYY-MM-DD>.