# Benin — national dossier Benin — economy, society, governance, health, education, technology, geography, resources and military in one sourced dossier: 42 indicators, each with… Canonical: https://terralore.co/country/BEN Updated: 2026-08-14 (latest domain refresh; each figure carries its own observation year) ## Overview - Official name: Republic of Benin - Capital: Porto-Novo - Region: Western Africa, Africa - Population: 11 m - Area: 112,622 km² - Languages: French - Currency: West African CFA franc (XOF) A "—" is an absence in the source data, never a zero. Each figure shows the year it was observed — vintages differ by indicator and nation. ## Economy | Metric | Value | Observed | Source | |---|---|---|---| | GDP | $25 B | 2025 | World Development Indicators | | GDP per capita | $1,658 | 2025 | World Development Indicators | | GDP growth | 8.1% | 2025 | World Development Indicators | | Inflation | 1.1% | 2025 | World Development Indicators | | Trade openness | 37.1% | 2025 | World Development Indicators | ## Society | Metric | Value | Observed | Source | |---|---|---|---| | Population | 15 m | 2025 | World Development Indicators | | Life expectancy | 61.0 yrs | 2024 | World Development Indicators | | Urban population | 53.4% | 2025 | World Development Indicators | | Fertility rate | 4.5 | 2024 | World Development Indicators | | Literacy rate | 51.4% | 2022 | World Development Indicators | ## Governance | Metric | Value | Observed | Source | |---|---|---|---| | Voice & accountability | 50.2 | 2024 | Worldwide Governance Indicators (via World Bank API) | | Political stability | 59.0 | 2024 | Worldwide Governance Indicators (via World Bank API) | | Government effectiveness | 47.7 | 2024 | Worldwide Governance Indicators (via World Bank API) | | Regulatory quality | 50.5 | 2024 | Worldwide Governance Indicators (via World Bank API) | | Rule of law | 49.9 | 2024 | Worldwide Governance Indicators (via World Bank API) | | Control of corruption | 43.0 | 2024 | Worldwide Governance Indicators (via World Bank API) | ## Health | Metric | Value | Observed | Source | |---|---|---|---| | Health spending | 3.3% | 2023 | Global Health Observatory (WHO, via World Bank WDI) | | Physicians | 0.22 | 2023 | Global Health Observatory (WHO, via World Bank WDI) | | Under-5 mortality | 74.7 | 2024 | Child mortality & immunisation estimates (UN IGME and WHO/UNICEF, via World Bank WDI) | | Measles immunisation | 44.0% | 2024 | Child mortality & immunisation estimates (UN IGME and WHO/UNICEF, via World Bank WDI) | | Safe drinking water | 17.7% | 2024 | Global Health Observatory (WHO, via World Bank WDI) | ## Education | Metric | Value | Observed | Source | |---|---|---|---| | Adult literacy | 51.4% | 2022 | Education statistics (UNESCO UIS, via World Bank WDI) | | Education spending | 3.2% | 2023 | Education statistics (UNESCO UIS, via World Bank WDI) | | Primary enrolment | 108.0% | 2022 | Education statistics (UNESCO UIS, via World Bank WDI) | | Secondary enrolment | 43.6% | 2022 | Education statistics (UNESCO UIS, via World Bank WDI) | | Tertiary enrolment | 10.2% | 2022 | Education statistics (UNESCO UIS, via World Bank WDI) | ## Technology | Metric | Value | Observed | Source | |---|---|---|---| | Internet users | 34.0% | 2024 | ICT indicators (ITU, via World Bank WDI) | | Mobile subscriptions | 126 | 2024 | ICT indicators (ITU, via World Bank WDI) | | High-tech exports | 30.5% | 2024 | World Development Indicators | ## Geography | Metric | Value | Observed | Source | |---|---|---|---| | Land area | 112,760 km² | 2023 | World Development Indicators | | Forest area | 26.5% | 2023 | World Development Indicators | | Agricultural land | 41.8% | 2023 | World Development Indicators | | CO₂ per capita (t) | 0.5 | 2024 | World Development Indicators | | Renewable energy | 54.5% | 2021 | World Development Indicators | ## Resources | Metric | Value | Observed | Source | |---|---|---|---| | Resource rents | 2.3% | 2021 | World Development Indicators | | Oil rents | 0.0% | 2021 | World Development Indicators | | Mineral rents | 0.0% | 2021 | World Development Indicators | | Forest rents | 2.3% | 2021 | World Development Indicators | | Electricity access | 59.0% | 2024 | World Development Indicators | ## Military | Metric | Value | Observed | Source | |---|---|---|---| | Military burden | 0.7% | 2024 | Military Expenditure Database (via World Development Indicators) | | Defense spending | $154 M | 2024 | Military Expenditure Database (via World Development Indicators) | | Armed forces | 12,000 | 2020 | Military Expenditure Database (via World Development Indicators) | Every metric above is also ranked across all nations: https://terralore.co/rankings (markdown twins at /rankings/.md). Machine-readable claims — every figure above as an addressable claim ID (TL:BEN::) with value, source, license and a ready citation string: https://terralore.co/country/BEN.claims.json History: "From the Aja kingdoms of Allada and Porto-Novo and the Fon Kingdom of Dahomey at Abomey, through conquest and the slave trade, to a pioneering African democracy." — the sourced chronicle is at https://terralore.co/country/BEN/chronicle.md (6 eras, 28 events). ## Sources - World Development Indicators — World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-14 · https://data.worldbank.org - Worldwide Governance Indicators (via World Bank API) — Worldwide Governance Indicators / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-14 · 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 2026-08-14 · 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 2026-08-14 · https://childmortality.org - Education statistics (UNESCO UIS, via World Bank WDI) — UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-14 · https://uis.unesco.org - ICT indicators (ITU, via World Bank WDI) — ITU / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-14 · https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics - Military Expenditure Database (via World Development Indicators) — SIPRI / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-14 · https://www.sipri.org/databases/milex Citation template: Terralore, "Benin — national dossier", terralore.co/country/BEN, retrieved .