Benin

• tropical;
• hot, humid in south;
• semiarid in north

• 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

noun:

Beninese (singular and plural)

adjective:

Beninese

• 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:

17.2 years (2024 est.)

male:

16.6 years

female:

17.7 years

• 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

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:

52.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)

male:

57.8 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

47.8 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

63 years (2024 est.)

male:

61.1 years

female:

65 years

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.)

total:

6.9% (2020 est.)

male:

11.8% (2020 est.)

female:

1.9% (2020 est.)

women married by age 15:

9.4%

women married by age 18:

30.6%

men married by age 18:

4.8% (2018 est.)

• inadequate supplies of potable water;
• water pollution;
• poaching threatens wildlife populations;
• deforestation;
• desertification (the spread of the desert into agricultural lands in the north is accelerated by regular droughts)

• tropical;
• hot, humid in south;
• semiarid in north

urban population:

50.1% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

3.74% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

particulate matter emissions:

31.51 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions:

6.48 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions:

5.8 megatons (2020 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually:

685,936 tons (1993 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually:

171,484 tons (2005 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled:

25% (2005 est.)

municipal:

150 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial:

30 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

agricultural:

60 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

conventional long form:

Republic of Benin

conventional short form:

Benin

local long form:

République du Benin

local short form:

Benin

former:

Dahomey, People's Republic of Benin

etymology:

named for the Bight of Benin, the body of water on which the country lies

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 "by the river of death" in the native Fon language

history:

previous 1946, 1958 (preindependence); latest adopted by referendum 2 December 1990, promulgated 11 December 1990

amendments:

• 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;
• amended 2019

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

chief of state:

President Patrice TALON (since 6 April 2016)

head of government:

President Patrice TALON

cabinet:

Council of Ministers appointed by the president

elections/appointments:

• president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term);
• last held on 11 April 2021 (next to be held on 12 April 2026);
• note - the president is both head of state and head of government

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%

description:

unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (109 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by party-list proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms except for the current members whose terms will end in 2026 to facilitate general elections)

elections:

last held on 8 January 2023 (next to be held on 11 January 2027)

election results:

• percent of vote by party - Progressive Union for Renewal 37.6%, Bloc Republicain 29.2%, The Democrats 24%;
• seats by party - Progressive Union for Renewal 53, Bloc Republicain 28, The Democrats 28;
• composition- men 80, women 29, percentage women 26.6%

note: seat total includes 24 seats reserved for women

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);
• 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

judge selection and term of office:

• Supreme Court president and judges appointed by the president of the republic upon 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 Repression des Infractions Economiques et du Terrorisme;
• district courts;
• village courts;
• Assize courts

• 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

chief of mission:

Ambassador Jean-Claude Felix DO REGO (since 17 July 2020)

chancery:

2124 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 232-6656

FAX:

[1] (202) 265-1996

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://beninembassy.us/

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:

[email protected]; https://bj.usembassy.gov/

• two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red (bottom) with a vertical green band on the hoist side;
• green symbolizes hope and revival, yellow wealth, and red courage

note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia

name:

"L'Aube Nouvelle" (The Dawn of a New Day)

lyrics/music:

Gilbert Jean DAGNON

note: adopted 1960

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)

• 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

Fitch rating:

B (2019)

Moody's rating:

B2 (2019)

Standard & Poors rating: B+ (2018)

note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.

agriculture:

25.4% (2023 est.)

industry:

17.3% (2023 est.)

services:

47.7% (2023 est.)

note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

total:

3.9% (2023 est.)

male:

3.2% (2023 est.)

female:

4.6% (2023 est.)

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

lowest 10%:

3.1% (2021 est.)

highest 10%:

27.2% (2021 est.)

note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

consumption:

45,000 metric tons (2022 est.)

imports:

46,000 metric tons (2022 est.)

refined petroleum consumption:

46,000 bbl/day (2022 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves:

8 million barrels (2021 est.)

consumption:

182.131 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

imports:

182.131 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

proven reserves:

1.133 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

total subscriptions:

2,000 (2022 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants:

(2022 est.) less than 1

general assessment:

• Benin’s telecom market continues to be restricted by the poor condition of the country’s fixed-line infrastructure;
• this has hampered the development of fixed-line voice and internet services, and there is negligible revenue derived from these sectors;
• mobile networks account for almost all internet connections, and also carry most voice traffic;
• there is promise for considerable change in the mobile sector;
• slow progress is being made in developing competition in the mobile sector;
• in May 2021 the government sought foreign companies to bid for a fourth mobile license;
• improved international internet connectivity has contributed to a reduction in end-user pricing, and provided the potential to transform many areas of the country’s economy, bringing a greater proportion of the population into the orbit of internet commerce and connectivity;
• a 2,000km fiber project started in 2016 was finally completed in mid-2021, prompting the government to secure a loan to build additional fiber infrastructure connecting four of the country’s 12 departments (2022)

domestic:

fixed-line teledensity less than 1 per 100 people; mobile cellular subscriptions are 98 per 100 people (2021)

international:

• country code - 229;
• landing points for the SAT-3/WASC and ACE fiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe, and most West African countries;
• satellite earth stations - 7 (Intelsat-Atlantic Ocean) (2019)

• state-run Office de Radiodiffusion et de Television du Benin (ORTB) operates a TV station providing 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 broadcast stations;
• transmissions of a few international broadcasters are available on FM in Cotonou (2019)

number of registered air carriers:

1 (2015)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 1 (2015)

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

112,392 (2015)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

805,347 (2015) mt-km

total:

438 km (2014)

narrow gauge:

438 km (2014) 1.000-m gauge

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

• the FAB is equipped with a small mix of mostly older or secondhand French, Soviet-era, and US equipment;
• in recent years, the EU, France, and the US have provided it with limited amounts of newer military hardware such as armored vehicles and helicopters (2024)

• 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

tier rating:

• Tier 2 Watch list — Benin did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts to eliminate trafficking compared with the previous reporting period and was downgraded to Tier 2 Watch List;
• for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2024-trafficking-in-persons-report/benin/