Benin — Country Profile
Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Benin: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna Power score (--/100, ranked #-- of 195).
Last updated: October 2026
Benin is in Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo. It covers 112,622 sq km. Terrain: mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains. Climate: tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north.
| Capital | Porto-Novo (constitutional capital); Cotonou (seat of government) |
|---|---|
| Population | 15,186,090 (2025 est.) |
| GDP (PPP) | $56.424 billion (2024 est.) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $3,900 (2024 est.) |
| Real GDP growth | 7.5% (2024 est.) |
| Inflation | 1.2% (2024 est.) |
| Unemployment | 1.8% (2024 est.) |
| Public debt | 49.7% of GDP (2016 est.) |
| Exports | $4.511 billion (2023 est.) |
| Imports | $6.189 billion (2023 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 63 years (2024 est.) |
| Median age | 17.2 years (2025 est.) |
| Urbanization | 50.1% of total population (2023) |
| Government | presidential republic |
| Independence | 1 August 1960 (from France) |
| Languages | 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 |
Benin’s GDP is $56.424 billion (2024 est.) in purchasing-power-parity terms. At official exchange rates it stands at $21.483 billion (2024 est.). Real GDP grew 7.5% (2024 est.). See where Benin ranks among all 195 countries by GDP.
POWER --/100 — The Magna Power score is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — nine components, 135 indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum 0 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
Little moved in Jul–Sep 2026: no crisis, no windfall. The quarter simply confirmed the country's standing course.
Deeper forces — trade patterns, regional stability, institutional strength — will decide the trajectory; three months rarely do.
- What our model rewards: inflation tamed at 1.2%; unemployment near 1.8% — work for whoever wants it
- What drags it down: fertility of 5.3 children per woman — far above replacement, a cradle overflowing faster than schools can keep up; a median age of 17 — a nation of children, its workforce still in the classroom
Marble, Timber.
Energy is the physical base of economic power — what a country can generate, move and burn decides what it can build, sell and defend.
| Electricity access | 56.5% (2022 est.) |
|---|---|
| Installed capacity mix (CIA) | fossil fuels: 96.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 3.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) |
| Energy consumption per capita (CIA) | 6.472 million Btu/person (2023 est.) |
| Primary energy consumption (OWID) | 26.8 TWh (2023) |
| Electricity generation (OWID) | 1.0 TWh (2023) |
| Energy per capita (OWID) | 1,897 kWh per person (2023) |
| Electricity generation mix (OWID) | Gas 73.0%, Oil 24.0%, Solar 3.0% (2023) |
| Low-carbon share of electricity (OWID) | 3.0% (2023) |
| Carbon intensity of electricity (OWID) | 590.0 gCO2/kWh (2023) |
Sources: CIA World Factbook, Energy section; Our World in Data (IEA/Ember), 2023.
Trade shows what the world buys from a country and what the country must buy from the world — the balance between the two is a direct measure of economic leverage.
| Exports | $4.511 billion (2023 est.) |
|---|---|
| Imports | $6.189 billion (2023 est.) |
| Trade balance (calculated) | Deficit of $1.7 billion (2023), calculated from the CIA export and import figures above. |
| Key industries | textiles, food processing, construction materials, cement |
Source: CIA World Factbook, Economy section.
Romuald Wadagni — President. President Patrice TALON (since 6 April 2016)
Benin maintains 11 embassies and 1 consulates abroad, hosts 27 foreign diplomatic missions, holds permanent missions to UN New York, AU Addis Ababa. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.
| Embassies abroad | 11 |
|---|---|
| Consulates abroad | 1 |
| Foreign missions hosted | 27 |
| Multilateral missions | UN New York, AU Addis Ababa |
Source: Consular Affairs Center, Diplomatic and Consular Networks Database and Rankings, January 2026 (Zenodo, CC BY 4.0). https://zenodo.org/records/18109976
Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.
| Sea access | Coastal — 121 km of coastline. |
|---|---|
| Airports (total) | 10 (registration prefix TY) |
| Major seaports | Cotonou |
| Railways | 438 km |
| Pipelines | 134 km gas |
Major airports
Cotonou Cadjehoun International Airport (COO) — Cotonou.
Terminals
| LNG import terminals | Cotonou |
|---|
Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28); theodora.com CIA mirror (CIA World Factbook Transportation section), scraped 2026-10-02
| Political system | presidential republic |
|---|---|
| Next election | No election currently scheduled. |
POWER --/100 Ranked #-- of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Benin.
This profile covers the population, economy, natural resources, leaders, and history of Benin — with the Bureau’s live national-power score of --/100, ranking #-- of 195 countries.
What is Benin's power score?
Benin has a Magna Power score of --/100. The score measures structural power — the proven capacity to shape events — across nine components.