Location:
Western Africa
Capital City:
Porto-Novo
Area:
total: 112,622 sq km
land: 110,622 sq km
water: 2,000 sq km
Land boundaries:
Total: 2,123 km
border countries (4):
Burkina Faso 386 km,
Niger 277 km,
Nigeria 809 km,
Togo 651 km
Coastline: 121 km
Total: 2244 km
Benin
Climate:
tropical;
hot, humid in south;
semiarid in north
Terrain:
mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains
Elevation:
mean elevation: 273 m
elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Sokbaro 658 m
Natural resources:
small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber
Land use:
agricultural land: 31.3%
arable land 22.9%; permanent crops 3.5%; permanent pasture 4.9%
forest: 40%
other: 28.7% (2011 est.)
Irrigated land:
230 sq km (2012)
Population – distribution:
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
Natural hazards:
hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March
People and Society
Benin has a youthful age structure – almost 65% of the population is under the age of 25 – which is bolstered by high fertility and population growth rates. Benin’s total fertility has been falling over time but remains high, declining from almost 7 children per women in 1990 to 4.8 in 2016. Benin’s low contraceptive use and high unmet need for contraception contribute to the sustained high fertility rate. Although the majority of Beninese women use skilled healthcare personnel for antenatal care and delivery, the high rate of maternal mortality indicates the need for more access to high-quality obstetric care.
Poverty, unemployment, increased living costs, and dwindling resources increasingly drive the Beninese to migrate. An estimated 4.4 million, more than 40%, of Beninese live abroad. Virtually all Beninese emigrants move to West African countries, particularly Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire. Of the less than 1% of Beninese emigrants who settle in Europe, the vast majority live in France, Benin’s former colonial ruler.
With about 40% of the population living below the poverty line, many desperate parents resort to sending their children to work in wealthy households as domestic servants (a common practice known as vidomegon), mines, quarries, or agriculture domestically or in Nigeria and other neighboring countries, often under brutal conditions. Unlike in other West African countries, where rural people move to the coast, farmers from Benin’s densely populated southern and northwestern regions move to the historically sparsely populated central region to pursue agriculture. Immigrants from West African countries came to Benin in increasing numbers between 1992 and 2002 because of its political stability and porous borders.
Population:
11,038,805
Nationality:
Beninese
Ethnic groups:
Fon and related 38.4%, Adja and related 15.1%, Yoruba and related 12%, Bariba and related 9.6%, Fulani and related 8.6%, Ottamari and related 6.1%, Yoa-Lokpa and related 4.3%, Dendi and related 2.9%, other 0.9%, foreigner 1.9% (2013 est.)
Languages:
French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north)
Religions:
Muslim 27.7%, Roman Catholic 25.5%, Protestant 13.5% (Celestial 6.7%, Methodist 3.4%, other Protestant 3.4%), Vodoun 11.6%, other Christian 9.5%, other traditional religions 2.6%, other 2.6%, none 5.8% (2013 est.)
Ethnicity, Language, and Religion
The largest ethnic group in Benin is Fon/Dahomey which constitutes 39% of the total population. Established in 1600 by the Fon, a group that came about through the intermarriage between the Adja and local Gedevi, the Dahomey ethnic group is the majority in West Africa. Coming from Nigeria and well settled along the eastern boundary of Benin is the Yoruba ethnic group. They are more than 18% of the population. The majority of the Yoruba people in Benin are descendants of the Ife tribe, and the Yoruba people are predominantly of the Muslim religion.
The Adja ethnic group is mostly farmers and lives in the southern part of Benin. They make up 15% of the general country population. This group of people migrated into Benin between the 12th and 13th centuries from River Mono. Dominating the northern side of Benin is the Bariba ethnic group who constitute 9% of the population. They are the first inhabitants of Benin and are concentrated in the capital city, Nikki. There is no ethnic homogeneity in Benin, which was brought about by the high levels of waves of migration, commercial relations with Europe and competition that existed among the pre-colonial Kingdoms.
French is the official language and the language of instruction, but each ethnic group has its own language, which is also spoken. Most adults living in the various ethnic communities also speak the dominant language of each region. The most widely spoken languages are Fon and Gen (Mina), members of the Kwa branch of the Niger-Congo family of African languages; Bariba, a member of the Gur branch of the Niger-Congo family; Yoruba, one of a small group of languages that constitute the Yoruboid cluster of the Defoid subbranch of the Benue-Congo branch of the Niger-Congo family; and Dendi, one of the Songhai languages, which are generally assumed to constitute the primary branch of the Nilo-Saharan language family.
About 30% of the population is nominally Christian, with a majority belonging to the Roman Catholic church. Other denominations include Methodists, Baptist, Assemblies of God, Jehovah’s Witnesses, The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints, Celestial Christians, Seventh-Day Adventists, Rosicrucians, the Unification Church, Eckankar, and the Baha’i faith. About 20% of the population is Sunni Muslim. The constitution provides for freedom of religion and this right is generally respected in practice. There is no state-sponsored religion.
Education
Education in Benin covers nursery, primary and secondary levels, along with technical, professional and university education, training for the handicapped and informal education. Despite strong demand, still very little such education is available and the 2002 census put gross nursery school enrolment at 14.3% for boys and 12.9% for girls. The government earmarks less and less money for this level, for which data is very fragmentary. The private sector has been active since nursery schools were opened up to it in 1990 and are providing many more places. Enrolment in state nursery schools rose from 13,165 in 1993 to 16,647 in 1999, while private school pupils soared from 916 to 11,404.
The education program adheres to the French model of 6-4-3 and is compulsory from age 6 through to age 11. This period is spent at primary school where children receive their foundation education. The following 4 years are spent at middle school where a general academic curriculum continues. At the end of this period, students write their brevet d’etudes du premier cycle examination which is the equivalent of O-levels. Students who wish to pursue their academic options further proceed to senior high school for another 3 years. After that, they still have to pass their baccalaureate examination which is the key to the doors of the university. If they prefer, they may go to one of 5 vocational schools spread across 12 provinces instead.
The University of Abomey-Calavi (previously known as the University of Dahomey and the National University of Benin, located in Cotonou, was founded in 1970. The university’s student body has been, along with workers, the main political force in the country since the early 1980s. The University of Parakou was founded in 2001. Benin has reformed its vocational training system in line with urban demand for skilled labor. Notable among its strategies is a dual apprenticeship system, where theoretical education alternates with practical apprenticeship training.
Economy
Benin’s economy relies heavily on its informal re-export and transit trade to Nigeria, which makes up roughly 20 percent of GDP, and on agriculture. The tertiary sector as a whole account for 50 percent of GDP, while agriculture accounts for about 25 percent of GDP and 45 to 55 percent of employment. The economy is characterized by informality, representing an estimated 65 percent of the total economy and over 90 percent of the labor force. The free market economy of Benin has grown consecutively for four years, though growth slowed in 2017, as its close trade links to Nigeria expose Benin to risks from volatile commodity prices. Cotton is a key export commodity, with export earnings significantly impacted by the price of cotton in the broader market. The economy began deflating in 2017, with prices falling 0.8%.
During the first two years of President TALON’s administration, the government has followed an ambitious action plan to kickstart development through investments in infrastructure, education, agriculture, and governance. Electricity generation, which has constrained Benin’s economic growth, has increased and blackouts have been considerably reduced. Private foreign direct investment is small, and foreign aid accounts for a large proportion of investment in infrastructure projects.
Real GDP growth accelerated from 2.1 percent in 2015 to 4 percent in 2016 and 5.6 percent in 2017 and is expected to reach 6.0 percent in 2018, overcoming the low-growth that resulted from a drop in demand in Nigeria. Cotton production, 5 to 7 percent of GDP and about 27 percent of exports, hit about 451,000 tons in 2016—a 73 percent increase from 2015. The government expected an increase of 11 percent for 2017. Industrial production accelerated at 7.2 percent in 2017, up from 4.5 percent in 2016. The sector will benefit from cotton ginning and dynamism in the construction sub-sector linked to the implementation of a government investment plan. Inflation is estimated at 0.6 percent for 2017 and projected to remain under the West Africa Economic Market Union’s target of 3 percent for 2018. With the partial implementation of the PAG, Benin’s overall fiscal deficit (including grants) was 6.1 percent of GDP in 2017 against a projected 7.9 percent, thanks to the strong performance of domestic revenue. It may shrink to 4.1 percent and 1.9 percent of GDP in 2018 and 2019 respectively.
Realizing Benin’s economic potential will require further efforts to upgrade infrastructure, stem corruption, and expand access to foreign markets. In September 2015, Benin signed a second MCC Compact for $375 million that entered into force in June 2017 and is designed to strengthen the national utility service provider, attract private sector investment, fund infrastructure investments in electricity generation and distribution, and develop off-grid electrification for poor and unserved households. As part of the Government of Benin’s action plan to spur growth, Benin passed public-private partnership legislation in 2017 to attract more foreign investment, place more emphasis on tourism, facilitate the development of new food processing systems and agricultural products, encourage new information and communication technology, and establish Independent Power Producers. In April 2017, the IMF approved a three year $150.4 million Extended Credit Facility agreement to maintain debt sustainability and boost donor confidence
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$25.29 billion (2017 est.)
$23.99 billion (2016 est.)
$23.06 billion (2015 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$12.56 billion (2017 est.)
Real GDP
$9.41 billion (2017 est.)
GDP – real growth rate::
5.4% (2017 est.)
4% (2016 est.)
2.1% (2015 est.)
GDP – per capita (PPP):
$2,200 (2017 est.)
$2,200 (2016 est.)
$2,100 (2015 est.)
Gross national saving:
20% of GDP (2017 est.)
17.4% of GDP (2016 est.)
17.6% of GDP (2015 est.)
GDP – composition, by sector of origin:
agriculture: 25.6%
industry: 23.1%
services: 51.3% (2017 est.)
Agriculture – products:
cotton, corn, cassava (manioc, tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts, cashews; livestock
Industries:
textiles, food processing, construction materials, cement
Population below poverty line:
36.2% (2011 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $1.372 billion
expenditures: $2.261 billion (2017 est.)
Agriculture
Sustainable agriculture in Benin has become increasingly challenging for many of the country’s farmers. Northern Benin, in particular, is vulnerable to floods, erratic rainfall patterns, and droughts. Many Beninese farmers have emigrated to other African countries as a result. However, efforts are being made to improve Beninese agricultural yields.
Many of Benin’s women farmers are part of an organization called the Mialebouni Association that specializes in cassava farming. In 2012, the U.S. African Development Foundation (USADF) gave Mialebouni a $150,000 capacity-building grant, followed by a $240,000 enterprise expansion grant in 2016. Mialebouni used the funds to purchase mobile processing stations designed to meet its members’ needs, reduce their hardships and increase profits. The mobile grinders and presses are transported by bicycle to provide processing services in several villages.
Rice, poultry meat, wheat, corn, soybeans, canned fruits and vegetables, tomato sauce/ketchup, vegetable oil, fruit juices, pasta, wine and other spirits, powdered milk, energy drinks, mayonnaise, and snack foods are among the best prospects for U.S. agricultural exports to Benin. Benin has been eligible for the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) since the program began in 2000, and qualified for AGOA textile and apparel benefits in January 2004.
Benin‘s traditional trade links with the European Union, in particular, France and Belgium, remain strong. Chinese foodstuffs are available in open-air markets and supermarkets. Benin’s major trade partners include Nigeria, France, Belgium, Spain, Switzerland, Argentina, Brazil, U.S., China, and the United Arab Emirates.
Major regional trading partners include Niger, Togo, Nigeria, and Burkina Faso. Due to informal trade, estimates of annual trade with these countries are extremely difficult to determine, but some sources indicate that Benin exports about fifteen thousand metric tons of corn and fifteen hundred metric tons of rice to Nigeria, six thousand metric tons of corn to Niger, fourteen hundred metric tons of corn and two thousand metric tons of rice to Togo. In years where local crops are low yields, Benin has sourced, as much as, ninety-five hundred metric tons of corn and nine hundred fifty metric tons of rice from Togo, and six thousand metric tons of rice and eight hundred metric tons of corn from Nigeria.
Electricity access:
population without electricity: 7,300,000
electrification – total population: 29%
electrification – urban areas: 57%
electrification – rural areas: 9% (2013)
Electricity – production:
311.6 million kWh (2015 est.)
Electricity – consumption:
1.121 billion kWh (2015 est.)
Electricity – exports:
12.88 billion kWh (2015 est.)
Electricity – imports:
1.078 billion kWh (2015 est.)
Electricity – installed generating capacity:
213,000 kW (2015 est.)
Electricity – from fossil fuels:
97.2% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
Electricity – from nuclear fuels:
0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)
Telephones – fixed lines:
total subscriptions: 124,883
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1 (July 2016 est.)
Telephones – mobile cellular:
total: 9,493,400
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 86 (2017)
Internet country code:
.bj
Internet users:
total: 1,288,336
percent of population: 12.0% (July 2016 est.)
Manufacturing
Benin produced mostly industrial minerals, which included cement, clay, limestone, marble, and sand and gravel. Cassiterite, colored gemstones (aquamarine and tourmaline), gold, and tantalum ore have been produced in small quantities by artisanal miners. Although metals and various industrial minerals were produced in Benin in 2014, cement was the only commodity for which production data were available. Cement production in 2014 was approximately 1.40 million metric tons (Mt), which was essentially unchanged from the 1.42 Mt produced in 2013.
The Government of Benin owns all mineral deposits in the country and grants exclusive rights for exploration, development, and mining. The Government had identified the energy, infrastructure, and mining sectors, among others, as its development priorities and had been revising its mining laws to attract foreign investment. Towards this end, the Mining Code was under review to simplify procedures for awarding mining permits, to increase the duration of mining permits, and to establish special categories for artisanal and semi-industrial mining.
A textile factory at Parakout was revitalized with financing from the West African Development Bank. Benin’s industrial electricity needs are met by hydroelectric power from Akosombo dam in Ghana and the Nangbeto dam on the Mono River in Togo. The Société Beninoise d’Electricité et d’Eau (SBEE) controls most electrical production within Benin (which is minimal), and the Communauté Electrique du Benin (CEB) imports the electricity from Ghana through Togo.
Manufacturing plants and secondary industries include several palm-oil-processing plants in Ahozon, Avrankou, Bohicon, Cotonou, Gbada, and Pobé; cement plants at Onigbolo and Pobé; several cotton-ginning facilities in the north; a textile mill at Parakou; a sugar refining complex at Savé; a soft-drink plant; a brewery; and two shrimp-processing plants.
Electricity is generated thermally by plants located at Bohicon, Parakou, Cotonou, and Porto-Novo. About half of Benin’s demand for electricity is met by importing power from Ghana’s Volta River Project at Akosombo. In 1988 operations commenced at the hydroelectric installation of the Mono River Dam, a joint venture between Benin and Togo on their common southern boundary.
Banking and Finance
The banking system in Benin is regulated by the regional central bank, Banque Centrale des Etats de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (BCEAO) and the Banking Commission of the West African Monetary Union (Commission Bancaire de l’Union Economique et Monetaire Ouest Africaine (UEMOA)). All banks in Benin are private sector institutions and belong to either an international or regional banking group. These banks are often reluctant to lend for medium- and long-term loans.
Benin’s financial sector remains generally shallow and dominated by commercial banks. As of 2009, financial system deposits represented 24.2 percent of GDP. The supply of credit has continued to increase over the past few years, though credit growth appears to have decelerated in 2009, with total domestic credit and credit to the non-government sector expanding by 12.3 percent and 5.7 percent respectively in 2009, compared to 24.3 percent and 12.9 percent in 2008. Bank credit to the economy increased by 11 percent in 2009 to reach an estimated 19.7 percent of GDP, in part due to a reduction in regulatory reserve requirements from 15 percent to 9 percent.
As a member of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), Benin’s banking sector, which included 12 banks as of 2013, is governed at the community level. Three large banks, holding approximately 20 percent of the assets are Nigerian, however, banking sector penetration remains low. Concentration is high, and the 4 largest banks account for about 70 percent of assets. The performance and asset quality of commercial banks has improved in recent years, although one bank has been placed under provisional administration due to severe capital deficiencies and was eventually forced to close in 2012 and liquidated. Bank loan portfolios have been adversely affected by government payment delays in early 2009; the ratio of non-performing loans to total loans has decreased to 8.1 percent in 2009, down from 9.2 percent in the preceding year, but deteriorated in the next years to reach 18.6 percent in 2012, while the capital adequacy ratio of the commercial banks was 10.5 percent (at the end of 2011) above the 8 percent regulatory threshold.
Tourism
Benin is endowed with a fantastic natural environment. As a tropical region, the land is blessed with wildlife and rainforests, alongside with national reserves like Parc de la Pandjeri and Parc W. Its long coastline already attracts tourists, and various ongoing projects have been designed to draw more tourists in. Traveling to Benin can be interesting for visitors.
Apart from its bouquets of minimal beaches and lagoons, it boasts of waterfalls, hills and lush grassland spread across. You will also get to explore the Ouidah Slave Route, Royal Palaces of Abomey and its rich history, as you come across large palatial ruins and temples of Dahomey. The southern part of Benin experiences two seasons of rain in the year, starting from April to the middle of July, and from mid-September to October end. November to February is the best time to visit this amazing country when the temperature is moderate and the weather becomes dry with minimal humidity.
Place of Attractions
Royal Palaces of Abomey: Built between the 17th and 19th centuries by the Fon people, this UNESCO World Heritage site holds some of the last remains of West Africa’s turbulent past. The earthen structure makes up the ancient town in which the King of Dahomey (ancient Benin) resided.
Situated on an ancient palatial site, the Abomey Historical Museum provides insight into the fallen kingdom of Dahomey. With exhibitions covering the rise and fall of the elite and excavated artifacts like a throne made from human skulls, the Abomey Historical Museum is the perfect place to gain a better understanding of the Benin that once was.
The Route d’Esclaves or the Slave Route is a 2.5-mile (four-kilometer) stretch of heritage road that is the last piece of African soil slaves from Benin touched before they were shipped to the Caribbean and Americas.
the Temple of the Sacred Python is one of the most interesting temples in Ouidah. The serpent deity Dangbe is revered in many cultures in Benin and thus the serpent is believed to be a sacred and in need of reverence and protection.
One of the largest lake towns in the West African region, the village of Ganvie is an interesting place to visit. Home to nearly 30,000 people who all live in houses on stilts, the Ganvie Lake Village is quite a sight to behold. Only 11 miles (18 km) northwest of the center of Cotonou, Ganvie is a beautiful place to spend the day.
For tourists interested in shopping, there is only one place to go in Benin, the Grand Marche du Dantopka in Cotonou. Apart from the vast expanse of stalls and its seemingly endless supply of local jewelry, crafts, and knock-off CDs and clothing, the Grand Marche du Dantopka is simply an experience in itself.
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