Map of Benin | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: Present day Benin was the site of Dahomey a prominent West African kingdom that rose in the 15th century. The territory became a French Colony in 1872 and achieved independence on 1 August 1960 as the Republic of Benin. A succession of military governments ended in 1972 with the rise to power of Mathieu KEREKOU and the establishment of a government based on Marxist-Leninist principles. A move to representative government began in 1989. Two years later free elections ushered in former Prime Minister Nicephore SOGLO as president marking the first successful transfer of power in Africa from a dictatorship to a democracy. KEREKOU was returned to power by elections held in 1996 and 2001 though some irregularities were alleged. KEREKOU stepped down at the end of his second term in 2006 and was succeeded by Thomas YAYI Boni a political outsider and independent. YAYI has attempted to stem corruption and has strongly promoted accelerating Benin's economic growth.


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Location: Western Africa bordering the Bight of Benin between Nigeria and Togo

Geographic coordinates: 9 30 N 2 15 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 112,622 km²
Rank: 102
Land: 110,622 km²
Water: 2000 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Pennsylvania

Land boundaries
Total: 1989 km
Border countries: (4) Burkina Faso 306 km; Niger 266 km; Nigeria 773 km; Togo 644 km

Coastline: 121 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 200 nm

Climate: tropical; hot humid in south; semiarid in north

Terrain: mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Extremes highest point: Mont Sokbaro 658 m

Natural resources: small offshore oil deposits limestone marble timber

Land use
Arable land: 23.53%
Permanent crops: 2.37%
Other: 74.1% (2005)

Irrigated land: 120 km² (2008)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 25.8 km³ (2001)

Natural hazards: hot dry dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March

Geography
Note: sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors river mouths or islands


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Population: 9,325,032 (July 2011 est.)
Rank: 89
Note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy higher infant mortality higher death rates lower population growth rates and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected
Growth rate: 2.911% (2011 est.)
Growth rate rank: 13
Below poverty line: 37.4% (2007 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Beninese
Adjective: Beninese

Ethnic groups: Fon and related 39.2% Adja and related 15.2% Yoruba and related 12.3% Bariba and related 9.2% Peulh and related 7% Ottamari and related 6.1% Yoa-Lokpa and related 4% Dendi and related 2.5% other 1.6% (includes Europeans) unspecified 2.9% (2002 census)

Languages: French (official) Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south) tribal languages (at least six major ones in north)

Religions: Catholic 27.1% Muslim 24.4% Vodoun 17.3% Protestant 10.4% (Celestial 5% Methodist 3.2% other Protestant 2.2%) other Christian 5.3% other 15.5% (2002 census)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 44.7%
15-64 years: 52.6% (male 2,443,370/female 2,461,421)
65 years and over: 2.7% (male 101,640/female 149,288) (2011 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 17.4 years
Male: 17 years
Female: 17.9 years (2011 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.911% (2011 est.)
Rank: 13

Birth rate: 38.11 births/1000 population (2011 est.)
Rank: 15

Death rate: 9 deaths/1000 population (July 2011 est.)
Rank: 70

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (2011 est.)
Rank: 76

Population distribution

Urbanization
Urban population: 42% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 4% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: inadequate supplies of potable water; poaching threatens wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification
International agreements party to: Biodiversity Climate Change Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Desertification Endangered Species Environmental Modification Hazardous Wastes Law of the Sea Ozone Layer Protection Ship Pollution Wetlands Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
Total population: 1 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 61.56 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 31
Male: 64.89 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 58.07 deaths/1000 live births (2011 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 59.84 years
Rank: 186
Male: 58.61 years
Female: 61.14 years (2011 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.31 children born/woman (2011 est.)
Rank: 14

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source:

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 0.059 physicians/1000 population (2008)
Rank: 171

Hospital bed density: 0.5 beds/1000 population (2005)
Rank: 170

Sanitation facility access:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 1.2% (2009 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 41
People living with hivaids: 60,000 (2009 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 55
Deaths: 2,700 (2009 est.)
Deaths rank: 48

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: very high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea hepatitis A and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever
Respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
Animal contact disease: rabies (2009)

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 20.2% (2006)
Rank: 37

Education expenditures: 3.5% of GDP (2007)
Rank: 116

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 34.7%
Male: 47.9%
Female: 23.3% (2002 census)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 9 years
Male: 11 years
Female: 8 years (2005)

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Benin
Conventional short form: Benin
Local long form: Republique du Benin
Local short form: Benin
Former: Dahomey

Government type: republic

Capital
Name: Porto-Novo
Geographic coordinates: 6 29 N 2 37 E
Time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington DC during Standard Time)
Note: Cotonou (seat of government)

Administrative divisions: 12 departments; Alibori Atakora Atlantique Borgou Collines Kouffo Donga Littoral Mono Oueme Plateau Zou

Dependent areas

Independence: 1 August 1960 (from France)

National holiday: National Day 1 August (1960)

Constitution: adopted by referendum 2 December 1990

Legal system: civil law system modeled largely on the French system and some customary law

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Thomas YAYI Boni ; note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
Head of government: President Thomas YAYI Boni (since 6 April 2006); Prime Minister Pascal KOUPAKI (since 28 May 2011)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
Elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); last held on 13 March 2011 (next to be held in March 2016)
Election results: Thomas YAYI Boni re-elected president; percent of vote - Thomas YAYI Boni 53.1% Adrien HOUNGBEDJI 35.6% Abdoulaye Bio TCHANE 6.1% other 5.2%

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (83 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)
Elections: last held on 30 April 2011 (next to be held in 2015)
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FCBE 41 UN 30 other 12

Judicial branch: Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle (7 members; 4 appointed by the National Assembly 3 appointed by the President; appointed for a 5-year term for one term); Supreme Court or Cour Supreme (President of the Supreme Court appointed by the President for a 5-year term); High Court of Justice (composed of members of the Constitutional Court and 6 members appointed by the National Assembly)

Political parties and leaders: African Movement for Democracy and Progress or MADEP [Sefou FAGBOHOUN]; Alliance for Dynamic Democracy or ADD; Alliance of Progress Forces or AFP; Benin Renaissance or RB [Rosine SOGLO]; Democratic Renewal Party or PRD [Adrien HOUNGBEDJI]; Force Cowrie for an Emerging Benin or FCBE; Impulse for Progress and Democracy or IPD [Theophile NATA]; Key Force or FC [Lazare S?HOU?TO]; Movement for the People's Alternative or MAP [Olivier CAPO-CHICHI]; Rally for Democracy and Progress or RDP [Dominique HOUNGNINOU]; Social Democrat Party or PSD [Bruno AMOUSSOU]; Union for Democracy and National Solidarity or UDS [Sacca LAFIA]; Union for the Relief or UPR [Issa SALIFOU]
Note: approximately 20 additional minor parties

International organization participation: ACP AfDB AU ECOWAS Entente FAO FZ G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICRM IDA IDB IFAD IFC IFRCS ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO (correspondent) ITSO ITU ITUC MIGA MONUSCO NAM OAS (observer) OIC OIF OPCW PCA UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UNMIL UNMISS UNOCI UNWTO UPU WAEMU WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Cyrille Segbe OGUIN
In the us chancery: 2,124 Kalorama Road NW Washington DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 232-6,656
In the us fax: [1] (202) 265-1996
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador James A. KNIGHT
From the us embassy: Rue Caporal Bernard Anani Cotonou
From the us mailing address: 01 B. P. 2012 Cotonou
From the us telephone: [229] 21-30-06-50
From the us fax: [229] 21-30-03-84

Flag description: 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

National symbols: leopard

National anthem
Name: 'L'Aube Nouvelle'
Lyricsmusic: Gilbert Jean DAGNON
Note: adopted 1960

National heritage


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Economy overview: The economy of Benin remains underdeveloped and dependent on subsistence agriculture cotton production and regional trade. Growth in real output had averaged about 4% before the global recession but fell to 2.7% in 2009 and 3% in 2010. Inflation has subsided over the past several years. In order to raise growth Benin plans to attract more foreign investment place more emphasis on tourism facilitate the development of new food processing systems and agricultural products and encourage new information and communication technology. Specific projects to improve the business climate by reforms to the land tenure system the commercial justice system and the financial sector were included in Benin's $307 million Millennium Challenge Account grant signed in February 2006. The 2001 privatization policy continues in telecommunications water electricity and agriculture. As result of these reforms Benin has become the most competitive country in the West African Economic and Monetary Union according to the World Economic Forum. The Paris Club and bilateral creditors have eased the external debt situation with Benin benefiting from a G-8 debt reduction announced in July 2005 while pressing for more rapid structural reforms. An insufficient electrical supply continues to adversely affect Benin's economic growth though the government recently has taken steps to increase domestic power production.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 139
Note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 137

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 200
Note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 35.8%
Industry: 6.1%
Services: 58.1% (2010 est.)

Agriculture products: cotton corn cassava (tapioca) yams beans palm oil peanuts cashews; livestock

Industries: textiles food processing construction materials cement

Industrial production growth rate: 3% (2010 est.)
Rank: 119

Labor force: 3.662 million (2007 est.)
Rank: 94

Unemployment rate: NA%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 37.4% (2007 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 3.1%
Highest 10: 29% (2003)

Distribution of family income gini index: 36.5 (2003)
Rank: 86

Budget
Revenues: $1.218 billion
Expenditures: $1.418 billion (2010 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -3% of GDP (2010 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 97

Taxes and other revenues: 18.3% of GDP (2010 est.)
Rank: 169

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2.2% (2009 est.)
Rank: 76

Central bank discount rate: 4.25% (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 85

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

Stock of narrow money: $1.679 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 125

Stock of broad money: $2.61 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 142

Stock of domestic credit: $1.316 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 148

Market value of publicly traded shares: $NA

Current account balance: -$523.4 million (2009 est.)
Rank: 111

Exports: $1.13 billion (2009 est.)
Rank: 149
Commodities: cotton cashews shea butter textiles palm products seafood
Partners: India 26.4% China 21.4% Niger 6.5% Nigeria 5.6% Indonesia 4.4% (2010)

Imports: $1.646 billion (2009 est.)
Rank: 158
Commodities: foodstuffs capital goods petroleum products
Partners: China 35.2% France 8% US 7.2% Malaysia 5.9% UK 4.8% Netherlands 4.3% India 4.1% Thailand 4% (2010)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $1.23 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 136

Debt external: $2.894 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 132

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Production: 128 million kWh (2008 est.)
Production rank: 190
Consumption: 653 million kWh (2008 est.)
Consumption rank: 156
Exports: 0 kWh (2009 est.)
Imports: 651 million kWh (2008 est.)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2009 est.)
Production rank: 158
Consumption: 0 m³ (2009 est.)
Consumption rank: 152
Exports: 0 m³ (2009 est.)
Exports rank: 63
Imports: 0 m³ (2009 est.)
Imports rank: 91
Proven reserves: 1.133 billion m³ (1 January 2011 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 98

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 133,400 (2010)
Main lines in use rank: 141
Mobile cellular: 7.075 million (2010)
Mobile cellular rank: 89

Telephone system
General assessment: inadequate system of open-wire microwave radio relay and cellular connections; fixed-line network characterized by aging deteriorating equipment
Domestic: fixed-line teledensity only about 2 per 100 persons; spurred by the presence of multiple mobile-cellular providers cellular telephone subscribership has been increasing rapidly
International: country code - 229; landing point for the SAT-3/WASC fiber-optic submarine cable that provides connectivity to Europe and Asia; long distance fiber-optic links with Togo Burkina Faso Niger and Nigeria; satellite earth stations - 7 (Intelsat-Atlantic Ocean) (2008)

Broadcast media: state-run Office de Radiodiffusion et de Television du Benin (ORTB) operates a TV station with multiple channels giving it 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 (2007)

Internet
Country code: .bj
Hosts: 1286 (2010)
Hosts rank: 165
Users: 200,100 (2009)
Users rank: 139

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: 1% of GDP (2009)
Rank: 127

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18-35 years of age for selective compulsory and voluntary military service; a higher education diploma is required; both sexes are eligible for military service; conscript tour of duty - 18 months (2011)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 5 (2010)
Rank: 179
With paved runways total: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1 (2010)
With unpaved runways total: 4
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2 (2010)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways
Total: 438 km
Rank: 113
Narrow gauge: 438 km 1.000-m gauge (2010)

Roadways
Total: 16,000 km
Rank: 119
Paved: 1400 km
Unpaved: 14,600 km (2006)

Waterways: 150 km (seasonal navigation on River Niger along northern border) (2010)
Rank: 102

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals: Cotonou


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Disputes international: talks continue between Benin and Togo on funding the Adjrala hydroelectric dam on the Mona River; Benin retains a border dispute with Burkina Faso around the town of Koualou; location of Benin-Niger-Nigeria tripoint is unresolved

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees: 9,444 (Togo) (2007)

Illicit drugs: transshipment point used by traffickers for cocaine destined for Western Europe; vulnerable to money laundering