Benin

Overview

Benin

Benin is a West African country of about 15 million people on the Gulf of Guinea. Covering roughly 114,800 km2, it extends inland from a 121-kilometre coastline and borders Togo, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and Niger. Porto-Novo is the capital, while Cotonou is the largest city, the main port, and the seat of government. Formerly known as Dahomey, the country was a French colony from the late nineteenth century until independence in 1960. It was renamed Benin in 1975 and governed as a Marxist-Leninist state until 1990, when a national conference led to a new constitution and to multiparty elections in 1991. Romuald Wadagni was elected president in April 2026, succeeding Patrice Talon, who had held office since 2016. Forests cover about 27% of the land. French is the official language, and Christianity is the largest religion, alongside Islam and Vodun.

Benin remains a lower-middle-income economy, and agriculture and trade play important roles in employment and growth. Agriculture accounts for about 23% of GDP and employs about 40% of the workforce. Benin is Africa’s largest cotton producer, and cotton is increasingly processed into textiles and garments at the Glo-Djigbé Industrial Zone near Cotonou. Services, led by trade and transport, have driven recent growth, supported by demand from Nigeria. About 90% of workers are employed in the informal sector. In 2025, Benin’s GDP per capita was approximately US$1,658, and real GDP grew by 8.1%.

Source: World Bank. (2026). World Development Indicators, from https://data.worldbank.org/country/benin