
Official name | Republic of Benin |
Name in local language | République du Bénin (fr) |
Continent | Africa |
Subcontinent | Sub-Saharan Africa |
Population (ranking: 83e) | 11,496,140 inhabitants (2018) |
Population growth | 2.77 % / year |
Area | 114,763 km² |
Density | 100.17 inhabitants / km² |
GDP (ranking: 148e) | 10.359 billions $USD (2018) |
GDP/capita (ranking) | 902 $USD (2018) |
GDP growth | 6.90 % / year (2018) |
Life expectancy (ranking) | 61.50 years (2018) |
Birth rate | 36.40 ‰ (2013) |
Fertility rate | 4.80 children / woman (2013) |
Death rate (ranking) | 8.50 ‰ (2013) |
Infant mortality rate (ranking) | 68.10 ‰ (2013) |
Literacy rate | 52.55 % (2015) |
Official languages | French |
Currency | West African CFA franc (XOF) |
HDI (ranking: 201e) | 0.520 / 1 (2018) |
EPI (ranking) | 38.17 (2018) |
Government | Presidential republic |
Head of State | President Patrice Talon |
National Day | 1st August (independence of 1960) |
ISO Codes | BJ, BEN |
Demonym | Beninese |
Tourists (ranking) | 267,000 people (2016) |

Strong demographic growth
Benin is a country in West Africa, which is 700 kilometers long, from the Niger River in the north to the Atlantic coast to the south. The country is part of the ECOWAS and the Francophonie, and is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, and to the north Niger and Burkina Faso.



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Urban areas (2017)
Urban areas | Population |
---|---|
Cotonou | 2,401,067 inhabitants |
Porto-Novo | 914,391 inhabitants |
Djougou | 267,812 inhabitants |
Abomey-Bohicon | 264,047 inhabitants |
Parakou | 255,478 inhabitants |
Kandi | 179,290 inhabitants |
Malanville | 168,641 inhabitants |
Ouidah | 162,034 inhabitants |
Natitingou | 154,811 inhabitants |
Djakotomey | 134,028 inhabitants |
See all urban areas
Administrative divisions
Departments | Population | Area |
---|---|---|
Alibori | 867,463 inhabitants | 26,242 km² |
Atacora | 772,262 inhabitants | 20,499 km² |
Atlantique | 1,398,229 inhabitants | 3,233 km² |
Borgou | 1,214,249 inhabitants | 25,856 km² |
Collines | 717,477 inhabitants | 13,931 km² |
Couffo | 745,328 inhabitants | 2,404 km² |
Donga | 543,130 inhabitants | 11,126 km² |
Littoral | 679,012 inhabitants | 79 km² |
Mono | 497,243 inhabitants | 1,605 km² |
Ouémé | 1,100,404 inhabitants | 1,281 km² |
Plateau | 622,372 inhabitants | 3,264 km² |
Zou | 851,580 inhabitants | 5,243 km² |