Benin

Present-day Benin is comprised of about 42 ethnic groups, including the Yoruba in the southeast, who migrated from what is now Nigeria in the 12th century; the Dendi in the north-central area, who came from Mali in the 16th century; the Bariba and the Fula in the northeast; the Ottamari in the Atakora mountains; the Fon in the area around Abomey in the south-central area; and the Mina, Xueda, and Aja, who came from Togo, on the coast. The Kingdom of Dahomey emerged on the Abomey plateau in the 17th century and was a regional power for much of the 18th and 19th centuries. The growth of Dahomey coincided with the growth of the Atlantic slave trade, and it became known as a major source of enslaved people. France began to control the coastal areas of Dahomey in the second half of the 19th century; the entire kingdom was conquered by 1894. French Dahomey achieved independence in 1960, and it changed its name to the Republic of Benin in 1975.<br><br>A succession of military governments ended in 1972 with the rise to power of Mathieu KEREKOU and a Marxist-Leninist government. 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 returned to power after elections in 1996 and 2001. He stepped down in 2006 and was succeeded by Thomas YAYI Boni, a political outsider and independent, who won a second term in 2011. Patrice TALON, a wealthy businessman, took office in 2016; the space for pluralism, dissent, and free expression has narrowed under his administration. TALON won a second term in 2021.

Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Nigeria and Togo

9 30 N, 2 15 E

Africa

slightly smaller than Pennsylvania

121 km

tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north

mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains

small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber

530 sq km (2019)

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, as shown in this population distribution map

hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north from December to March

sandbanks create difficult access to a coast with no natural harbors, river mouths, or islands

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.)

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

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.)

3.26% (2025 est.)

39.82 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

7.45 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

0.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

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, as shown in this population distribution map

285,000 PORTO-NOVO (capital) (2018); 1.253 million Abomey-Calavi, 722,000 COTONOU (seat of government) (2022)

20.5 years (2017/18 est.)

518 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

5.3 children born/woman (2025 est.)

2.59 (2025 est.)

0.22 physicians/1,000 population (2023)

0.4 beds/1,000 population (2021 est.)

9.6% (2016)

19.6% (2021 est.)

65.7% (2022 est.)

inadequate supplies of potable water; water pollution; poaching; deforestation; desertification; droughts

tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north

32.6 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

26.39 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

presidential republic

12 departments; Alibori, Atacora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Couffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou

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

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

African Movement for Development and Progress or MADEP <br>Benin Renaissance or RB <br>Cowrie Force for an Emerging Benin or FCBE <br>Democratic Renewal Party or PRD <br>Progressive Union for Renewal <br>Republican Bloc <br>Sun Alliance or AS <br>The Democrats <br>Union Makes the Nation or UN (includes PRD, MADEP)

ACP, AfDB, AU, CD, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MNJTF, MONUSCO, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

1 August 1960 (from France)

Independence Day, 1 August (1960)

<strong>description:</strong> two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red (bottom) to the right, with a vertical green band on the left side <br><br><strong>meaning:</strong> green stands for hope and revival, yellow for wealth, and red for courage<br><br><strong>history:</strong> uses the colors of the Pan-African movement

leopard

green, yellow, red

robust economic growth; slightly declining but still widespread poverty; strong trade relations with Nigeria; cotton exporter; COVID-19 has led to capital outflows and border closures; WAEMU member with currency pegged to the euro; recent fiscal deficit and debt reductions

$21.483 billion (2024 est.)

cassava, yams, maize, oil palm fruit, cotton, soybeans, rice, pineapples, tomatoes, chillies/peppers (2023)

textiles, food processing, construction materials, cement

9.7% (2024 est.)

6.397 million (2024 est.)

38.5% (2018 est.)

UAE 42%, Bangladesh 20%, India 11%, China 5%, Togo 3% (2023)

gold, cotton, coconuts/brazil nuts/cashews, soybeans, wood (2023)

China 21%, India 15%, USA 6%, France 6%, Nigeria 4% (2023)

rice, refined petroleum, palm oil, poultry, cars (2023)

state-run Office de Radiodiffusion et de T&eacute;l&eacute;vision du Benin (ORTB) operates a TV station with 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 stations; transmissions of a few international broadcasters are available on FM in Cotonou (2019)

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10 (2025)

Beninese Armed Forces (Forces Armees Beninoises, FAB; aka Benin Defense Forces): Army, Air Force, National Navy, National Guard (aka Republican Guard)<br><br>Ministry of Interior and Public Security: Republican Police (Police Republicaine, DGPR) (2025)

estimated 10-12,000 active duty Armed Forces (including National Guard) (2025)

the military is equipped with a mix of older, secondhand, and limited amounts of newer equipment from a variety of suppliers, including China, France, Germany, South Africa, the former Soviet Union, Spain, and the US (2025)

18-30 years of age for voluntary and selective compulsory military service for men and women; compulsory service is 18 months (2025)

the Beninese Armed Forces (FAB) are responsible for defense against external aggression and may be required to assist in maintaining public order and internal security under conditions defined by the country's president; it may also participate in economic development projects<br><br>a key focus for the security forces of Benin is countering infiltrations into the country by terrorist groups tied to al-Qa'ida and the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS) operating just over the border from northern Benin in Burkina Faso and Niger; in 2022, the Benin Government said it was "at war" after suffering a series of attacks from these groups; later that same year, President TALON pledged to increase the size of the military, modernize military equipment, and establish forward operating bases; the military since 2022 has also deployed thousands of additional troops to the north of the country to better secure the border region; in addition, the FAB participates in the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) against Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa in the general area of the Lake Chad Basin and along Nigeria's northeastern border (2025)

Jama’at Nusrat al Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM); Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISIS-GS); Boko Haram