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African economies
Benin · Economy

Benin economy: GDP, investment, trade and remittances

How large the Benin economy is and how fast it is growing, who invests in it, what it sells and buys, how much its citizens abroad send home, who it owes and what it holds in reserve. The latest published year is shown with each figure.

GDP
US$24.6 billion
current US$, 2025
Real GDP growth
8.1%
2025
GDP per person
US$1,658
current US$, 2025
Exports of goods
US$827 million
2025
Remittances received
US$339 million
2023, 1.7% of GDP
Foreign direct investment, net inflows
US$482 million
2025, 2.0% of GDP

Benin economy snapshot: GDP, growth and income per person

Benin's GDP was US$24.6 billion in 2025, after real growth of 8.1%.

GDP

Current US dollars.

010bn20bn30bn201520172019202120232025GDP 2015: US$11.4 billionGDP 2016: US$11.8 billionGDP 2017: US$12.7 billionGDP 2018: US$14.3 billionGDP 2019: US$14.4 billionGDP 2020: US$15.7 billionGDP 2021: US$17.7 billionGDP 2022: US$17.4 billionGDP 2023: US$19.7 billionGDP 2024: US$21.5 billionGDP 2025: US$24.6 billion

Real GDP growth

Annual change, per cent. Red bars are contractions.

0%3%5%8%10%201520172019202120232025Real GDP growth 2015: 1.8%Real GDP growth 2016: 3.3%Real GDP growth 2017: 5.7%Real GDP growth 2018: 6.7%Real GDP growth 2019: 6.9%Real GDP growth 2020: 3.8%Real GDP growth 2021: 7.2%Real GDP growth 2022: 6.3%Real GDP growth 2023: 6.4%Real GDP growth 2024: 7.5%Real GDP growth 2025: 8.1%

GDP per person

Current US dollars.

05001k2k2k201520172019202120232025GDP per person 2015: US$1,002GDP per person 2016: US$1,011GDP per person 2017: US$1,055GDP per person 2018: US$1,152GDP per person 2019: US$1,131GDP per person 2020: US$1,200GDP per person 2021: US$1,319GDP per person 2022: US$1,266GDP per person 2023: US$1,394GDP per person 2024: US$1,485GDP per person 2025: US$1,658

Source: World Bank, 2025. Method

Who invests in Benin and in what

Direct investment by investing country

France was the largest investing country in Benin, at 27% of inward direct investment positions in 2022.

Inward direct investment positions in Benin at the end of 2022: the stock of foreign direct investment, not a year's new flow. The 10 largest investing countries.

FranceUS$1.0 billion27.4%
ChinaUS$674 million18.4%
Côte d'IvoireUS$262 million7.1%
IndiaUS$262 million7.1%
São Tomé and Príncipe, Democratic Republic ofUS$240 million6.5%
NigerUS$236 million6.4%
TogoUS$148 million4.0%
MoroccoUS$117 million3.2%
BrazilUS$102 million2.8%
MauritaniaUS$88 million2.4%

Source: IMF, 2022. Method

What Benin sells and buys

Animal products was 51% of exports in 2025.

Benin sold the most to Bangladesh, 41% of exports in 2025.

Exports by product, 2025

Tile area follows value. Each tile is a customs chapter of the Harmonized System; hover for the full name.

Animal originated products: US$420 million, 50.7%Animal products51%Meat and edible meat offal: US$145 million, 17.5%Meat and edible meat of…18%Animals: US$85 million, 10.3%Live animals10%Vegetables and certain roots and tubers: US$56 million, 6.7%Vegetables…7%Commodities not specified according to kind: US$48 million, 5.8%Not spec…6%Fruit and nuts, edible: US$30 million, 3.7%Edible fruit a…4%Trees and other plants, live: US$20 million, 2.4%Dairy produce: US$12 million, 1.4%Fish and crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates: US$8.7 million, 1.1%Coffee, tea, mate and spices: US$2.7 million, 0.3%

Source: UN Comtrade, 2025. Method

Top buyers, 2025

Share of Benin's exports.

BangladeshUS$342 million41.4%
IndiaUS$66 million8.0%
United StatesUS$53 million6.4%
FranceUS$40 million4.8%
ChadUS$32 million3.9%
NigeriaUS$32 million3.8%
United Arab EmiratesUS$27 million3.3%
TogoUS$21 million2.6%
ChinaUS$20 million2.4%
Burkina FasoUS$19 million2.3%

Top suppliers, 2025

Share of Benin's imports.

IndiaUS$872 million22.5%
ChinaUS$636 million16.5%
FranceUS$349 million9.0%
NigeriaUS$224 million5.8%
RussiaUS$136 million3.5%
SingaporeUS$113 million2.9%
MoroccoUS$100 million2.6%
TurkeyUS$91 million2.3%
ItalyUS$86 million2.2%
Côte d'IvoireUS$82 million2.1%

Source: UN Comtrade, 2025. Method

What Benin buys, 2025

The 8 largest product chapters in imports.

Live animalsUS$1.1 billion27.8%
Edible fruit and nutsUS$822 million21.3%
Meat and edible meat offalUS$616 million15.9%
Fish and seafoodUS$487 million12.6%
Vegetables and certain roots and tubersUS$249 million6.4%
Not specifiedUS$238 million6.2%
Live trees and plantsUS$140 million3.6%
Coffee, tea and spicesUS$116 million3.0%

Source: UN Comtrade, 2025. Method

Trade balance of goods

Exports minus imports. Red bars are years when imports were larger. A year is left out when either side is not published.

-4.0bn-3.0bn-2.0bn-1.0bn0201520172019202120232025Trade balance 2015: -US$1.9 billion (exports US$625 million, imports US$2.5 billion)Trade balance 2016: -US$2.2 billion (exports US$409 million, imports US$2.6 billion)Trade balance 2017: -US$2.5 billion (exports US$742 million, imports US$3.2 billion)Trade balance 2018: -US$2.4 billion (exports US$951 million, imports US$3.3 billion)Trade balance 2019: -US$2.1 billion (exports US$851 million, imports US$2.9 billion)Trade balance 2020: -US$1.8 billion (exports US$846 million, imports US$2.7 billion)Trade balance 2021: -US$2.4 billion (exports US$1.0 billion, imports US$3.4 billion)Trade balance 2022: -US$2.9 billion (exports US$899 million, imports US$3.8 billion)Trade balance 2023: -US$2.9 billion (exports US$1.1 billion, imports US$3.9 billion)Trade balance 2024: -US$2.3 billion (exports US$1.1 billion, imports US$3.4 billion)Trade balance 2025: -US$3.0 billion (exports US$827 million, imports US$3.9 billion)

Source: UN Comtrade, 2025. Method

Remittances against foreign direct investment in Benin

Foreign direct investment in Benin was 1.3 times remittances in 2023.

Remittances receivedForeign direct investment, net inflows
0200m400m600m201520172019202120232025Remittances 2015: US$214 millionRemittances 2016: US$222 millionRemittances 2017: US$196 millionRemittances 2018: US$199 millionRemittances 2019: US$217 millionRemittances 2020: US$205 millionRemittances 2021: US$231 millionRemittances 2022: US$250 millionRemittances 2023: US$339 millionForeign direct investment 2015: US$150 millionForeign direct investment 2016: US$132 millionForeign direct investment 2017: US$201 millionForeign direct investment 2018: US$194 millionForeign direct investment 2019: US$218 millionForeign direct investment 2020: US$174 millionForeign direct investment 2021: US$346 millionForeign direct investment 2022: US$376 millionForeign direct investment 2023: US$443 millionForeign direct investment 2024: US$396 millionForeign direct investment 2025: US$482 million

Source: World Bank, 2026. Method

Remittances and investment as a share of GDP

The same two flows measured against the size of the economy.

Remittances, share of GDPForeign direct investment, share of GDP
0%1%2%3%201520172019202120232025Remittances 2015: 1.9%Remittances 2016: 1.9%Remittances 2017: 1.5%Remittances 2018: 1.4%Remittances 2019: 1.5%Remittances 2020: 1.3%Remittances 2021: 1.3%Remittances 2022: 1.4%Remittances 2023: 1.7%Foreign direct investment 2015: 1.3%Foreign direct investment 2016: 1.1%Foreign direct investment 2017: 1.6%Foreign direct investment 2018: 1.4%Foreign direct investment 2019: 1.5%Foreign direct investment 2020: 1.1%Foreign direct investment 2021: 2.0%Foreign direct investment 2022: 2.2%Foreign direct investment 2023: 2.3%Foreign direct investment 2024: 1.8%Foreign direct investment 2025: 2.0%

Source: World Bank, 2026. Method

Who Benin owes

External debt stock by type of creditor. Creditor types cover public and publicly guaranteed debt; the grey part is the rest of the total external debt stock. A creditor type with no published figure is not shown.

Multilateral creditors held 29% of Benin's external debt stock in 2024.

Public external debt owed to China was US$366 million in 2024, 3% of the external debt stock.

MultilateralBilateralBondsCommercial banksRest of the totalPublic debt owed to China
05.0bn10bn15bn20152017201920212023Multilateral 2015: US$1.5 billionBilateral 2015: US$357 millionRest of the total 2015: US$1.7 billionMultilateral 2016: US$1.7 billionBilateral 2016: US$353 millionRest of the total 2016: US$2.2 billionMultilateral 2017: US$2.0 billionBilateral 2017: US$420 millionCommercial banks 2017: US$41 millionRest of the total 2017: US$2.4 billionMultilateral 2018: US$2.0 billionBilateral 2018: US$452 millionCommercial banks 2018: US$415 millionRest of the total 2018: US$4.0 billionMultilateral 2019: US$2.1 billionBilateral 2019: US$439 millionBonds 2019: US$557 millionCommercial banks 2019: US$508 millionRest of the total 2019: US$3.3 billionMultilateral 2020: US$2.6 billionBilateral 2020: US$579 millionBonds 2020: US$614 millionCommercial banks 2020: US$646 millionRest of the total 2020: US$4.1 billionMultilateral 2021: US$2.7 billionBilateral 2021: US$660 millionBonds 2021: US$1.9 billionCommercial banks 2021: US$603 millionRest of the total 2021: US$4.6 billionMultilateral 2022: US$2.9 billionBilateral 2022: US$719 millionBonds 2022: US$1.8 billionCommercial banks 2022: US$639 millionRest of the total 2022: US$4.9 billionMultilateral 2023: US$3.4 billionBilateral 2023: US$755 millionBonds 2023: US$1.9 billionCommercial banks 2023: US$1.3 billionRest of the total 2023: US$5.2 billionMultilateral 2024: US$4.1 billionBilateral 2024: US$1.0 billionBonds 2024: US$2.2 billionCommercial banks 2024: US$1.6 billionRest of the total 2024: US$5.2 billionPublic debt owed to China 2015: US$245 millionPublic debt owed to China 2016: US$239 millionPublic debt owed to China 2017: US$289 millionPublic debt owed to China 2018: US$318 millionPublic debt owed to China 2019: US$302 millionPublic debt owed to China 2020: US$320 millionPublic debt owed to China 2021: US$353 millionPublic debt owed to China 2022: US$314 millionPublic debt owed to China 2023: US$286 millionPublic debt owed to China 2024: US$366 million

Source: World Bank, 2026. Method

Reserves and months of import cover

Total reserves including gold, and how many months of imports they cover.

No reserves figures for Benin are not published by the World Bank, so none are shown.

Source: World Bank, 2026. Method

Aid received by Benin

Net official development assistance and official aid received.

0500m1.0bn1.5bn20152017201920212023Aid received 2015: US$437 millionAid received 2016: US$501 millionAid received 2017: US$680 millionAid received 2018: US$575 millionAid received 2019: US$594 millionAid received 2020: US$1.1 billionAid received 2021: US$852 millionAid received 2022: US$848 millionAid received 2023: US$1.0 billion

Source: World Bank, 2026. Method

More on Benin

World Bank data pages for Benin: GDP, GDP growth, GDP per person, remittances, foreign direct investment, reserves, months of imports, external debt, debt by creditor, aid. UN Comtrade: trade data. IMF: direct investment positions.