Benin People - 2021

Population

13,301,694 (July 2021 est.)

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

Nationality

noun: Beninese (singular and plural)

adjective: Beninese

Ethnic groups

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.)

Languages

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

Religions

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.)

Demographic profile

Benin has a youthful age structure – almost 65% of the population is under the age of 25 – which is bolstered by high fertility and population growth rates. Benin’s total fertility has been falling over time but remains high, declining from almost 7 children per women in 1990 to 4.8 in 2016. Benin’s low contraceptive use and high unmet need for contraception contribute to the sustained high fertility rate. Although the majority of Beninese women use skilled health care personnel for antenatal care and delivery, the high rate of maternal mortality indicates the need for more access to high quality obstetric care.

Poverty, unemployment, increased living costs, and dwindling resources increasingly drive the Beninese to migrate. An estimated 4.4 million, more than 40%, of Beninese live abroad. Virtually all Beninese emigrants move to West African countries, particularly Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire. Of the less than 1% of Beninese emigrants who settle in Europe, the vast majority live in France, Benin’s former colonial ruler.

With about 40% of the population living below the poverty line, many desperate parents resort to sending their children to work in wealthy households as domestic servants (a common practice known as vidomegon), mines, quarries, or agriculture domestically or in Nigeria and other neighboring countries, often under brutal conditions. Unlike in other West African countries, where rural people move to the coast, farmers from Benin’s densely populated southern and northwestern regions move to the historically sparsely populated central region to pursue agriculture. Immigrants from West African countries came to Benin in increasing numbers between 1992 and 2002 because of its political stability and porous borders.

Age structure

0-14 years: 45.56% (male 2,955,396/female 2,906,079)

15-24 years: 20.36% (male 1,300,453/female 1,318,880)

25-54 years: 28.54% (male 1,735,229/female 1,935,839)

55-64 years: 3.15% (male 193,548/female 211,427)

65 years and over: 2.39% (male 140,513/female 167,270) (2020 est.)

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 82.6

youth dependency ratio: 76.6

elderly dependency ratio: 6

potential support ratio: 16.7 (2020 est.)

Median age

total: 17 years

male: 16.4 years

female: 17.6 years (2020 est.)

Population growth rate

3.36% (2021 est.)

Birth rate

41.55 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Death rate

8.21 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Net migration rate

0.25 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Population distribution

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 at shown in this population distribution map

Urbanization

urban population: 49% of total population (2021)

rate of urbanization: 3.74% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas - population

285,000 PORTO-NOVO (capital) (2018); 1.123 million Abomey-Calavi, 699,000 COTONOU (seat of government) (2021)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

15-24 years: 0.99 male(s)/female

25-54 years: 0.9 male(s)/female

55-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female

total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Mother's mean age at first birth

20.5 years (2017/18 est.)

note: median age at first birth among women 25-49

Maternal mortality rate

397 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 57.23 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 62.34 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 51.85 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 61.82 years

male: 60.02 years

female: 63.71 years (2021 est.)

Total fertility rate

5.47 children born/woman (2021 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

15.5% (2017/18)

Drinking water source

improved: urban: 81.2% of population

rural: 72.2% of population

total: 76.4% of population

unimproved: urban: 18.8% of population

rural: 27.8% of population

total: 23.6% of population (2017 est.)

Current Health Expenditure

2.5% (2018)

Physicians density

0.08 physicians/1,000 population (2018)

Hospital bed density

0.5 beds/1,000 population (2010)

Sanitation facility access

improved: urban: 58.7% of population

rural: 16% of population

total: 36% of population

unimproved: urban: 41.3% of population

rural: 84% of population

total: 64% of population (2017 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.9% (2020 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

75,000 (2020 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

2,000 (2020 est.)

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk: very high (2020)

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: dengue fever and malaria

animal contact diseases: rabies

respiratory diseases: meningococcal meningitis

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

9.6% (2016)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

16.8% (2017/18)

Education expenditures

2.9% of GDP (2018)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 42.4%

male: 54%

female: 31.1% (2018)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 13 years

male: 14 years

female: 11 years (2016)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 5.6%

male: 5.2%

female: 5.9% (2011 est.)