External balance on goods and services in Benin
Benin: External balance on goods and services was -3.0% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
External balance on goods and services in Benin, 1960–2025
Source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for external balance on goods and services in Benin is -3.0%, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 1.8% on the previous year and up 58.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, external balance on goods and services in Benin peaked at -2.1% in 2005 and was at its lowest, -28.0%, in 1981.
Benin ranks 97th of 193 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
External balance on goods and services in Benin, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | -6.0% | — |
| 1961 | -5.0% | -17.3% |
| 1962 | -6.4% | +30.1% |
| 1963 | -7.8% | +21.2% |
| 1964 | -7.1% | -9.0% |
| 1965 | -7.6% | +7.5% |
| 1966 | -9.3% | +22.4% |
| 1967 | -12.1% | +29.5% |
| 1968 | -9.7% | -19.5% |
| 1969 | -9.7% | -0.9% |
| 1970 | -9.3% | -3.8% |
| 1971 | -10.0% | +8.2% |
| 1972 | -12.4% | +23.6% |
| 1973 | -10.3% | -17.1% |
| 1974 | -15.2% | +47.5% |
| 1975 | -18.9% | +24.4% |
| 1976 | -18.0% | -4.5% |
| 1977 | -18.6% | +3.1% |
| 1978 | -18.0% | -3.1% |
| 1979 | -19.5% | +8.2% |
| 1980 | -21.5% | +10.3% |
| 1981 | -28.0% | +30.3% |
| 1982 | -22.3% | -20.4% |
| 1983 | -17.8% | -20.2% |
| 1984 | -11.4% | -36.3% |
| 1985 | -13.0% | +14.5% |
| 1986 | -15.9% | +22.7% |
| 1987 | -15.7% | -1.6% |
| 1988 | -18.3% | +16.6% |
| 1989 | -11.3% | -38.1% |
| 1990 | -7.4% | -34.9% |
| 1991 | -9.3% | +26.9% |
| 1992 | -10.3% | +9.9% |
| 1993 | -10.5% | +1.9% |
| 1994 | -7.7% | -25.9% |
| 1995 | -9.1% | +17.0% |
| 1996 | -3.5% | -61.2% |
| 1997 | -4.4% | +23.8% |
| 1998 | -5.4% | +24.0% |
| 1999 | -8.4% | +54.8% |
| 2000 | -6.1% | -26.7% |
| 2001 | -8.5% | +38.8% |
| 2002 | -4.3% | -49.4% |
| 2003 | -4.3% | +0.3% |
| 2004 | -2.9% | -33.5% |
| 2005 | -2.1% | -26.0% |
| 2006 | -3.7% | +71.9% |
| 2007 | -5.0% | +37.4% |
| 2008 | -3.5% | -30.5% |
| 2009 | -4.8% | +38.7% |
| 2010 | -5.3% | +9.1% |
| 2011 | -5.5% | +4.4% |
| 2012 | -2.9% | -46.7% |
| 2013 | -4.1% | +37.9% |
| 2014 | -2.4% | -40.7% |
| 2015 | -7.3% | +204.0% |
| 2016 | -3.8% | -48.4% |
| 2017 | -7.1% | +87.2% |
| 2018 | -7.2% | +2.6% |
| 2019 | -4.4% | -39.0% |
| 2020 | -5.1% | +15.1% |
| 2021 | -6.2% | +22.2% |
| 2022 | -2.8% | -55.8% |
| 2023 | -4.7% | +69.3% |
| 2024 | -3.0% | -36.4% |
| 2025 | -3.0% | +1.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | -8.1% | -12.1% | -5.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | -15.0% | -19.5% | -9.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | -17.5% | -28.0% | -11.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | -7.6% | -10.5% | -3.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | -4.5% | -8.5% | -2.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | -5.0% | -7.3% | -2.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | -4.1% | -6.2% | -2.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Benin
More economy & growth data for Benin
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 3.42 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 6.03 Percent per annum (2029)
- Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$), per capita 1,031 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), annual growth rate 14.41 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), per unit of GDP 1.03 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), per capita 1,708 current US$ per person (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current LCU), annual growth rate 9.81 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current LCU), per unit of GDP 599.46 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current LCU), per capita 994,060 current LCU per person (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 8.21 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is external balance on goods and services in Benin?
- External balance on goods and services in Benin was -3.0% in 2025, according to Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks.
- What is the highest external balance on goods and services recorded in Benin?
- The highest recorded value was -2.1% in 2005.
- What is the lowest external balance on goods and services recorded in Benin?
- The lowest recorded value was -28.0% in 1981.
- How does Benin rank for external balance on goods and services?
- Benin ranks 97th out of 193 countries with data for 2025.
- Is external balance on goods and services rising or falling in Benin?
- Over the last ten years it is up 58.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Benin data come from?
- The figures come from Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks, published as part of External balance on goods and services (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The balance of international trade in goods and services is the difference between the exports and imports of goods and services. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.