External debt stocks, total (DOD, current US$) in Benin
Benin: External debt stocks, total (DOD, current US$) was 16.89 billion DOD, current US$ in 2025. ◆ Volatile
External debt stocks, total in Benin, 1970–2025
Source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB). Measured in DOD, current US$.
Analysis
Benin recorded 16.89 billion DOD, current US$ for external debt stocks, total in 2025. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
That represents a change of up 16.5% on the previous year and up 368.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, external debt stocks, total in Benin peaked at 16.89 billion DOD, current US$ in 2025 and was at its lowest, 43.21 million DOD, current US$, in 1970.
That places Benin 55th out of 123 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
External debt stocks, total (DOD, current US$) in Benin, year by year
| Year | DOD, current US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 43.21 million DOD, current US$ | — |
| 1971 | 51.05 million DOD, current US$ | +18.2% |
| 1972 | 47.32 million DOD, current US$ | -7.3% |
| 1973 | 90.48 million DOD, current US$ | +91.2% |
| 1974 | 108.81 million DOD, current US$ | +20.3% |
| 1975 | 119.21 million DOD, current US$ | +9.6% |
| 1976 | 141.22 million DOD, current US$ | +18.5% |
| 1977 | 212.38 million DOD, current US$ | +50.4% |
| 1978 | 283.90 million DOD, current US$ | +33.7% |
| 1979 | 453.82 million DOD, current US$ | +59.8% |
| 1980 | 474.87 million DOD, current US$ | +4.6% |
| 1981 | 543.22 million DOD, current US$ | +14.4% |
| 1982 | 758.28 million DOD, current US$ | +39.6% |
| 1983 | 798.44 million DOD, current US$ | +5.3% |
| 1984 | 762.60 million DOD, current US$ | -4.5% |
| 1985 | 902.88 million DOD, current US$ | +18.4% |
| 1986 | 1.04 billion DOD, current US$ | +15.0% |
| 1987 | 1.24 billion DOD, current US$ | +19.8% |
| 1988 | 1.17 billion DOD, current US$ | -6.0% |
| 1989 | 1.07 billion DOD, current US$ | -8.6% |
| 1990 | 1.11 billion DOD, current US$ | +3.8% |
| 1991 | 1.15 billion DOD, current US$ | +3.5% |
| 1992 | 1.20 billion DOD, current US$ | +4.3% |
| 1993 | 1.27 billion DOD, current US$ | +6.0% |
| 1994 | 1.38 billion DOD, current US$ | +8.8% |
| 1995 | 1.40 billion DOD, current US$ | +1.0% |
| 1996 | 1.38 billion DOD, current US$ | -1.4% |
| 1997 | 1.37 billion DOD, current US$ | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 1.47 billion DOD, current US$ | +6.8% |
| 1999 | 1.56 billion DOD, current US$ | +6.5% |
| 2000 | 1.50 billion DOD, current US$ | -3.7% |
| 2001 | 1.63 billion DOD, current US$ | +8.3% |
| 2002 | 1.85 billion DOD, current US$ | +13.7% |
| 2003 | 1.71 billion DOD, current US$ | -7.8% |
| 2004 | 1.99 billion DOD, current US$ | +16.9% |
| 2005 | 1.88 billion DOD, current US$ | -5.9% |
| 2006 | 1.25 billion DOD, current US$ | -33.1% |
| 2007 | 1.50 billion DOD, current US$ | +19.4% |
| 2008 | 1.70 billion DOD, current US$ | +13.6% |
| 2009 | 2.02 billion DOD, current US$ | +18.4% |
| 2010 | 2.28 billion DOD, current US$ | +13.3% |
| 2011 | 2.19 billion DOD, current US$ | -4.1% |
| 2012 | 2.67 billion DOD, current US$ | +21.9% |
| 2013 | 3.07 billion DOD, current US$ | +15.1% |
| 2014 | 3.65 billion DOD, current US$ | +18.7% |
| 2015 | 3.60 billion DOD, current US$ | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 4.18 billion DOD, current US$ | +16.1% |
| 2017 | 4.92 billion DOD, current US$ | +17.5% |
| 2018 | 6.89 billion DOD, current US$ | +40.2% |
| 2019 | 6.94 billion DOD, current US$ | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 8.50 billion DOD, current US$ | +22.4% |
| 2021 | 10.61 billion DOD, current US$ | +24.8% |
| 2022 | 11.18 billion DOD, current US$ | +5.4% |
| 2023 | 13.05 billion DOD, current US$ | +16.6% |
| 2024 | 14.50 billion DOD, current US$ | +11.1% |
| 2025 | 16.89 billion DOD, current US$ | +16.5% |
Benin compared with similar countries
- Benin's 16.89 billion DOD, current US$ is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 16.63 billion DOD, current US$, 1.0× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Benin's 16.89 billion DOD, current US$ is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 7.71 billion DOD, current US$, 2.2× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where External debt stocks, total (DOD, current US$) in Benin changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | +91.2% | 47.32 million DOD, current US$ | 90.48 million DOD, current US$ |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 155.14 million DOD, current US$ | 43.21 million DOD, current US$ | 453.82 million DOD, current US$ | 10 |
| 1980s | 876.38 million DOD, current US$ | 474.87 million DOD, current US$ | 1.24 billion DOD, current US$ | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.33 billion DOD, current US$ | 1.11 billion DOD, current US$ | 1.56 billion DOD, current US$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.70 billion DOD, current US$ | 1.25 billion DOD, current US$ | 2.02 billion DOD, current US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.04 billion DOD, current US$ | 2.19 billion DOD, current US$ | 6.94 billion DOD, current US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.45 billion DOD, current US$ | 8.50 billion DOD, current US$ | 16.89 billion DOD, current US$ | 6 |
Countries ranked near Benin
- 52 Armenia 18.73 billion DOD, current US$ compare
- 53 Iraq 18.72 billion DOD, current US$ compare
- 54 Cameroon 17.58 billion DOD, current US$ compare
- 56 Bolivia 16.63 billion DOD, current US$ compare
- 57 Bosnia and Herzegovina 16.03 billion DOD, current US$ compare
- 58 Nicaragua 15.99 billion DOD, current US$ compare
More economy & growth data for Benin
- Real gdp growth, annual growth rate 17.31 % change on previous year (2024)
- 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)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, annual growth rate -3.83 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0103 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per capita 17.01 units per person (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, annual growth rate -8.42 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0075 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per capita 12.42 units per person (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, annual growth rate -0.7436 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is external debt stocks, total in Benin?
- External debt stocks, total in Benin was 16.89 billion DOD, current US$ in 2025, according to International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest external debt stocks, total recorded in Benin?
- The highest recorded value was 16.89 billion DOD, current US$ in 2025.
- What is the lowest external debt stocks, total recorded in Benin?
- The lowest recorded value was 43.21 million DOD, current US$ in 1970.
- How does Benin rank for external debt stocks, total?
- Benin ranks 55th out of 123 countries with data for 2025.
- Is external debt stocks, total rising or falling in Benin?
- Over the last ten years it is up 368.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Benin data come from?
- The figures come from International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB), published as part of External debt stocks, total (DOD, current US$). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Total external debt is debt owed to nonresidents repayable in currency, goods, or services. Total external debt is the sum of public, publicly guaranteed, and private nonguaranteed long-term debt, use of IMF credit, and short-term debt. Short-term debt includes all debt having an original maturity of one year or less and interest in arrears on long-term debt. Data are in current U.S. dollars.