Total debt service in Benin
Benin: Total debt service was 26.8% in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Total debt service in Benin, 1974–2024
Source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of exports of goods, services and primary income.
Analysis
Benin recorded 26.8% for total debt service in 2024. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.
That represents a change of up 48.1% on the previous year and up 751.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total debt service in Benin peaked at 26.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 2.4%, in 1977.
That places Benin 19th out of 120 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Total debt service in Benin, year by year
| Year | % of exports of goods, services and primary income | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | 5.2% | — |
| 1975 | 4.1% | -21.3% |
| 1976 | 3.6% | -13.0% |
| 1977 | 2.4% | -34.3% |
| 1978 | 3.1% | +30.9% |
| 1979 | 3.6% | +16.1% |
| 1980 | 8.4% | +133.8% |
| 1981 | 4.9% | -41.9% |
| 1982 | 12.9% | +165.8% |
| 1983 | 17.6% | +36.1% |
| 1984 | 16.4% | -6.9% |
| 1985 | 14.4% | -12.2% |
| 1986 | 16.2% | +12.4% |
| 1987 | 8.9% | -45.2% |
| 1988 | 9.2% | +3.3% |
| 1989 | 8.8% | -3.7% |
| 1990 | 9.9% | +11.9% |
| 1991 | 5.6% | -43.6% |
| 1992 | 5.1% | -7.6% |
| 1993 | 5.5% | +6.3% |
| 1994 | 7.1% | +29.7% |
| 1995 | 7.5% | +6.3% |
| 1996 | 6.4% | -15.1% |
| 1997 | 8.9% | +39.5% |
| 1998 | 10.2% | +14.4% |
| 1999 | 12.5% | +22.2% |
| 2000 | 14.2% | +13.5% |
| 2001 | 10.0% | -29.1% |
| 2002 | 10.3% | +2.8% |
| 2003 | 7.9% | -23.8% |
| 2004 | 9.0% | +14.7% |
| 2005 | 7.5% | -16.5% |
| 2006 | 6.3% | -15.7% |
| 2007 | 4.1% | -34.7% |
| 2008 | 3.0% | -26.8% |
| 2009 | 3.7% | +23.6% |
| 2010 | 2.9% | -23.5% |
| 2011 | 18.6% | +548.8% |
| 2012 | 4.0% | -78.5% |
| 2013 | 3.7% | -8.1% |
| 2014 | 3.1% | -14.4% |
| 2015 | 7.5% | +137.0% |
| 2016 | 4.2% | -44.3% |
| 2017 | 3.7% | -11.2% |
| 2018 | 7.9% | +112.9% |
| 2019 | 6.9% | -12.1% |
| 2020 | 7.0% | +2.0% |
| 2021 | 17.3% | +146.1% |
| 2022 | 11.3% | -35.0% |
| 2023 | 18.1% | +60.6% |
| 2024 | 26.8% | +48.1% |
Benin compared with similar countries
- Benin's 26.8% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 16.6%, 1.6× the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Benin's 26.8% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 11.8%, 2.3× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Total debt service 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | +548.8% | 2.9% | 18.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 3.7% | 2.4% | 5.2% | 6 |
| 1980s | 11.7% | 4.9% | 17.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.9% | 5.1% | 12.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.6% | 3.0% | 14.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.2% | 2.9% | 18.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.1% | 7.0% | 26.8% | 5 |
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)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 60.28 million BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0028 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 4.17 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 543.01 million BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 22.59 % change on previous year (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0253 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 37.55 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- General government final consumption expenditure (current US$) 12.54 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total debt service in Benin?
- Total debt service in Benin was 26.8% in 2024, according to International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest total debt service recorded in Benin?
- The highest recorded value was 26.8% in 2024.
- What is the lowest total debt service recorded in Benin?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.4% in 1977.
- How does Benin rank for total debt service?
- Benin ranks 19th out of 120 countries with data for 2024.
- Is total debt service rising or falling in Benin?
- Over the last ten years it is up 751.9%. 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 Total debt service (% of exports of goods, services and primary income). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 51 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Total debt service to exports of goods, services and primary income. Total debt service is the sum of principal repayments and interest actually paid in currency, goods, or services on long-term debt, interest paid on short-term debt, and repayments (repurchases and charges) to the IMF.