Trade in Benin
Benin: Trade was 37.1% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Trade in Benin, 1960–2025
Source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, trade in Benin stood at 37.1%.
The figure is down 8.7% on the previous year and down 34.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, trade in Benin peaked at 65.3% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 13.5%, in 1962.
Benin ranks 176th of 192 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Trade in Benin, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 18.2% | — |
| 1961 | 14.1% | -22.6% |
| 1962 | 13.5% | -4.5% |
| 1963 | 15.4% | +14.6% |
| 1964 | 17.4% | +12.5% |
| 1965 | 22.2% | +27.6% |
| 1966 | 23.0% | +3.9% |
| 1967 | 27.4% | +19.1% |
| 1968 | 28.4% | +3.5% |
| 1969 | 33.2% | +16.9% |
| 1970 | 39.6% | +19.4% |
| 1971 | 45.6% | +15.1% |
| 1972 | 41.2% | -9.7% |
| 1973 | 41.6% | +1.0% |
| 1974 | 43.8% | +5.3% |
| 1975 | 47.9% | +9.4% |
| 1976 | 44.0% | -8.2% |
| 1977 | 51.0% | +15.8% |
| 1978 | 51.1% | +0.2% |
| 1979 | 54.5% | +6.8% |
| 1980 | 53.1% | -2.6% |
| 1981 | 59.9% | +12.7% |
| 1982 | 57.9% | -3.4% |
| 1983 | 45.3% | -21.6% |
| 1984 | 50.5% | +11.4% |
| 1985 | 60.3% | +19.4% |
| 1986 | 49.3% | -18.3% |
| 1987 | 46.2% | -6.2% |
| 1988 | 45.9% | -0.7% |
| 1989 | 38.3% | -16.5% |
| 1990 | 45.7% | +19.4% |
| 1991 | 51.3% | +12.3% |
| 1992 | 56.7% | +10.5% |
| 1993 | 55.4% | -2.4% |
| 1994 | 64.4% | +16.3% |
| 1995 | 63.8% | -0.9% |
| 1996 | 56.5% | -11.4% |
| 1997 | 58.7% | +3.9% |
| 1998 | 59.6% | +1.5% |
| 1999 | 54.4% | -8.7% |
| 2000 | 47.3% | -12.9% |
| 2001 | 48.3% | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 43.8% | -9.3% |
| 2003 | 41.6% | -4.9% |
| 2004 | 39.9% | -4.1% |
| 2005 | 39.1% | -2.0% |
| 2006 | 39.8% | +1.7% |
| 2007 | 49.1% | +23.5% |
| 2008 | 47.8% | -2.7% |
| 2009 | 44.7% | -6.4% |
| 2010 | 51.4% | +15.1% |
| 2011 | 47.2% | -8.2% |
| 2012 | 50.7% | +7.5% |
| 2013 | 59.2% | +16.7% |
| 2014 | 65.3% | +10.3% |
| 2015 | 56.8% | -13.0% |
| 2016 | 59.0% | +3.9% |
| 2017 | 61.5% | +4.2% |
| 2018 | 61.8% | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 63.7% | +3.1% |
| 2020 | 44.8% | -29.6% |
| 2021 | 48.1% | +7.2% |
| 2022 | 44.4% | -7.6% |
| 2023 | 44.7% | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 40.6% | -9.0% |
| 2025 | 37.1% | -8.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 21.3% | 13.5% | 33.2% | 10 |
| 1970s | 46.0% | 39.6% | 54.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 50.7% | 38.3% | 60.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 56.7% | 45.7% | 64.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 44.1% | 39.1% | 49.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 57.7% | 47.2% | 65.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 43.3% | 37.1% | 48.1% | 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)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), annual growth 9.74 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per unit of GDP 526.56 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (current LCU), per capita 873,178 current LCU per person (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (constant 2015 US$), annual 7.95 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (constant 2015 US$), per unit 0.7625 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (constant 2015 US$), per 1,264 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (constant LCU), annual growth 7.95 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross value added at basic prices (GVA) (constant LCU), per unit of 450.78 constant LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is trade in Benin?
- Trade in Benin was 37.1% in 2025, according to Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks.
- What is the highest trade recorded in Benin?
- The highest recorded value was 65.3% in 2014.
- What is the lowest trade recorded in Benin?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.5% in 1962.
- How does Benin rank for trade?
- Benin ranks 176th out of 192 countries with data for 2025.
- Is trade rising or falling in Benin?
- Over the last ten years it is down 34.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 Trade (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Trade is the sum of 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.