View source for Benin

{{Short description|Country in West Africa}}
{{about|the country, the Republic of Benin|the pre-colonial kingdom in Nigeria|Kingdom of Benin|the city in Nigeria|Benin City|other uses}}
{{pp-move}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2025}}
{{Infobox country
| conventional_long_name = Republic of Benin
| native_name            = {{Native name|fr|République du Bénin}}<!--This parameter is only for official languages-->
| common_name            = Benin
| image_flag             = Flag of Benin.svg
| image_coat             = Coat of arms of Benin.svg
| image_map              = {{Switcher|[[File: Benin (orthographic projection with inset).svg|frameless]]|Show globe|[[File: Location Benin AU Africa.svg|upright=1.15|frameless]]|Show map of Africa|default=1}}
| map_caption            = 
| image_map2             = 
| national_motto         = {{vunblist|{{Native name|fr|"Fraternité, Justice, Travail"|italics=off|nolink=yes}}}}
| englishmotto           = Fraternity, Justice, Labour
| national_anthem        = {{Native name|fr|[[L'Aube nouvelle]]|nolink=yes}}<br />"The New Dawn"<br /><div style="display:inline-block;margin-top:0.4em;">[[File:L'Aube Nouvelle.ogg]]</div>
| official_languages     = [[French language|French]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/benin/#people-and-society |title=Benin |access-date=7 July 2023 |archive-date=29 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231229152613/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/benin/#people-and-society |url-status=live }}</ref>
| languages_type         = [[National language]]s
| languages              = {{collapsible list|bullets=y|title={{nobold|List:}}
|
| [[Arabic]]
| [[English language|English]]
| [[Aguna language|Aguna]]
| [[Adja language|Aja]]
| [[Alada language|Alada]]
| [[Fon language|Fon]]
| [[Gbe languages|Gbe]]
| [[Gen language|Gen]]
| [[Gun language|Gun]]
| [[Pherá language|Pherá]]
| [[Phla language|Phla]]
| [[Tofin language|Tofin]]
| [[Tɔli language|Tɔli]]
| [[Waci language|Waci]]
| [[Berba language|Berba]]
| [[Kabiye language|Kabye]]
| [[Lama language|Lama]]
| [[Lukpa language|Lukpa]]
| [[Mbelime language|Mbelime]]
| [[Mossi language|Mossi]]
| [[Nateni language|Nateni]]
| [[Ngangam language|Ngangam]]
| [[Tammari language|Tammari]]
| [[Tem language|Tem]]
| [[Waama language|Waama]]
| [[Yom language|Yom]]
| [[Kwa languages|Kwa]]
| [[Chakosi language|Chakosi]]
| [[Foodo language|Foodo]]
| [[Ede language|Ede]]
| [[Ifè language|Ifè]]
| [[Mokole language (Benin)|Mokole]]
| [[Yoruba language|Yoruba]]
| [[Yoruboid languages|Yoruboid]]
| [[Bariba language|Bariba]]
| [[Dendi language|Dendi]]
| [[Fula language|Fula]]
| [[Hausa language|Hausa]]}}
| demonym                = {{hlist|Beninese}}
{{hlist|Beninoise}}
| ethnic_groups          = {{vunblist|38.4% [[Fon people|Fon]]|15.1% [[Adja people|Adja]] and [[Gen language|Mina]]|12% [[Yoruba people|Yoruba]]|9.6% [[Bariba people|Bariba]]|8.6% [[Fula people|Fula]]|6.1% Ottamari|4.3% Yoa-Lokpa|2.9% [[Dendi people|Dendi]]|2.8% other}}
| ethnic_groups_year     = 2013<ref name="insae-bj.org">{{cite web |title=PRINCIPAUX INDICATEURS SOCIO DEMOGRAPHIQUES ET ECONOMIQUES |url=https://www.insae-bj.org/images/docs/insae-statistiques/enquetes-recensements/RGPH/1.RGPH_4/Indicateurs-et-Projetcions/Principaux%20Indicateurs%20projections%20Preface%20RGPH4.pdf |website=www.insae-bj.org |publisher=INSTITUT NATIONAL DE LA STATISTIQUE ET DE L'ANALYSE ECONOMIQUE |language=fr |access-date=14 December 2019 |archive-date=18 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200918231011/https://www.insae-bj.org/images/docs/insae-statistiques/enquetes-recensements/RGPH/1.RGPH_4/Indicateurs-et-Projetcions/Principaux%20Indicateurs%20projections%20Preface%20RGPH4.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
| religion               = {{ublist |item_style=white-space:nowrap;
 | 52.2% [[Christianity in Benin|Christianity]]
 | 24.6% [[Islam]]
 | 17.9% [[African Traditional Religion|traditional faiths]]
 | 5.2% [[Irreligion|no religion]]
 | 0.1% other}}
| religion_year          = 2020
| religion_ref           = <ref name="PEW-GRF">{{cite web |url=http://www.globalreligiousfutures.org/countries/benin/religious_demography#/?affiliations_religion_id=0&affiliations_year=2020 |title=Religions in Benin {{pipe}} PEW-GRF |access-date=17 April 2021 |archive-date=17 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211017154104/http://www.globalreligiousfutures.org/countries/benin/religious_demography#/?affiliations_religion_id=0&affiliations_year=2020 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| capital                = [[Porto-Novo]]
| largest_city           = [[Cotonou]]
| government_type        = Unitary [[Presidential system|presidential republic]]
| leader_title1          = [[President of Benin|President]]
| leader_name1           = [[Patrice Talon]]
| leader_title2          = [[Vice President of Benin|Vice President]]
| leader_name2           = [[Mariam Chabi Talata]]
| legislature            = [[National Assembly (Benin)|National Assembly]]
| sovereignty_type       = Independence
| sovereignty_note       = from France
| established_event1     = [[Republic of Dahomey]] established within the [[French Community]]
| established_date1      = 11 December 1958
| established_event2     = Independence
| established_date2      = 1 August 1960
| established_event3     = 
| established_date3      = 
| area_rank              = 100th
| area_km2               = 114763
| area_sq_mi             = 
| area_footnote          = <ref name=AS2010>{{Cite report |date=2012 |title=Annuaire statistique 2010 |language=fr |url=http://www.insae-bj.org/annuare-statistique.html?file=files/publications/annuel/Annuaire%20statistique%20%20INSAE%202010.pdf |publisher=[[Institut national de la statistique et de l'analyse économique|INSAE]] |page=49 |access-date=17 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304091201/http://www.insae-bj.org/annuare-statistique.html?file=files%2Fpublications%2Fannuel%2FAnnuaire%20statistique%20%20INSAE%202010.pdf |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| percent_water          = 0.4%
| population_estimate    = 13,754,688<ref name="ReferenceA">{{Cite CIA World Factbook |country=Benin |access-date=24 September 2022 |year=2022 }}</ref>
| population_estimate_rank = 77th
| population_estimate_year = 2022
| population_density_km2 = 94.8
| GDP_PPP                = {{increase}} $59.241&nbsp;billion<ref name="IMFWEO.BJ">{{cite web |url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2023/October/weo-report?c=638,&s=NGDPD,PPPGDP,NGDPDPC,PPPPC,&sy=2020&ey=2028&ssm=0&scsm=1&scc=0&ssd=1&ssc=0&sic=0&sort=country&ds=.&br=1 |title=World Economic Outlook Database, October 2023 Edition. (Benin) |publisher=[[International Monetary Fund]] |website=IMF.org |date=10 October 2023 |access-date=16 October 2023 |archive-date=31 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031214031/https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2023/October/weo-report?c=638,&s=NGDPD,PPPGDP,NGDPDPC,PPPPC,&sy=2020&ey=2028&ssm=0&scsm=1&scc=0&ssd=1&ssc=0&sic=0&sort=country&ds=.&br=1 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| GDP_PPP_rank           = 137th
| GDP_PPP_year           = 2023
| GDP_PPP_per_capita     = {{increase}} $4,305<ref name="IMFWEO.BJ" />
| GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 163rd
| GDP_nominal            = {{increase}} $19.940&nbsp;billion<ref name="IMFWEO.BJ" />
| GDP_nominal_rank       = 141st
| GDP_nominal_year       = 2023
| GDP_nominal_per_capita = {{increase}} $1,449<ref name="IMFWEO.BJ" />
| GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 163rd
| Gini_year              = 2021
| Gini_change            = decrease <!--increase/decrease/steady-->
| Gini                   = 34.4 <!--number only-->
| Gini_ref               = <ref>{{cite web |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.GINI?name_desc=false |title=World Bank Open Data }}</ref>
| Gini_rank              = 
| HDI_year               = 2023<!-- Please use the year to which the data refers, not the publication year-->
| HDI_change             = increase<!--increase/decrease/steady-->
| HDI                    = 0.515 <!--number only-->
| HDI_ref                = <ref>{{Cite web |date=26 May 2025 |title=Human Development Report 2023/2024 |url=https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/specific-country-data#/countries/BEN |access-date=25 May 2025 |publisher=[[United Nations Development Programme]] |language=en }}</ref>
| HDI_rank               = 173rd
| currency               = [[West African CFA franc]]
| currency_code          = XOF
| country_code           = 
| time_zone              = [[West Africa Time|WAT]]
| utc_offset             = +1
| time_zone_DST          = 
| utc_offset_DST         = 
| date_format            = dd/mm/yyyy
| drives_on              = right
| calling_code           = [[+229]]
| cctld                  = [[.bj]]
| footnote_a             = [[Cotonou]] is the seat of government.
| today                  = 
}}
'''Benin''',{{efn|{{IPAc-en|audio=En-Benin-pronunciation.ogg|b|ɛ|ˈ|n|iː|n}} {{respell|ben|EEN}}, {{IPAc-en|b|ᵻ|ˈ|n|iː|n}} {{respell|bin|EEN}};<ref>{{cite EPD|18 }}</ref> {{langx|fr|Bénin}} {{IPA|fr|benɛ̃||audio=Fr-Bénin.ogg}}}} officially the '''Republic of Benin''',{{efn|{{langx|fr|République du Bénin}}}} formerly known as '''Dahomey''',<ref name=nyt1975>{{Cite news |date=1 December 1975 |title=Dahomey Announces Its Name Will Be Benin |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/12/01/archives/dahomey-announces-its-name-will-be-benin.html |access-date=16 September 2020 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=16 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200916200353/https://www.nytimes.com/1975/12/01/archives/dahomey-announces-its-name-will-be-benin.html |url-status=live }}</ref> is a country in [[West Africa]]. Benin is bordered by [[Togo]] to the west, [[Nigeria]] to the east, [[Burkina Faso]] to the north-west, and [[Niger]] to the north-east. The majority of its population lives on the southern coastline of the [[Bight of Benin]], part of the [[Gulf of Guinea]] in the northernmost tropical portion of the [[Atlantic Ocean]].<ref name="HughesHughes1992">{{cite book |last1=Hughes |first1=R. H. |last2=Hughes |first2=J. S. |title=A Directory of African Wetlands |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VLjafeXa3gMC |year=1992 |publisher=IUCN |isbn=978-2-88032-949-5 |page=301 |access-date=12 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160508163425/https://books.google.com/books?id=VLjafeXa3gMC |archive-date=8 May 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> The capital is [[Porto-Novo]], and the [[seat of government]] is in [[Cotonou]], the most populous city and economic capital.<ref>{{multiref2|{{cite journal |last1=Dossou |first1=Krystel M.R. |last2=Gléhouenou-Dossou |first2=Bernadette |date=2007 |title=The vulnerability to climate change of Cotonou (Benin): the rise in sea level |journal=Environment and Urbanization |volume=19 |issue=1 |pages=65–79 |doi=10.1177/0956247807077149 |bibcode=2007EnUrb..19...65D |doi-access=free}}|{{ cite journal |title=Mapping a slum: learning from participatory mapping and digital innovation in Cotonou (Benin) |article-number=894 |translator=Alvin Harberts |doi=10.4000/cybergeo.32949 |date=2019 |journal=Cybergeo |first1=Armelle |last1=Choplin |first2=Martin |last2=Lozivit |trans-title=Mettre un quartier sur la carte: Cartographie participative et innovation numérique à Cotonou (Bénin) |doi-access=free}}
 }}</ref> Benin covers an area of {{cvt|112,622|km2}},<ref name="ReferenceA"/> and its population in {{UN_Population|Year}} was estimated to be approximately {{#expr:{{replace|{{UN_Population|Benin}}|,||}}/1e6 round 2}} million.{{UN_Population|ref}} It is a tropical country with an economy heavily dependent on agriculture and the exports of [[palm oil]] and [[cotton]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fao.org/isfp/country-information/benin/en/ |title=FAO Initiative on Soaring Food Prices |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024021730/http://www.fao.org/isfp/country-information/benin/en/ |archive-date=24 October 2012 |website=[[Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations]] |access-date=29 June 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Major Industries in Benin |url=https://www.ariseiip.com/homepage/major-industries-in-benin/ |access-date=23 June 2024 |website=Arise IIP }}</ref>

From the 17th to the 19th centuries, political entities in the area included the [[Kingdom of Dahomey]], the city-state of [[Porto-Novo#History|Porto Novo]], and other states to the north. France took over the territory in 1894, incorporating it into [[French West Africa]] as [[French Dahomey]]. In 1960, Dahomey gained full independence from France. As a [[sovereign state]], Benin has had [[democratic governments]], [[Coup d'état|military coups]], and [[military government]]s. A self-described [[Marxist–Leninist state]] called the [[People's Republic of Benin]] existed between 1975 and 1990. In 1991, it was replaced by the [[Multi-party system|multi-party]] Republic of Benin.<ref name="Ibp Usa p85">{{cite book |title=Global Logistics Assessments Reports Handbook |volume=1: Strategic Transportation and Customs Information for Selected Countries |publisher=International Business Publications USA |date=2008 |orig-date=2015 |isbn=978-0-7397-6603-3 |page=85 }}</ref>

The [[official language]] of Benin is French, with indigenous languages such as [[Fon language|Fon]], [[Bariba language|Bariba]], [[Yoruba language|Yoruba]] and [[Dendi language|Dendi]] also spoken. The largest religious group in Benin, as projected for 2020 by Pew Research Group based on 2010 statistics, is Christianity (52.2%), followed by [[Islam]] (24.6%) and [[African traditional religion]]s (17.9%).<ref name="PEW-GRF"/> Benin is a member of the [[United Nations]], the [[African Union]], the [[Economic Community of West African States]], the [[Organisation of Islamic Cooperation]], the [[South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone]], [[Organisation internationale de la Francophonie|Francophonie]], the [[Community of Sahel–Saharan States]], the [[African Petroleum Producers Association]] and the [[Niger Basin Authority]].

==Etymology==
During French colonial rule and after independence on 1 August 1960, the country was [[Geographical renaming|named]] Dahomey, after the [[Kingdom of Dahomey]]. On 30 November 1975, following a [[Marxism–Leninism|Marxist–Leninist]] [[1972 Dahomeyan coup d'état|military coup]], the country was renamed Benin, after the [[Bight of Benin]], which borders the country, since the name Dahomey is exclusively associated with the [[Fon people|Fon]] who inhabited the southern half of the country.<ref name=nyt1975/> The bight takes its name from the [[Kingdom of Benin]], located in present-day [[Nigeria]].

==History==
{{main|History of Benin}}

===Pre-colonial===
[[File:Kingdom of Dahomy-1793.jpg|thumb|left|Map of the [[Kingdom of Dahomey]], 1793]]
Prior to 1600, present-day Benin comprised a variety of areas with different political systems and ethnicities. These included [[city-state]]s along the coast (primarily of the [[Aja people|Aja]] ethnic group and also including [[Yoruba people|Yoruba]] and [[Gbe languages|Gbe]] peoples) and tribal regions inland (composed of [[Bariba people|Bariba]], Mahi, Gedevi, and Kabye peoples). The [[Oyo Empire]], located primarily to the east of Benin, was a military force in the region, conducting raids and exacting tribute from the coastal kingdoms and tribal regions.<ref name="Bay-1998">{{cite book |last=Bay |first=Edna |title=Wives of the Leopard: Gender, Politics, and Culture in the Kingdom of Dahomey |year=1998 |publisher=University of Virginia Press }}</ref> The situation changed in the 17th and 18th centuries as the [[Kingdom of Dahomey]], consisting mostly of [[Fon people]], was founded on the [[Abomey]] plateau and began taking over areas along the coast.<ref>{{cite book |last=Akinjogbin |first=I.A. |title=Dahomey and Its Neighbors: 1708–1818 |year=1967 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |oclc=469476592 }}</ref> By 1727, King [[Agaja]] of the Kingdom of Dahomey had conquered the coastal cities of [[Allada]] and [[Ouidah|Whydah]]. Dahomey had become a tributary of the Oyo Empire, and rivaled but did not directly attack the Oyo-allied city-state of [[Porto-Novo]].<ref name="Law-1986">{{cite journal |last=Law |first=Robin |title=Dahomey and the Slave Trade: Reflections on the Historiography of the Rise of Dahomey |journal=The Journal of African History |year=1986 |volume=27 |issue=2 |pages=237–267 |doi=10.1017/s0021853700036665 |s2cid=165754199 }}</ref> The rise of Dahomey, its rivalry with Porto-Novo, and tribal politics in the northern region persisted into the colonial and post-colonial periods.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Creevey |first1=Lucy |last2=Ngomo |first2=Paul |last3=Vengroff |first3=Richard |title=Party Politics and Different Paths to Democratic Transitions: A Comparison of Benin and Senegal |journal=Party Politics |year=2005 |volume=11 |issue=4 |pages=471–493 |doi=10.1177/1354068805053213 |s2cid=145169455 |url=https://zenodo.org/record/897004 |access-date=20 April 2018 |archive-date=2 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201202224421/https://zenodo.org/record/897004 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the [[Dahomey]], some younger people were apprenticed to older soldiers and taught the kingdom's military customs until they were old enough to join the army.<ref name="Harms2002">{{cite book |last=Harms |first=Robert W. |title=The Diligent: A Voyage Through the Worlds of the Slave Trade |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0YILMba_EnoC |year=2002 |publisher=Basic Books |isbn=978-0-465-02872-6 |page=172 |access-date=12 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160509061636/https://books.google.com/books?id=0YILMba_EnoC |archive-date=9 May 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> Dahomey instituted an elite female soldier corps variously called [[Ahosi]] (the king's wives), Mino ("our mothers" in [[Fongbe]]) or the "Dahomean [[Amazons]]". This emphasis on military preparation and achievement earned Dahomey the nickname of "Black [[Sparta]]", from European observers and 19th-century explorers such as [[Sir Richard Burton]].<ref name="Alpern1998">{{cite book |last=Alpern |first=Stanley B. |title=Amazons of Black Sparta: The Women Warriors of Dahomey |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fdtg4e5_WoIC |year=1998 |publisher=C. Hurst & Co. Publishers |isbn=978-1-85065-362-2 |page=37 |access-date=12 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160506013639/https://books.google.com/books?id=Fdtg4e5_WoIC |archive-date=6 May 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:São João Baptista de Ajudá 1886 (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|The [[Portuguese Empire]] was the longest European presence in Benin, beginning in 1680 and ending in 1961 when the last forces left [[Fort of São João Baptista de Ajudá|Ajudá]].]]
The kings of Dahomey sold their war captives into [[Atlantic slave trade|transatlantic slavery]]<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/african-ambassador-apologizes-for-slavery-role |last=Miller |first=David Lee |title=African Ambassador Apologizes for Slavery Role |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100522233737/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,91575,00.html |archive-date=22 May 2010 |work=Fox News |url-status=live |date=10 July 2003 }}</ref> or killed them ritually in a ceremony known as the [[Annual Customs of Dahomey|Annual Customs]]. By about 1750, the King of Dahomey was earning an estimated £250,000 per year by selling African captives to European slave-traders.<ref name="BbcSlavery">{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/features/storyofafrica/9chapter2.shtml |title=African Slave Owners |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130308014748/http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/features/storyofafrica/9chapter2.shtml |archive-date=8 March 2013 |website=The story of South Africa: Slavery |url-status=live |publisher=BBC World Service }}</ref> The area was named the [[Slave Coast of West Africa|"Slave Coast"]] because of a flourishing slave trade. Court protocols which demanded that a portion of war captives from the kingdom's battles be decapitated, decreased the number of enslaved people exported from the area. The number went from 102,000 people per decade in the 1780s to 24,000 per decade by the 1860s.<ref name=":1">{{cite book |last=Manning |first=Patrick |title=Slavery, Colonialism and Economic Growth in Dahomey, 1640–1960 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1982 |location=London |isbn=978-0-511-56307-2 }}</ref>{{rp|15–16}} The decline was partly due to the [[Slave Trade Act 1807]] banning the [[trans-Atlantic slave trade]] by Britain in 1808, followed by other countries.<ref name="BbcSlavery"/> This decline continued until 1885 when the last slave ship departed the modern Benin Republic for Brazil, which had yet to abolish slavery. The capital [[Porto-Novo]] ("New Port" in Portuguese) was originally developed as a port for the slave trade.

[[File:Armed women with the King at their head, going to war-1793.jpg|thumb|right|[[Dahomey Amazons]] with the King at their head, going to war, 1793]]
Among the goods the [[Portuguese Empire|Portuguese]] sought were carved items of ivory made by Benin's artisans in the form of carved saltcellars, spoons, and hunting horns – pieces of African art produced for sale abroad as exotic objects.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/magazine/2021/01-02/ivory-saltcellar-reveals-colonial-power-dynamic-benin-portugal/ |title=This ivory relic reveals the colonial power dynamic between Benin and Portugal History Magazine, National Geographic, 09.02.2021 |website=[[National Geographic Society]] |date=9 February 2021 |access-date=9 February 2021 |archive-date=9 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210209201911/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/magazine/2021/01-02/ivory-saltcellar-reveals-colonial-power-dynamic-benin-portugal/ }}</ref> Another major good sought by European settlers was palm oil. In 1856 approximately 2,500 tons of palm oil was exported by British companies which was valued at £112,500.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ryder |first=Alan |title=Benin and the Europeans 1485–1897 |publisher=Humanities Press |date=1969 |location=New York, NY |page=239 }}</ref>

===Colonial===
{{See also|Second Franco-Dahomean War}}
[[File:Bénin- 1893.jpg|thumb|A French depiction of the conquest of Dahomey in 1893]]
By the middle of the 19th century, Dahomey had "begun to weaken and lose its status as the [[regional power]]". The French took over the area in 1892. In 1899, the French included the land called [[French Dahomey]] within the larger [[French West Africa]] colonial region.{{citation needed|date=June 2025}}

France sought to benefit from [[Dahomey]] and the region "appeared to lack the necessary agricultural or [[mineral resources]] for large-scale [[capitalist development]]". As a result, France treated Dahomey as a sort of preserve in case future discoveries revealed resources worth developing.<ref name=":1"/>{{rp|15}}

The [[French government]] outlawed the capture and sale of slaves. Previous [[slaveowners]] sought to redefine their control over slaves as control over land, [[tenants]], and lineage members. This provoked a struggle among Dahomeans, "concentrated in the period from 1895 to 1920, for the redistribution of control over land and labor. Villages sought to redefine boundaries of lands and fishing preserves. Religious disputes scarcely veiled the factional struggles over control of land and commerce which underlay them. Factions struggled for the leadership of great families".<ref name=":1" />{{rp|15–16}}

In 1958, France granted [[autonomy]] to the [[Republic of Dahomey]], and full independence on 1 August 1960 which is celebrated each year as [[Independence Day]], a [[Public holidays in Benin|national holiday]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://apanews.net/en/news/president-sirleaf-congratulates-benin-on-57th-independence-anniversary |title=President Sirleaf congratulates Benin on 57th Independence Anniversary |date=31 July 2017 |work=Agence de Presse Africane |access-date=30 July 2018 |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180730234816/http://apanews.net/en/news/president-sirleaf-congratulates-benin-on-57th-independence-anniversary |archive-date=30 July 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> The president who led the country to independence was [[Hubert Maga]].<ref name="Stokes2009">{{cite book |editor-last=Stokes |editor-first=Jamie |title=Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Africa and the Middle East: L to Z |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gaFvrgEACAAJ |date=2009 |publisher=Infobase Publishing |isbn=978-0-8160-7158-6 |page=229 |access-date=12 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160503171808/https://books.google.com/books?id=gaFvrgEACAAJ |archive-date=3 May 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Araujo2010">{{cite book |last=Araujo |first=Ana Lucia |title=Public Memory of Slavery: Victims and Perpetrators in the South Atlantic |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kymzngEACAAJ |year=2010 |publisher=Cambria Press |isbn=978-1-60497-714-1 |page=111 |access-date=12 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160617084013/https://books.google.com/books?id=kymzngEACAAJ |archive-date=17 June 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Post-colonial===
After 1960, there were coups and regime changes, with the figures of [[Hubert Maga]], [[Sourou Migan Apithy]], [[Justin Ahomadégbé]], and [[Émile Derlin Zinsou]] dominating; the first three each represented a different area and ethnicity of the country. These three agreed to form a [[Presidential Council (Benin)|Presidential Council]] after violence marred the 1970 elections.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Lansford |first1=Tom |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d33MfEFXvW8C |title=Political Handbook of the World 2012 |last2=Muller |first2=Tom |date=2 April 2012 |publisher=SAGE |isbn=978-1-60871-995-2 |pages=139 |language=en }}</ref>

On 7 May 1972, Maga ceded power to Ahomadégbé. On 26 October 1972, Lt. Col. [[Mathieu Kérékou]] overthrew the ruling triumvirate, becoming president and stating that the country would not "burden itself by copying foreign ideology, and wants neither Capitalism, Communism, nor Socialism". On 30 November 1974, he announced that the country was officially [[Marxism|Marxist]], under control of the Military Council of the Revolution (CMR), which nationalized the petroleum industry and banks. On 30 November 1975, he renamed the country the [[People's Republic of Benin]].<ref name="Dickovick2012">{{cite book |last=Dickovick |first=J. T. |title=Africa 2012 |date=2012 |publisher=Stryker Post |isbn=978-1-61048-882-2 |page=69 |url=https://archive.org/details/africa20120000dick/page/69 |url-access=registration |access-date=5 March 2013 }}</ref><ref name="HoungnikpoDecalo2012">{{cite book |last1=Houngnikpo |first1=M. C. |last2=Decalo |first2=S. |title=Historical Dictionary of Benin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0yGPTsRubWEC&pg=PR33 |access-date=5 March 2013 |date=14 December 2012 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-0-8108-7171-7 |page=33 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140423214217/http://books.google.com/books?id=0yGPTsRubWEC&pg=PR33 |archive-date=23 April 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref> The regime of the People's Republic of Benin underwent changes over the course of its existence: a [[Nationalism|nationalist]] period (1972–1974); a [[Socialism|socialist]] phase (1974–1982); and a phase involving an opening to Western countries and [[economic liberalism]] (1982–1990).<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |url=http://afriquepluriel.ruwenzori.net/benin1.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304083636/http://afriquepluriel.ruwenzori.net/benin1.htm |archive-date=4 March 2021 |title=Bénin, analyse du pays de 1982 a 1997 |access-date=11 December 2021 }}</ref>

In 1974, the government embarked on a program to nationalize strategic sectors of the economy, reform the education system, establish agricultural cooperatives and new local government structures, and a campaign to eradicate "[[Feudalism|feudal]] forces" including [[tribalism]]. The regime banned opposition activities. Mathieu Kérékou was elected president by the National Revolutionary Assembly in 1980, re-elected in 1984. Establishing relations with China, [[North Korea]], and [[Libya]], he put "nearly all" businesses and economic activities under state control, causing foreign investment in Benin to dry up.<ref name=kneib>{{Cite book |title=Benin |last=Kneib |first=M. |pages=22–25 |isbn=978-0-7614-2328-7 |date=2007 |publisher=Marshall Cavendish Benchmark |url=https://archive.org/details/benin0000knei/page/22 }}</ref> Kérékou attempted to reorganize education, pushing his own aphorisms such as "Poverty is not a fatality".<ref name=kneib/> The regime financed itself by contracting to take nuclear waste, first from the Soviet Union and later from France.<ref name=kneib/>

In the 1980s, Benin experienced higher economic growth rates (15.6% in 1982, 4.6% in 1983 and 8.2% in 1984), until the closure of the Nigerian border with Benin led to a drop in customs and tax revenues. The government was no longer able to pay civil servants' salaries.<ref name="auto"/> In 1989, riots broke out when the regime did not have enough money to pay its army. The banking system collapsed. Eventually, Kérékou renounced [[Marxism]], and a convention forced Kérékou to release political prisoners and arrange elections.<ref name="kneib"/> [[Marxism–Leninism]] was abolished as the country's form of government.<ref>{{cite web |date=2008 |url=http://www.socialist.net/history-people-s-republic-of-benin.htm |title=A Short History of the People's Republic of Benin (1974–1990) |publisher=Socialist.net |access-date=2 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100423134048/http://www.socialist.net/history-people-s-republic-of-benin.htm |archive-date=23 April 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The country's name was officially changed to the Republic of Benin on 1 March 1990, after the newly formed government's constitution was completed.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://flagspot.net/flags/bj.html |title=Benin |publisher=Flagspot.net |access-date=2 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100612012647/http://flagspot.net/flags/bj.html |archive-date=12 June 2010 }}</ref> Kérékou lost to [[Nicéphore Soglo]] in a 1991 election and became the first president on the African mainland to lose power through an election.<ref>{{cite news |title=Official Result in Benin Vote Shows Big Loss for Kerekou |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/03/26/world/official-result-in-benin-vote-shows-big-loss-for-kerekou.html |work=The New York Times |date=26 March 1991 |access-date=1 June 2022 |archive-date=1 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220601223719/https://www.nytimes.com/1991/03/26/world/official-result-in-benin-vote-shows-big-loss-for-kerekou.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Kérékou returned to power after winning the 1996 vote. In 2001, an election resulted in Kérékou winning another term, after which his opponents claimed election irregularities.<ref>{{cite news |title=President Kerekou re-elected in Benin |url=http://www.afrol.com/News2001/ben007_kerekou_wins.htm |work=www.afrol.com |access-date=1 June 2022 |archive-date=1 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220601223719/http://www.afrol.com/News2001/ben007_kerekou_wins.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1999, Kérékou issued a national apology for the substantial role that Africans had played in the Atlantic slave trade.<ref>{{cite web |author=Gates, H. L. |title=Ending the Slavery Blame-Game |work=The New York Times |date=2010 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/23/opinion/23gates.html?pagewanted=all |access-date=24 February 2017 |archive-date=7 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170307174002/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/23/opinion/23gates.html?pagewanted=all }}</ref>

===21st century===
[[File:BoniYayi inauguration2006.jpg|thumb|[[Thomas Boni Yayi]]'s 2006 presidential inauguration]]
Kérékou and former president Soglo did not run in the 2006 elections, as both were barred by the constitution's restrictions on age and total terms of candidates.<ref>{{cite news |title=President Mathieu Kerekou leaves after 29 years |work=The New Humanitarian |url=https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/fr/node/225956 |date=2006 |language=fr |access-date=1 June 2022 |archive-date=1 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220601222447/https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/fr/node/225956 |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Beninese presidential election, 2006]] resulted in a [[Two-round system|runoff]] between [[Thomas Boni Yayi]] and [[Adrien Houngbédji]]. The runoff election was held on 19 March and was won by Boni,<ref>{{cite news |title=Boni wins Benin presidential election: official |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2006-03-23/boni-wins-benin-presidential-election-official/825650 |work=ABC News |date=2006 |access-date=1 June 2022 |archive-date=1 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220601221645/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2006-03-23/boni-wins-benin-presidential-election-official/825650 |url-status=live }}</ref> who assumed office on 6 April.<ref>{{cite news |title=Celebration As Boni Takes Over |url=https://allafrica.com/stories/200604070127.html |access-date=1 June 2022 |archive-date=18 April 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060418003819/http://allafrica.com/stories/200604070127.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Boni was [[Beninese presidential election, 2011|reelected in 2011]], taking 53.18% of the vote in the first round—enough to avoid a runoff election. He was the first president to win an election without a runoff since the restoration of democracy in 1991.<ref>{{cite news |title=Benin's Boni Yayi wins second term – court |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/benin-election-idAFLDE72K0KE20110321 |work=Reuters |date=21 March 2011 |language=en |access-date=1 June 2022 |archive-date=1 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220601221256/https://www.reuters.com/article/benin-election-idAFLDE72K0KE20110321 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the [[Beninese presidential election, 2016|March 2016 presidential elections]] in which Boni Yayi was barred by the constitution from running for a third term, businessman [[Patrice Talon]] won the second round with 65.37% of the vote, defeating investment banker and former Prime Minister [[Lionel Zinsou]]. Talon was sworn in on 6 April 2016.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-benin-election-idUSKCN0X31QO |title=Businessman sworn in as Benin's president |date=2016 |newspaper=Reuters |access-date=1 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417043022/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-benin-election-idUSKCN0X31QO |archive-date=17 April 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> Speaking on the same day that the Constitutional Court confirmed the results, Talon said that he would "first and foremost tackle constitutional reform", discussing his plan to limit presidents to a single term of 5 years to combat "complacency". He said that he planned to slash the size of the government from 28 to 16 members.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-benin-election-idUSKCN0WS08X |title=Newly-elected Benin president aims to reduce presidential terms |date=2016 |newspaper=Reuters |access-date=1 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160503063033/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-benin-election-idUSKCN0WS08X |archive-date=3 May 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> In April 2021, President Patrice Talon was re-elected, with more than 86.3% of the votes cast in the [[2021 Beninese presidential election]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/benins-president-wins-election-preliminary-results-77053903 |title=Benin's president wins re-election in preliminary results |work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |access-date=14 April 2021 |archive-date=14 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414075040/https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/benins-president-wins-election-preliminary-results-77053903 |url-status=live }}</ref> The change in election laws resulted in total control of parliament by president Talon's supporters.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021 |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/4/11/vote-counting-in-benin-after-election-marked-by-violent-protests |title=Benin vote count begins after opposition groups boycott election |website=Al Jazeera |access-date=19 April 2021 |archive-date=19 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419074916/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/4/11/vote-counting-in-benin-after-election-marked-by-violent-protests |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 11 December 2020, Benin ratified the [[Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons]], making the use of nuclear weapons in the country illegal. It officially entered into force for Benin on 22 January 2021.

In February 2022, Benin saw its largest terrorist attack in history, the [[W National Park massacre]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Five rangers, soldier killed in attack in Benin, park management says |url=https://news.yahoo.com/five-rangers-soldier-killed-attack-203717334.html |access-date=16 February 2022 |website=Yahoo News |date=2022 |archive-date=16 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220216145841/https://news.yahoo.com/five-rangers-soldier-killed-attack-203717334.html |url-status=live }}</ref> On 20 February 2022, President Talon inaugurated an exhibition with 26 pieces of sacred art returned to Benin by France, 129 years after they were looted by colonial forces.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2022/02/21/regardez-la-puissance-de-ces-objets-le-benin-expose-les-vingt-six-uvres-restituees-par-la-france_6114618_3212.html |title=Le Bénin expose les vingt-six œuvres restituées par la France: " Regardez la puissance de ces objets ! " |newspaper=Le Monde.fr |date=21 February 2022 |access-date=22 July 2023 |archive-date=21 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230721071122/https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2022/02/21/regardez-la-puissance-de-ces-objets-le-benin-expose-les-vingt-six-uvres-restituees-par-la-france_6114618_3212.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In March 2025, the government of Benin adopted a law, recognizing 16 kingdoms, 80 senior chiefs and 10 traditional chiefs through a new law. The pre-colonial period starting in 1894 for the south and 1897 for the north served as a historical reference for the bill, identifying traditional territories and rules to institutionalize chieftaincy.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.africarivista.it/il-benin-riconosce-i-capi-tradizionali/263599/ |title=Il Benin riconosce i capi tradizionali |date=29 April 2025 }}</ref>

In July 2025, the My Afro Origins law went into effect, granting the right of provisional Beninese citizenship to members of the [[African diaspora]] whose ancestry was impacted by the transatlantic slave trade.<ref>{{Cite web |date=29 July 2025 |title=US Grammy winner Ciara becomes citizen of Benin under new slavery-descendants law |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgm2vvmdy28o |access-date=7 August 2025 |website=www.bbc.com |language=en-GB }}</ref>

On 7 December 2025, a [[2025 Beninese coup d'état|coup attempt]] occurred in which a faction of the army led by Pascal Tigri claimed to have overthrown [[Patrice Talon|President Talon]] and suspended the government and all political parties.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Adler |first=Nils |title=Benin soldiers claim to have overthrown President Talon in apparent coup |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2025/12/7/benin-attempt-coup-live-soldiers-on-state-tv-claim-to-have-toppled-talon |access-date=7 December 2025 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en }}</ref> However, the government later announced it had suppressed the coup and regained full control of all institutions, although Talon's whereabouts were unknown.

== Geography ==
{{main|Geography of Benin}}
[[File:Benin map of Köppen climate classification.svg|thumb|Map of Köppen climate classification]]

The north–south strip of land in West Africa lies between latitudes [[6th parallel north|6°]] and [[13th parallel north|13°N]], and longitudes [[prime meridian|0°]] and [[4th meridian east|4°E]]. It is bounded by Togo to the west, [[Burkina Faso]] and [[Niger]] to the north, [[Nigeria]] to the east, and the [[Bight of Benin]] to the south. The distance from the [[Niger River]] in the north to the Atlantic Ocean in the south is about {{convert|650|km|mi|0|abbr=on}}. Although the coastline measures {{convert|121|km|mi|0|abbr=on}}, the country measures about {{convert|325|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} at its widest point. Four terrestrial ecoregions lie within Benin's borders: [[Eastern Guinean forests]], [[Nigerian lowland forests]], [[Guinean forest-savanna mosaic]], and [[West Sudanian savanna]].<ref name="DinersteinOlson2017">{{cite journal |last1=Dinerstein |first1=Eric |last2=Olson |first2=David |last3=Joshi |first3=Anup |last4=Vynne |first4=Carly |last5=Burgess |first5=Neil D. |last6=Wikramanayake |first6=Eric |last7=Hahn |first7=Nathan |last8=Palminteri |first8=Suzanne |last9=Hedao |first9=Prashant |last10=Noss |first10=Reed |last11=Hansen |first11=Matt |last12=Locke |first12=Harvey |last13=Ellis |first13=Erle C |last14=Jones |first14=Benjamin |last15=Barber |first15=Charles Victor |last16=Hayes |first16=Randy |last17=Kormos |first17=Cyril |last18=Martin |first18=Vance |last19=Crist |first19=Eileen |last20=Sechrest |first20=Wes |last21=Price |first21=Lori |last22=Baillie |first22=Jonathan E. M. |last23=Weeden |first23=Don |last24=Suckling |first24=Kierán |last25=Davis |first25=Crystal |last26=Sizer |first26=Nigel |last27=Moore |first27=Rebecca |last28=Thau |first28=David |last29=Birch |first29=Tanya |last30=Potapov |first30=Peter |last31=Turubanova |first31=Svetlana |last32=Tyukavina |first32=Alexandra |last33=de Souza |first33=Nadia |last34=Pintea |first34=Lilian |last35=Brito |first35=José C. |last36=Llewellyn |first36=Othman A. |last37=Miller |first37=Anthony G. |last38=Patzelt |first38=Annette |last39=Ghazanfar |first39=Shahina A. |last40=Timberlake |first40=Jonathan |last41=Klöser |first41=Heinz |last42=Shennan-Farpón |first42=Yara |last43=Kindt |first43=Roeland |last44=Lillesø |first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow |last45=van Breugel |first45=Paulo |last46=Graudal |first46=Lars |last47=Voge |first47=Maianna |last48=Al-Shammari |first48=Khalaf F. |last49=Saleem |first49=Muhammad |title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm |journal=BioScience |volume=67 |issue=6 |year=2017 |pages=534–545 |issn=0006-3568 |doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014 |pmid=28608869 |pmc=5451287 |doi-access=free }}</ref> It had a 2018 [[Forest Landscape Integrity Index]] mean score of 5.86/10, ranking it 93rd globally out of 172 countries.<ref name="FLII-Supplementary">{{cite journal |last1=Grantham |first1=H. S. |last2=Duncan |first2=A. |last3=Evans |first3=T. D. |last4=Jones |first4=K. R. |last5=Beyer |first5=H. L. |last6=Schuster |first6=R. |last7=Walston |first7=J. |last8=Ray |first8=J. C. |last9=Robinson |first9=J. G. |last10=Callow |first10=M. |last11=Clements |first11=T. |last12=Costa |first12=H. M. |last13=DeGemmis |first13=A. |last14=Elsen |first14=P. R. |last15=Ervin |first15=J. |last16=Franco |first16=P. |last17=Goldman |first17=E. |last18=Goetz |first18=S. |last19=Hansen |first19=A. |last20=Hofsvang |first20=E. |last21=Jantz |first21=P. |last22=Jupiter |first22=S. |last23=Kang |first23=A. |last24=Langhammer |first24=P. |last25=Laurance |first25=W. F. |last26=Lieberman |first26=S. |last27=Linkie |first27=M. |last28=Malhi |first28=Y. |last29=Maxwell |first29=S. |last30=Mendez |first30=M. |last31=Mittermeier |first31=R. |last32=Murray |first32=N. J. |last33=Possingham |first33=H. |last34=Radachowsky |first34=J. |last35=Saatchi |first35=S. |last36=Samper |first36=C. |last37=Silverman |first37=J. |last38=Shapiro |first38=A. |last39=Strassburg |first39=B. |last40=Stevens |first40=T. |last41=Stokes |first41=E. |last42=Taylor |first42=R. |last43=Tear |first43=T. |last44=Tizard |first44=R. |last45=Venter |first45=O. |last46=Visconti |first46=P. |last47=Wang |first47=S. |last48=Watson |first48=J. E. M. |title=Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity – Supplementary Material |journal=Nature Communications |volume=11 |issue=1 |year=2020 |page=5978 |issn=2041-1723 |doi=10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3 |pmid=33293507 |pmc=7723057 |bibcode=2020NatCo..11.5978G |doi-access=free }}</ref>

[[File:Atakora Benin Batia.jpg|thumb|[[Atakora Department|Atakora]], one of Benin's two northernmost departments]]
Benin shows some variation in elevation and can be divided into four areas from the south to the north, starting with the lower-lying, sandy, coastal plain (highest elevation {{convert|10|m|ft|1|abbr=on}}) which is, at most, {{convert|10|km|mi|1|abbr=on}} wide. It is marshy and dotted with lakes and lagoons communicating with the ocean. Behind the coast lies the [[Guinean forest-savanna mosaic]]-covered plateaus of southern Benin (altitude between {{convert|20|and|200|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}), which are split by valleys running north to south along the [[Couffo River|Couffo]], [[Zou River|Zou]], and [[Ouémé River]]s.

This geography makes it [[Climate change vulnerability|vulnerable to climate change]]. With the majority of the country living near the coast in lower-lying areas, sea level rise could affect the economy and population.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.adaptation-undp.org/explore/western-africa/benin |title=Benin {{!}} UNDP Climate Change Adaptation |website=www.adaptation-undp.org |date=14 August 2019 |language=en |access-date=22 April 2020 |archive-date=5 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200805194924/https://www.adaptation-undp.org/explore/western-africa/benin |url-status=live }}</ref> Northern areas will see additional regions become deserts.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://ees.kuleuven.be/klimos/toolkit/documents/684_CC_benin.pdf |title=Climate Change Profile: Benin |website=Netherlands Commission for Environmental Assessment |access-date=22 April 2020 |archive-date=9 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309000345/https://ees.kuleuven.be/klimos/toolkit/documents/684_CC_benin.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
An area of flatter land dotted with rocky hills whose altitude reaches {{convert|400|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} extends around Nikki and Save.{{citation needed|date=July 2025}}

A range of mountains extends along the northwest border and into Togo; these are the [[Togo Mountains|Atacora]]. The highest point, [[Mont Sokbaro]], is at {{convert|658|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}. Benin has fields, [[mangrove]]s and remnants of forests. In the rest of the country, the savanna is covered with thorny scrub and dotted with [[Adansonia digitata|baobab]] trees. Some forests line the banks of rivers. In the north and the northwest of Benin, the [[W National Park|Reserve du W du Niger]] and [[Pendjari National Park]] has [[African bush elephant]]s, lions, antelopes, [[hippopotamus]] and monkeys.<ref name=bn>{{citation-attribution| {{cite web |url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/6761.htm |title=Background Note: Benin |publisher=U.S. Department of State |date=12 December 2015 |access-date=22 May 2019 |archive-date=4 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190604183410/https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/6761.htm |url-status=live}} }}.</ref>{{Verify source|date=August 2022|reason=Page is updated significantly since 2008 when it was first used. Not sure if any PD material is still in article, but no way to verify, since original page date range is not on iArchive (archiving begins 2017).}} Pendjari National Park together with the bordering Parks [[Arli National Park|Arli]] and W National Park in [[Burkina Faso]] and [[Niger]] are among the strongholds of the lion in West Africa; with an estimated 246–466 lions, W-Arli-Pendjari harbors the largest remaining lion population in West Africa.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Henschel |first1=P. |last2=Coad |first2=L. |last3=Burton |first3=C. |last4=Chataigner |first4=B. |last5=Dunn |first5=A. |last6=MacDonald |first6=D. |last7=Saidu |first7=Y. |last8=Hunter |first8=L. T. B. |title=The Lion in West Africa is Critically Endangered |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0083500 |journal=[[PLOS ONE]] |volume=9 |article-number=e83500 |year=2014 |issue=1 |pmid=24421889 |pmc=3885426 |bibcode=2014PLoSO...983500H |doi-access=free }}</ref> Historically Benin has served as habitat for the endangered [[African wild dog]], ''Lycaon pictus'';<ref>{{cite web |first=C. Michael |last=Hogan |date=2008 |url=http://globaltwitcher.auderis.se/artspec_information.asp?thingid=35993 |title=Painted Hunting Dog: Lycaon pictus |website=GlobalTwitcher |editor=N. Stromberg |archive-date=9 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101209234758/http://globaltwitcher.auderis.se/artspec_information.asp?thingid=35993 }}</ref> this canid is thought to have been [[Local extinction|locally extinct]].

Annual rainfall in the coastal area averages 1300&nbsp;mm or about 51&nbsp;inches. Benin has two rainy and two dry seasons per year. The principal rainy season is from April to late July, with a shorter, less intense rainy period from September to November. The main dry season is from December to April, with a cooler dry season from July to September. Temperatures and humidity are higher along the tropical coast. In [[Cotonou]], the average maximum temperature is {{convert|31|°C|1}}; the minimum is {{convert|24|°C|1}}.<ref name=bn/>

Variations in temperature increase when moving north through [[savanna]] and plateau toward the [[Sahel]]. A dry wind from the Sahara called the [[harmattan]] blows from December to March, when the grass dries up, other vegetation turns reddish-brown, and a veil of fine dust hangs over the country, causing the skies to be overcast. It is also the season when farmers burn brush in the fields.<ref name=bn/>

In Benin [[forest cover]] is around 28% of the total land area, equivalent to 3,135,150 hectares (ha) of forest in 2020, down from 4,835,150 hectares (ha) in 1990. In 2020, naturally regenerating forests covered 3,112,150 hectares (ha), and planted forests covered 23,000 hectares (ha).<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/a6e225da-4a31-4e06-818d-ca3aeadfd635/content |title=Terms and Definitions FRA 2025 Forest Resources Assessment, Working Paper 194 |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |year=2023 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020, Benin |url=https://fra-data.fao.org/assessments/fra/2020/BEN/home/overview |website=Food Agriculture Organization of the United Nations }}</ref>

===Wildlife===
{{Main|Wildlife of Benin}}

==Government and politics==
{{main|Politics of Benin}}<!--Please add new information to relevant articles of the series-->
Benin's politics take place in a framework of a [[presidential system|presidential]] [[representative democracy|representative democratic]] republic in which the [[President of Benin]] is both [[head of state]] and [[head of government]], within a [[multi-party system]]. [[Executive power]] is exercised by the government. [[Legislative power]] is vested in the government and the legislature. The [[judiciary]] is officially independent of the executive and the legislature, while in practice its independence has been gradually hollowed out by Talon, and the Constitutional Court is headed by his former personal lawyer.<ref name="economist2021">{{cite news |title=Benin's democratic beacon dims |url=https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/04/10/benins-democratic-beacon-dims |access-date=12 April 2021 |magazine=[[The Economist]] |archive-date=12 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210412022220/https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2021/04/10/benins-democratic-beacon-dims |url-status=live }}</ref> The political system is derived from the 1990 [[Constitution of Benin]] and the subsequent transition to democracy in 1991.

It was ranked 18th out of 52 African countries and scored best in the categories of Safety & Rule of Law and Participation & Human Rights.<ref name=IIAG>{{cite web |title=2014 Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG) |publisher=[[Mo Ibrahim Foundation]] |date=2014 |url=http://www.moibrahimfoundation.org/interact/ |access-date=16 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130530015728/http://www.moibrahimfoundation.org/interact/ |archive-date=30 May 2013 }}</ref> In its 2007 Worldwide Press Freedom Index, [[Reporters Without Borders]] ranked Benin 53rd out of 169 countries. That place had fallen to 78th by 2016, when [[Patrice Talon|Talon]] took office, and has fallen further to 113th.<ref name="economist2021" /> Benin has been rated equal-88th out of 159 countries in a 2005 analysis of police, business, and political corruption.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/gov_cor-government-corruption |title=Countries Compared by Government, Government corruption rating. International Statistics at NationMaster.com |work=nationmaster.com |access-date=13 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110208015202/http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/gov_cor-government-corruption |archive-date=8 February 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Its democratic system "has eroded" since President Talon took office.<ref name="economist2021" /> In 2018, his government introduced new rules for fielding candidates and raised the cost of registering. The electoral commission, packed with Talon's allies, barred all opposition parties from the parliamentary election in 2019, resulting in a parliament made up entirely of supporters of Talon. That parliament subsequently changed election laws such that presidential candidates need to have the approval of at least 10% of Benin's MPs and mayors. As parliament and most mayors' offices are controlled by Talon, he has control over who can run for president. These changes have drawn condemnation from international observers and led to the United States government partially terminating development assistance to the country.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Benin: Freedom in the World 2021 Country Report |url=https://freedomhouse.org/country/benin/freedom-world/2021 |access-date=16 December 2021 |website=Freedom House |language=en |archive-date=16 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211216181132/https://freedomhouse.org/country/benin/freedom-world/2021 |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref>{{Cite web |title=Press Release: MCC's Board Selects Belize, Zambia for Grant Assistance |url=https://www.mcc.gov/news-and-events/release/press-release-121521-board-selects-belize-zambia |url-status=live |access-date=16 December 2021 |website=Millennium Challenge Corporation |language=en |quote=However, due to Benin's overall multi-year decline in its commitment to MCC's eligibility criteria and the principles of democratic governance, the Board discussed and endorsed MCC's determination to significantly reduce the portion of the planned regional investment that would be made in Benin through a concurrent compact. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211215202326/https://www.mcc.gov/news-and-events/release/press-release-121521-board-selects-belize-zambia |archive-date=15 December 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=16 December 2021 |title=Recul de la démocratie: les Etats-Unis sanctionnent le Bénin à travers le MCC |url=https://lanouvelletribune.info/2021/12/recul-de-la-democratie-les-etats-unis-sanctionnent-le-benin-a-travers-le-mcc/ |access-date=16 December 2021 |website=La Nouvelle Tribune |language=fr |archive-date=16 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211216181132/https://lanouvelletribune.info/2021/12/recul-de-la-democratie-les-etats-unis-sanctionnent-le-benin-a-travers-le-mcc/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hirschel-Burns |first=Tim |title=Benin's King of Cotton Makes Its Democracy a Sham |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/04/08/benin-election-democracy-sham-patrice-talon/ |access-date=16 December 2021 |website=Foreign Policy |date=8 April 2021 |language=en-US |archive-date=16 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211216181132/https://foreignpolicy.com/2021/04/08/benin-election-democracy-sham-patrice-talon/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 7 December 2025, a group of soldiers in Benin appeared on state television claiming they had overthrown President [[Patrice Talon]], dissolved the government, and installed a new ruling body they called the Military Committee for Refoundation. However, the government and loyalist forces quickly pushed back. The interior minister said the coup attempt had been foiled by forces loyal to the constitutional government, and public life was urged to continue normally.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Fouda |first1=Malek |title=Benin interior minister says military coup attempt foiled by loyalist troops |url=https://www.euronews.com/2025/12/07/benin-interior-minister-says-military-coup-attempt-foiled-by-loyalist-troops?utm_source=chatgpt.com |access-date=21 December 2025 |agency=Euro News |volume=1 |issue= |publisher=Euro News |date=7 December 2025 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Lawal |first1=Shola |title=Has Benin’s foiled coup made ECOWAS a West African heavyweight once more? |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2025/12/16/has-benins-foiled-coup-made-ecowas-a-west-african-heavyweight-once-more |access-date=21 December 2025 |agency=Aljazeera News |volume=1 |date=16 December 2025}}</ref> The regional body [[ECOWAS]], at the request of President Talon, called for the immediate deployment of ECOWAS standby troops to suppress any further uprisings and fully reestablish control over Cotonou. Nigeria deployed fighter jets over Cotonou and also sent its land forces into Benin.

===Administrative divisions===
{{main|Departments of Benin|Communes of Benin}}
<imagemap>
File:Benin departments named.png|thumb|right|Departments of Benin
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</imagemap>

Benin is divided into twelve [[Department (subnational entity)|department]]s (French: ''départements'') which are subdivided into 77 [[Commune (subnational entity)|communes]]. In 1999, the previous six departments were each split into two-halves, forming the later twelve.<ref>{{citation |url=https://www.statoids.org/en/bj/admin-levels/l1/map/benin/departements |title=Statoids – Benin }}</ref>

{{#section:Departments of Benin|table}}

===Military===
{{main|Benin Armed Forces}}

== Demographics ==
{{Pie chart
 | thumb   = right
 | caption = '''Ethnic Groups of Benin (2013 Census)'''
 | label1 = Goun & Fon
 | value1 = 38.4| color2=#36A
 | label2 = Adja & Mina
 | value2 = 15.1| color1=#6A5
 | label3 = Yoruba
 | value3 = 12 | color3=#FF33AC
 | label4 = Bariba
 | value4 = 9.6 | color4=#1A9
 | label5 = Fula
 | value5 = 8.6| color5=#E17720
 | label6 = Ottamari
 | value6 = 6.1 | color6=#F0FF00
 | label7 = Yoa-Lokpa
 | value7 = 4.3 | color7=#64ECDF
 | label8 = Dendi
 | value8 = 2.9 | color8=#F0FF01
 | label9 = Other
 | value9 = 2.8 | color9=#65ECDF
 }}
{{main|Demographics of Benin|Languages of Benin}}
The majority of Benin's 11,485,000 inhabitants live in the south of the country. The [[life expectancy]] is 62 years.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> About 42 African ethnic groups live in this country, including the [[Yoruba people|Yoruba]] in the southeast (migrated from Nigeria in the 12th century); the [[Dendi people|Dendi]] in the north-central area (who came from Mali in the 16th century); the [[Bariba people|Bariba]] and the [[Fula people|Fula]] in the northeast; the [[Betammaribe]] and the [[Somba people|Somba]] in the [[Atakora Mountains]]; the [[Fon people|Fon]] in the area around [[Abomey]] in the South Central and the [[Mina people|Mina]], [[Xueda people|Xueda]], and [[Aja people|Aja]] (who came from Togo) on the coast.<ref name="bn" />

The personnel of European embassies and foreign aid missions and of nongovernmental organisations and missionary groups account for a part of the 5,500 European population.<ref name="bn" />

Non-Africans include Europeans, Lebanese people and South Asians.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Benin/Plant-and-animal-life#ref55069 |title=Benin - People &#124; Britannica |access-date=15 July 2025 |date=5 June 2025 |last1=Law |first1=Robin |last2=Ronen |first2=Dov |last3=Adotevi |first3=Stanislas Spero |author4=((The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica)) |website=Britannica }}</ref>
{{Historical populations|align=none|direction=horizontal
| pop_name=Population{{UN_Population|ref}}
|1950 |2,200,000
|2000 |6,800,000
|{{UN_Population|Year}} |{{#expr:{{formatnum:{{UN_Population|Benin}}|R}} round -5}}
}}
{{Largest cities
| country      = Benin
| stat_ref     = According to the 2013 Census<ref>{{cite web |title=Benin: Departments, Major Cities & Towns – Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information |url=http://citypopulation.de/Benin-Cities.html |website=www.citypopulation.de |access-date=7 December 2021 |archive-date=9 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190509011915/http://citypopulation.de/Benin-Cities.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
| list_by_pop  =
| div_name     = Department
| div_link     =

| city_1 = Cotonou
| div_1 = Littoral Department{{!}}Littoral
| pop_1 = 679,012
| city_2 = Porto-Novo{{!}}{{nowrap|Porto-Novo}}
| div_2 = Ouémé Department{{!}}Ouémé
| pop_2 = 264,320
| city_3 = Parakou
| div_3 = Borgou Department{{!}}Borgou
| pop_3 = 255,478
| city_4 = Godomey{{!}}{{nowrap|Godomey}}
| div_4 = Atlantique Department{{!}}Atlantique
| pop_4 = 253,262
| city_5 = Abomey-Calavi
| div_5 = Atlantique Department{{!}}Atlantique
| pop_5 = 117,824

| city_6 = Djougou
| div_6 = Donga Department{{!}}Donga
| pop_6 = 94,773

| city_7 = Bohicon
| div_7 = Zou Department{{!}}Zou
| pop_7 = 93,744

| city_8 = Ekpè
| div_8 = Ouémé Department{{!}}Ouémé
| pop_8 = 75,313

| city_9 = Abomey
| div_9 = Zou Department{{!}}Zou
| pop_9 = 67,885

| city_10 = Nikki, Benin{{!}}Nikki
| div_10 = Borgou Department{{!}}Borgou
| pop_10 = 66,109
}}

=== Language ===
{{main|Languages of Benin}}
Local languages are used as the many languages of instruction in elementary schools, with French introduced in later years. At the secondary school level, French is the sole language of instruction. Beninese languages are "generally transcribed" with a separate letter for each speech sound ([[phoneme]]), rather than using [[diacritic]]s as in French or [[digraph (orthography)|digraphs]] as in English. This includes Beninese [[Yoruba language|Yoruba]], which in [[Nigeria]] is written with both diacritics and digraphs. For instance, the [[mid vowel]]s written ''é, è, ô, o'' in French are written ''{{IPA|e, ɛ, o, ɔ}}'' in Beninese languages, whereas the [[consonant]]s that are written ''ng'' and ''sh'' or ''ch'' in English are written ''ŋ'' and ''c.'' Digraphs are used for [[nasal vowel]]s and the [[labial-velar consonant]]s ''kp'' and ''gb,'' as in the name of the [[Fon language]] ''Fon gbe'' {{IPA|/fõ ɡ͡be/}}, and diacritics are used as [[tone (linguistics)|tone marks]]. In French-language publications, a mixture of French and Beninese orthographies may be seen.

=== Religion ===
{{Pie chart
|thumb = right
|caption = Religion in Benin (2020 CIA World Factbook estimate)<ref name="cia.gov">{{Cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/benin/ |title=The World Factbook – Central Intelligence Agency |website=www.cia.gov |language=en |access-date=20 August 2018 |archive-date=29 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231229152613/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/benin/ |url-status=live }}</ref>{{failed verification|date=July 2025|reason=Appears to be projection from a 2010 statistic by Pew Research Center}}
| label1 = Christianity
| value1 = 52.2
| color1 = DodgerBlue
| label2 = [[Islam]]
| value2 = 24.6
| color2 = Green
| label3 = [[Animist]]
| value3 = 17.6
| color3 = Gold
| label4 = Others / None
| value4 = 5.3
| color4 = Yellow
}}
[[File:Benin - batism ceremony in Cotonou.jpg|thumb|A [[Celestial Church of Christ]] baptism in Cotonou. 5% of Benin's population belongs to this [[Christian denomination|denomination]], an [[African Initiated Church]].]]
{{main|Religion in Benin}}

The two main religions in Benin are Christianity, followed mostly in the south and center, and Islam, brought by the [[Songhai Empire]] and [[Hausa people|Hausa]] merchants and followed in [[Alibori Department|Alibori]], [[Borgou Department|Borgou]], and [[Donga Department|Donga]] provinces, as well as among the [[Yoruba people|Yoruba]], who also practice Christianity.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2 April 2015 |title=The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010–2050 |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2015/04/02/religious-projections-2010-2050/ |access-date=18 March 2024 |website=Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project |publisher=[[Pew Research Center]] |language=en-US |archive-date=31 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331220434/https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2015/04/02/religious-projections-2010-2050/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=4 April 2014 |title=Global Religious Diversity |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2014/04/04/global-religious-diversity/ |access-date=18 March 2024 |website=Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project |publisher=Pew Research Center |language=en-US |archive-date=28 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328001820/https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2014/04/04/global-religious-diversity/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Some continue to hold [[West African Vodun|Vodun]] and [[Yoruba religion|Orisha]] beliefs and have [[Syncretism|incorporated]] the pantheon of Vodun and Orisha into Christianity. [[Ahmadiyya]], a sect of Islam originating in the 19th century, also has a presence in the country.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-report-on-international-religious-freedom/benin/ |title=Benin |access-date=6 March 2024 |archive-date=31 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031131318/https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-report-on-international-religious-freedom/benin/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the 2013 census, 48.5% of the population of Benin were Christian (25.5% [[Roman Catholic]], 6.7% [[Celestial Church of Christ]], 3.4% [[Methodist]], and 12.9% other Christian denominations), 27.7% were [[Muslim]], 11.6% practiced [[Vodun]], 2.6% practiced other local traditional religions, 2.6% practiced other religions, and 5.8% claimed no religious affiliation.<ref name="insae-bj.org"/><ref name="report">[https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2007/90082.htm International Religious Freedom Report 2007: Benin] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190729171032/https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2007/90082.htm |date=29 July 2019 }} . United States [[Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor]] (14 September 2007). ''This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the [[public domain]].''</ref> A government survey conducted by the [[Demographic and Health Surveys]] Program in 2011–2012 indicated that followers of Christianity comprised 57.5% of the population (with Catholics making up 33.9%, Methodists 3.0%, Celestials 6.2% and other Christians 14.5%), while Muslims were 22.8%.<ref name="DHS 2011-12">{{cite web |url=https://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR270/FR270.pdf |title=Enquête Démographique et de Santé (EDSB-IV) 2011–2012 |publisher=Ministère du Développement, de l'Analyse Économique et de la Prospective Institut National de la Statistique et de l'Analyse Économique (INSAE) |page=39 |language=fr |access-date=20 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170623015547/http://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/fr270/fr270.pdf |archive-date=23 June 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>

According to the most recent (2020) estimate, the population of Benin was 52.2% Christian, 24.6% Muslim, 17.9% animist, and 5.3% followed other faiths or had no religion.<ref name="cia.gov"/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Benin |url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/benin/ |access-date=11 November 2022 |newspaper=United States Department of State |language=en-US |archive-date=19 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221019190242/https://www.state.gov/reports/2021-report-on-international-religious-freedom/benin/ |url-status=live }}</ref>{{failed verification|date=July 2025|reason=Appears to be projection from a 2010 statistic by Pew Research Center}}

Traditional religions include local animistic religions in the [[Atakora Department|Atakora]] region and [[Vodun]] and [[Orisha]] veneration among the Yoruba and Tado peoples in the center and south of the nation. The town of [[Ouidah]] on the central coast is the spiritual center of Beninese Vodun or Voodoo.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Off the Grid – Ouidah, Benin – Archaeology Magazine – September/October 2018 |url=https://archaeology.org/issues/september-october-2018/off-the-grid/trenches-benin-ouidah/ |access-date=23 June 2024 |website=Archaeology Magazine |language=en-US }}</ref>

===Education===
[[File:BEN 2001-007-S20.jpg|thumb|Students]]
{{main|Education in Benin}}
The [[literacy]] rate in 2015 was estimated to be 38.4% (49.9% for males and 27.3% for females).<ref name="ReferenceA"/> Benin has achieved universal primary education and half of the children (54%) were enrolled in secondary education in 2013, according to the [[UNESCO Institute for Statistics]].

While at a time the education system was not free,<ref name="ilab">{{cite web |url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2000/af/861.htm |title=Benin |date=23 February 2001 |publisher=U. S. Department of State |work=Country Reports on Human Rights Practices |access-date=17 September 2010 |archive-date=5 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190605135649/https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2000/af/861.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Benin has abolished school fees and is carrying out the recommendations of its 2007 Educational Forum.<ref name="UnescoBenin">{{cite web |url=http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/worldwide/africa/benin/ |title=Benin |publisher=U. N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization |access-date=17 September 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100913193731/http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/worldwide/africa/benin/ |archive-date=13 September 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> The government has devoted more than 4% of GDP to education since 2009. In 2015, public expenditure on education (all levels) amounted to 4.4% of GDP, according to the [[UNESCO Institute for Statistics]]. Within this expenditure, Benin devoted a share to tertiary education: 0.97% of GDP.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |url=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0023/002354/235406e.pdf |title=West Africa. In: UNESCO Science Report: towards 2030 |last1=Essegbey |first1=George |last2=Diaby |first2=Nouhou |last3=Konté |first3=Almamy |publisher=UNESCO |year=2015 |isbn=978-92-3-100129-1 |location=Paris |pages=471–497 |access-date=12 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630025557/http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0023/002354/235406e.pdf |archive-date=30 June 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Between 2009 and 2011, the share of people enrolled at university rose from 10% to 12% of the 18''–''25-year age cohort. Student enrollment in tertiary education more than doubled between 2006 and 2011 from 50,225 to 110,181. These statistics encompass not only bachelor's, master's, and PhD programmes but also students enrolled in nondegree post-secondary diplomas.<ref name=":0" />

=== Health ===
{{main|Health in Benin}}
{{see also|HIV/AIDS in Benin}}
The [[HIV/AIDS]] rate in Benin was estimated in 2013 at 1.13% of adults aged 15–49 years.<ref name=CIA3>{{cite web |title=HIV/AIDS—Adult Prevalence Rate |work=[[The World Factbook]] |publisher=[[Central Intelligence Agency]] |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2155rank.html |access-date=16 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141221190412/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2155rank.html |archive-date=21 December 2014 }}</ref> [[Malaria]] is a problem in Benin, being a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among children younger than 5 years.<ref name=Malaria>{{cite web |title=Malaria in Benin |website=malaria.com |date=24 February 2011 |url=http://www.malaria.com/featured/malaria-beni |access-date=16 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150122100605/http://www.malaria.com/featured/malaria-beni |archive-date=22 January 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>

During the 1980s, less than 30% of the country's population had access to primary healthcare services. Benin's [[infant mortality rate]] stood at 203 deaths for every {{gaps|1|000}} live births. One in three mothers had access to child health care services. The [[Bamako Initiative]] changed that by introducing community-based healthcare reform, resulting in a "more efficient and equitable" provision of services.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.who.int/inf-new/child6.htm |title=Bamako Initiative revitalizes primary health care in Benin |publisher=WHO.int |access-date=28 December 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070106133809/http://www.who.int/inf-new/child6.htm |archive-date=6 January 2007 }}</ref> {{As of|2015}}, Benin had the 26th highest rate of [[maternal mortality]] in the world.<ref name=CIA2>{{cite web |title=Maternal Mortality Rate |work=The World Factbook |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2223rank.html |access-date=16 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150418113820/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2223rank.html |archive-date=18 April 2015 }}</ref> According to a 2013 UNICEF report, 13% of women had undergone [[female genital mutilation]].<ref name=UNICEF2013p27>{{cite report |url=http://www.unicef.org/media/files/FGCM_Lo_res.pdf |title=Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: A statistical overview and exploration of the dynamics of change |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150405083031/http://www.unicef.org/media/files/FGCM_Lo_res.pdf |archive-date=5 April 2015 |publisher=[[United Nations Children's Fund]] (UNICEF) |date=July 2013 |isbn=978-92-806-4703-7 |page=27 }}</ref> An approach strategy was extended to all areas of healthcare, with subsequent improvement in the health care indicators and improvement in health care efficiency and cost.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Implementation of the Bamako Initiative: strategies in Benin and Guinea |pmid=10173105 |doi=10.1002/(SICI)1099-1751(199706)12:1+<S29::AID-HPM465>3.0.CO;2-U |volume=12 Suppl 1 |year=1997 |journal=Int J Health Plann Manage |pages=S29-47 |last1=Knippenberg |first1=R |last2=Alihonou |first2=E |last3=Soucat |first3=A |last4=Oyegbite |first4=K |last5=Calivis |first5=M |last6=Hopwood |first6=I |last7=Niimi |first7=R |last8=Diallo |first8=MP |last9=Conde |first9=M |last10=Ofosu-Amaah |first10=S |issue=S1 }}</ref> [[Demographic and Health Surveys]] has surveyed the issue in Benin since 1996.<ref name="Benin Surveys">{{cite web |title=Benin |website=The DHS Program |publisher=[[USAID]] |url=https://dhsprogram.com/Countries/Country-Main.cfm?ctry_id=52 |access-date=27 August 2022 |archive-date=27 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220827151035/https://dhsprogram.com/Countries/Country-Main.cfm?ctry_id=52 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{better source needed|date=August 2022|reason=Just because the surveys published online are from 1996 doesn't mean that's when surveys started. DHS has run since 1984, and digitization is hard. Also, surely there's a better way to report DHS in the article than to merely say surveys exist.}}
In the 2024 Global Hunger Index, Benin ranks 99th out of 127 countries.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024 |title=Global Hunger Index Scores by 2024 GHI Rank |url=https://www.globalhungerindex.org/ranking.html |access-date=11 December 2024 |work=Global Hunger Index }}</ref>

==Economy==
{{main|Economy of Benin}}
[[File:Extensive Landwirtschaft im Norden Benins bei Djougou.jpg|thumb|Extensive agriculture in the north of Benin, near Djougou]]
[[File:GDP per capita development of Benin.svg|thumb|Real GDP per capita development of Benin since 1950]]
The economy is dependent on [[subsistence agriculture]], cotton production, and regional trade. Cotton accounts for 40% of the GDP and roughly 80% of official export receipts.<ref name=bn />

Real GDP growth was estimated at 5.1% and 5.7% in 2008 and 2009, respectively. The main driver of growth is the agricultural sector, with cotton being the main export, while services continue to contribute the largest part of GDP mostly because of Benin's geographical location, enabling trade, transportation, transit and tourism activities with its neighboring states.<ref>{{cite web |title=Benin: Financial Sector Overview |website=Making Finance Work for Africa |url=https://www.mfw4a.org/country/benin |access-date=30 November 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110513105544/http://www.mfw4a.org/benin/benin-financial-sector-profile.html |archive-date=13 May 2011 }}</ref> Benin's overall macroeconomic conditions were "positive" in 2017, with a growth rate of around 5.6%. Economic growth was mostly driven by the cotton industry and other cash crops, the Port of Cotonou, and telecommunications. A source of revenue is the Port of Cotonou, and the government is seeking to expand its revenue base. In 2017, Benin imported about $2.8&nbsp;billion in goods such as rice, meat and poultry, alcoholic beverages, fuel plastic materials, specialized mining and excavating machinery, telecommunications equipment, passenger vehicles, and toiletries and cosmetics. Principal exports are ginned cotton, cotton cake and cotton seeds, cashew, shea butter, cooking oil, and lumber.<ref>{{citation-attribution|1={{cite web |title=Benin – Market Overview {{!}} Privacy Shield |url=https://www.privacyshield.gov/article?id=Benin-Market-Overview |website=www.privacyshield.gov |access-date=29 December 2020 |language=en |archive-date=14 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414034503/https://www.privacyshield.gov/article?id=Benin-Market-Overview |url-status=live}} }}</ref>

Access to [[biocapacity]] is lower than world average. In 2016, Benin had 0.9 global hectares<ref name=footprintdata>{{cite web |url=http://data.footprintnetwork.org/#/countryTrends?cn=53&type=BCpc,EFCpc |title=Country Trends |publisher=Global Footprint Network |access-date=24 June 2020 |archive-date=8 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808050235/http://data.footprintnetwork.org/#/countryTrends?cn=53&type=BCpc,EFCpc |url-status=live }}</ref> of biocapacity per person within its territory, less than the world average of 1.6 global hectares per person.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Lin |first1=David |last2=Hanscom |first2=Laurel |last3=Murthy |first3=Adeline |last4=Galli |first4=Alessandro |last5=Evans |first5=Mikel |last6=Neill |first6=Evan |last7=Mancini |first7=MariaSerena |last8=Martindill |first8=Jon |last9=Medouar |first9=FatimeZahra |last10=Huang |first10=Shiyu |last11=Wackernagel |first11=Mathis |date=2018 |title=Ecological Footprint Accounting for Countries: Updates and Results of the National Footprint Accounts, 2012–2018 |journal=Resources |language=en |volume=7 |issue=3 |page=58 |doi=10.3390/resources7030058 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2018Resou...7...58L }}</ref> In 2016 Benin used 1.4 global hectares of biocapacity per person - their [[ecological footprint]] of consumption. This means they use "slightly under double" as much biocapacity as Benin contains. As a result, Benin is running a biocapacity deficit.<ref name=footprintdata/>

[[File:Gossypium sp MS4007.JPG|thumb|Cotton field in northern Benin]]
To raise growth still further, Benin plans to attract more foreign investment, place more emphasis on [[Tourism in Benin|tourism]], facilitate the development of new food processing systems and agricultural products, and encourage new information and communication technology. Projects to improve the business climate by reforms to the land tenure system, the commercial justice system, and the financial sector were included in Benin's US$307&nbsp;million [[Millennium Challenge Account]] grant signed in February 2006.<ref name=MCC>{{cite web |title=2006 Benin Compact Summary |website=Millennium Challenge Corporation |date=2006 |url=https://assets.mcc.gov/agreements/022206_benin_compact_summary.pdf |access-date=16 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203153130/https://assets.mcc.gov/agreements/022206_benin_compact_summary.pdf |archive-date=3 February 2016 }}</ref>

The [[Paris Club]] and bilateral creditors have eased the external debt situation, with Benin benefiting from a G8 debt reduction announced in July 2005, while pressing for more rapid structural reforms. An "insufficient" electrical supply continues to "adversely affect" Benin's economic growth and the government has taken steps to increase domestic power production.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

While [[trade unions in Benin]] represent up to 75% of the formal workforce, the informal economy has been noted by the [[International Trade Union Confederation]] (ITCU) to contain ongoing problems, including a lack of women's wage equality, the use of [[child labour|child labor]], and the continuing issue of [[unfree labour|forced labor]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Serious violations of core labour standards in Benin, Burkina Faso and Mali |work=ICFTU Online |url=http://www.icftu.org/displaydocument.asp?Index=991220267&Language=EN |access-date=30 July 2007 |archive-date=4 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220904222240/https://www.viasatprovider.com/?Index=991220267&Language=EN |url-status=live }}</ref> Benin is a member of the [[Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa]] ([[OHADA]]).<ref>{{cite web |title=OHADA.com: The business law portal in Africa |url=http://www.ohada.com/index.php |access-date=22 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326033744/http://www.ohada.com/index.php |archive-date=26 March 2009 }}</ref>

Cotonou has the country's only seaport and [[Cadjehoun Airport|international airport]]. Benin is connected by 2-lane asphalted roads to its neighboring countries (Togo, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Nigeria). Mobile telephone service is available across the country through [[Mobile Network Code|operators]]. ADSL connections are available in some areas. Benin is connected to the Internet by way of satellite connections (since 1998) and a single submarine cable [[SAT-3/WASC (cable system)|SAT-3/WASC]] (since 2001). Relief of "high price" is expected with the initiation of the [[ACE (cable system)|Africa Coast to Europe]] cable in 2011.

With the GDP growth rate of 4%–5% remaining consistent over two decades, poverty has been increasing.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/benin/overview |title=The World Bank In Benin |date=10 October 2017 |website=The World Bank |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180309013038/http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/benin/overview |archive-date=9 March 2018 |url-status=live |access-date=14 March 2018 }}</ref> According to the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Analysis in Benin, those living under the poverty line have increased from 36.2% in 2011 to 40.1% in 2015.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Benin: Request for a Three-year Arrangement Under the Extended Credit Facility-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Benin |last=International Monetary Fund. African Dept. |publisher=International Monetary Fund |year=2017 |page=5 }}</ref>

The growing [[Blaxit]] movement is starting to bring people of African heritage to Benin for cultural and economic growth reasons, with the Benin government currently working to grant citizenship to people of African descent.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Abbas |first=A. |date=2024 |title=Benin Proposes Law to Grant Citizenship to African Descendants |url=https://www.imidaily.com/africa/benin-proposes-law-to-grant-citizenship-to-african-descendants/ |access-date=9 November 2024 |website=IMI – Investment Migration Insider }}</ref>

===Science and technology===
==== National policy framework ====
The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research is responsible for implementing science policy. The National Directorate of Scientific and Technological Research handles planning and coordination, whereas the National Council for Scientific and Technical Research and National Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters each play an advisory role. Financial support comes from Benin's National Fund for Scientific Research and Technological Innovation. The Benin Agency for the Promotion of Research Results and Technological Innovation carries out technology transfer through the development and dissemination of research results.<ref name=":0" /> Benin was ranked 119th in the [[Global Innovation Index]] in 2024,<ref>{{cite book |url=https://www.wipo.int/web-publications/global-innovation-index-2024/en/ |title=Global Innovation Index 2024. Unlocking the Promise of Social Entrepreneurship |access-date=22 October 2024 |author=[[World Intellectual Property Organization]] |year=2024 |isbn=978-92-805-3681-2 |doi=10.34667/tind.50062 |via=www.wipo.int |location=Geneva |publisher=WIPO |page=18 }}</ref> but its rank advanced to 118th in 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Benin ranking in the Global Innovation Index 2025 |url=https://www.wipo.int/gii-ranking/en/benin |access-date=22 October 2025 |website=www.wipo.int |language=en }}</ref>

The regulatory framework has evolved since 2006 when the science policy was prepared. This has been updated and complemented by new texts on science and innovation (the year of adoption is between brackets):<ref name=":0" />
* a manual for monitoring and evaluating research structures and organizations (2013);
* a manual on how to select research programmes and projects and apply to the National Fund for Scientific Research and Technological Innovation (2013) for competitive grants;
* a draft act for funding scientific research and innovation and a draft code of ethics for scientific research and innovation were both submitted to the Supreme Court in 2014;
* a strategic plan for scientific research and innovation (under development in 2015).
Equally important are Benin's efforts to integrate science into existing policy documents:
* ''Benin Development Strategies 2025'': ''Benin 2025 Alafia'' (2000);
* Growt''h Strategy for Poverty Reduction 2011–2016'' (2011);
* Phase 3 of the ''Ten-year Development Plan for the Education Sector'', covering 2013–2015;
* ''Development Plan for Higher Education and Scientific Research 2013–2017'' (2014).
In 2015, Benin's priority areas for scientific research were: health, education, construction and building materials, transportation and trade, culture, tourism and handicrafts, cotton/textiles, food, energy and climate change.<ref name=":0" />

Some so-called challenges facing research and development in Benin are:<ref name=":0" />
* the unfavorable organizational framework for research: weak governance, a lack of co-operation between research structures and the absence of an official document on the status of researchers;
* the inadequate use of human resources and the lack of any motivational policy for researchers; and
* the mismatch between research and development needs.

==== Human and financial investment in research ====
In 2007, Benin counted 1,000 researchers (in headcounts). This corresponds to 115 researchers per million inhabitants. The "main research structures" are the Centre for Scientific and Technical Research, National Institute of Agricultural Research, the National Institute for Training and Research in Education, Office of Geological and Mining Research, and the Centre for Entomological Research.<ref name=":0" />

The University of Abomey-Calavi was selected by the [[World Bank]] in 2014 to participate in its Centres of Excellence project, owing to its expertise in applied mathematics. Within this project, the World Bank has loaned $8&nbsp;million to Benin. The Association of African Universities has received funds to enable it to co-ordinate knowledge-sharing among the 19 universities in West Africa involved in the project.<ref name=":0" />

There are "no available data" on Benin's level of investment in research and development.<ref name=":0" />

In 2013, the government devoted 2.5% of GDP to public health. In December 2014, 150 volunteer health professionals traveled to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone from Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria, as part of a joint initiative by the [[Economic Community of West African States]] (ECOWAS) and its specialized agency, the West African Health Organisation, to help combat the epidemic. The Ebola epidemic has been a reminder of the underinvestment in West African health systems.<ref name=":0" />

The Government of Benin devoted less than 5% of GDP to agricultural development in 2010, while the members of the [[African Union]] had agreed to commit at least 10% of GDP to this area in the ''Maputo Declaration'' of 2003. They reiterated this goal in the ''Malabo Declaration'' adopted in Equatorial Guinea in 2014. In the latter declaration, they reaffirmed their 'intention to devote 10% of their national budgets to agricultural development and agreed to targets such as doubling agricultural productivity, halving post-harvest loss and bringing stunting down to 10% across Africa'. African leaders meeting in Equatorial Guinea failed to resolve the debate on establishing a common standard of measurement for the 10% target.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.one.org/africa/press/one-applauds-au-malabo-declarations-re-commitment-to-agriculture-transformation/ |title=One Applauds AU Malabo Declaration's Recommitment to Agriculture Transformation |date=2 July 2014 |work=ONE.org |access-date=12 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010183945/https://www.one.org/africa/press/one-applauds-au-malabo-declarations-re-commitment-to-agriculture-transformation/ |archive-date=10 October 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== Research output ====
Benin has the third-highest publication intensity for scientific journals in West Africa, according to Thomson Reuters' Web of Science, Science Citation Index Expanded. There were 25.5 scientific articles per million inhabitants cataloged in this database in 2014. This compares with 65.0 for the Gambia, 49.6 for Cape Verde, 23.2 for Senegal, and 21.9 for Ghana. The volume of publications in this database tripled in Benin between 2005 and 2014 from 86 to 270. Between 2008 and 2014, Benin's "main scientific collaborators" were based in France (529 articles), the United States (261), United Kingdom (254), Belgium (198), and Germany (156).<ref name=":0" />

===Transportation===
{{main|Transport in Benin}}
Transport in Benin includes road, rail, water, and air transportation. Benin possesses a total of 6,787&nbsp; km of highway, of which 1,357&nbsp;km are paved. Of the paved highways in the country, there are 10 [[Controlled-access highway|expressways]]. This leaves 5,430&nbsp;km of unpaved road. The [[Trans–West African Coastal Highway|Trans-West African Coastal Highway]] crosses Benin, connecting it to [[Nigeria]] to the east, and [[Togo]], [[Ghana]] and [[Ivory Coast]] to the west. When construction in [[Liberia]] and [[Sierra Leone]] is finished, the highway will continue west to 7 other [[Economic Community of West African States]] (ECOWAS) nations. A paved highway connects Benin northwards to [[Niger]], and through that country to [[Burkina Faso]] and [[Mali]] to the north-west.{{citation needed|date=June 2025}}

[[Rail transport in Benin]] consists of {{cvt|578|km}} of [[Single track (rail)|single track]], {{RailGauge|1000mm|allk=on}} railway. Construction work has commenced on international lines connecting Benin with Niger and Nigeria, with outline plans announced for further connections to Togo and Burkina Faso. Benin will be a participant in the [[AfricaRail]] project.{{citation needed|date=June 2025}}

[[Cadjehoun Airport]], located at Cotonou, has direct international jet service to [[Accra]], Niamey, [[Monrovia]], [[Lagos]], [[Ouagadougou]], [[Lomé]], and [[Douala]], and other cities in Africa. Direct services link Cotonou to Paris, Brussels, and Istanbul.{{citation needed|date=June 2025}}

==Culture==
===Arts===
{{see also|Beninese literature|Music of Benin|Cinema of Benin|List of Beninese artists}}
[[File:Who's coming ?.jpg|thumb|Music group]]
[[File:Palais Des Congres De Cotonou.jpg|thumb|Palais des congrès in [[Cotonou]]]]
Beninese literature had an oral tradition before French became the dominant language.<ref>{{cite web |title=Benin |url=http://aflit.arts.uwa.edu.au/CountryBeninEN.html |access-date=30 July 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110813054658/http://aflit.arts.uwa.edu.au/CountryBeninEN.html |archive-date=13 August 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Félix Couchoro]] wrote the first Beninese novel, ''[[L'Esclave (Beninese novel)|L'Esclave]]'' (The Slave), in 1929.

Post-independence, native folk music was combined with Ghanaian [[highlife]], French [[cabaret]], American [[rock and roll|rock]], [[funk]] and [[soul music|soul]], and [[Music of the Democratic Republic of the Congo|Congolese]] [[African Rumba|rumba]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Politz |first=Sarah |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/166/oa_monograph/chapter/3770415 |title=Chapter 2. Making la Musique Moderne |date=2023 |publisher=University of Michigan Press |isbn=978-0-472-90328-3 |language=English }}</ref>

Biennale Benin, continuing the projects of some organizations and artists, started in the country in 2010 as a collaborative event called "Regard Benin". In 2012, the project became a biennial coordinated by a federation of local associations. The international exhibition and artistic program of the 2012 Biennale Benin were curated by Abdellah Karroum.<ref name="Frankel 2008 z499">{{cite web |last=Frankel |first=Eddy |title=Benin biennials begin with feuds over unethical behaviour |website=The Art Newspaper – International art news and events |date=30 September 2008 |url=https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2008/10/01/benin-biennials-begin-with-feuds-over-unethical-behaviour |access-date=20 January 2024 |archive-date=18 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240518182018/https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2008/10/01/benin-biennials-begin-with-feuds-over-unethical-behaviour |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Frieze 2024 b754">{{cite journal |title=Biennale Regard Benin 2012 |journal=Frieze |date=12 January 2024 |issue=153 |url=https://www.frieze.com/article/biennale-regard-benin-2012 |access-date=20 January 2024 |last1=Bouwhuis |first1=Jelle |archive-date=24 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230924095551/https://www.frieze.com/article/biennale-regard-benin-2012 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Customary names===
Some Beninese in the south of the country have [[Akan name|Akan-based names]] indicating the day of the week on which they were born. This is due to influence of the [[Akan people]] such as the [[Akwamu]] and others.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Akwamu |author=((Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica)) |date=2000 |encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Britannica Online |title=Akwamu: historical state, Africa |access-date=27 August 2022 |archive-date=29 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220429211843/https://www.britannica.com/place/Akwamu |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Traditional authorities===
Benin has numerous [[Non-sovereign monarchy|non-sovereign monarchies]] within the country, many of them derivative of pre-colonial kingdoms (such as [[Kingdom of Ardra|Arda]]). Non-sovereign monarchs serve a largely ceremonial role and are subservient to political and civil authorities. Despite this, they play an influential role in local political matters within their particular realms and are often courted by Beninese politicians for electoral support. Advocacy groups, such as the [[High Council of Kings of Benin]], represent the monarchs nationally.<ref>{{Cite report |author=Research Directorate |publisher=[[Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada]] |location=Ottawa |type=Response to Information Request |date=4 May 2016 |title=Benin: Kings in northern Benin, specifically in Borgou department; extent of their power in comparison with the power of political and civil authorities; a king's ability to force a woman to marry him; remedies available to a woman who refuses to marry a king (2014 – April 2016) |docket=BEN105509.FE |url=https://www.ecoi.net/en/document/1393811.html |access-date=27 August 2022 |via=European Country of Origin Information Network |language=en |archive-date=6 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506152051/https://www.ecoi.net/en/document/1393811.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Monde: Haïti veut punir les crimes vaudous comme au Benin |url=http://news.anmwe.com/monde-haiti-veut-punir-les-crimes-vaudous-comme-au-benin/ |access-date=27 August 2022 |website=Anmwe News |date=10 October 2017 |language=fr |archive-date=27 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220827071551/http://news.anmwe.com/monde-haiti-veut-punir-les-crimes-vaudous-comme-au-benin/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2025, Benin passed a law officially recognising 16 sub-national kingdoms, 80 paramount chiefdoms, and 10 customary chiefdoms across Benin.<ref>{{Cite web |date=7 April 2025 |title=Bénin: débats autour d'une loi qui interdit aux rois et chef traditionnels de s'impliquer en politique |url=https://www.rfi.fr/fr/afrique/20250407-b%C3%A9nin-d%C3%A9bats-autour-d-une-loi-qui-interdit-aux-rois-et-chef-traditionnels-de-s-impliquer-en-politique |access-date=20 November 2025 |website=RFI |language=fr }}</ref>

===Cuisine===
{{main|Beninese cuisine}}

[[File:Bahia acaraje.jpg|thumb|[[Acarajé]] is peeled [[black-eyed pea]]s formed into a ball and then deep-fried.]]
Beninese cuisine involves fresh meals served with a variety of key sauces. In southern Beninese cuisine, an ingredient is [[Maize|corn]] which has been used to prepare [[dough]] which has been served with peanut- or tomato-based [[sauce]]s. Fish and chicken, beef, goat, and [[Aethomys|bush rat]] are consumed. A staple in northern Benin is [[Yam (vegetable)|yams]] which has been served with sauces mentioned above. The population in the northern provinces use beef and pork meat which is fried in palm or peanut oil or cooked in sauces. Cheese is used in some dishes. [[Couscous]], rice, and [[bean]]s are eaten, along with fruits such as [[mango]]es, oranges, avocados, bananas, kiwi fruit, and pineapples.

Meals are said to be generally light on meat and generous on [[vegetable fat]]. Frying in palm or peanut oil is a meat preparation, and [[smoked fish]] is prepared in Benin. Grinders are used to prepare [[Cornmeal|corn flour]], which is made into a dough and served with sauces. "[[Rotisserie chicken|Chicken on the spit]]" is a recipe in which chicken is roasted over a fire on wooden sticks. [[Arecaceae|Palm]] roots are sometimes soaked in a jar with salt water and sliced garlic to tenderize them, then used in dishes. Some people have outdoor mud stoves for cooking.{{citation needed|date=August 2023}}<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ekouedjen |first=Evrard Karol |date=December 2020 |title=Energy performance, safety and durability of charcoal cooking stoves commonly used in West Africa: Benin case study |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/347355032 |journal=AIMS Energy |volume=9 |issue=1 |pages=68–95 |doi=10.3934/energy.2021005 |via=ResearchGate |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=The Generalissimo |date=April 2016 |title=The Hirshon Beninse Peanut Soup |url=https://www.thefooddictator.com/hirshon-beninese-peanut-soup/ |website=The food dictator }}</ref>

===Sports===
The major sports in Benin are association football, basketball, golf, cycling, baseball, softball, tennis and [[rugby union]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.verlete.com/country/benin/ |title=Sports in Benin {{pipe}} Global Sports Industry Data {{pipe}} Verlete Sports |access-date=6 March 2024 |archive-date=26 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326031532/https://www.verlete.com/country/benin/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In the early 21st century, baseball and [[teqball]] were introduced to the country.<ref>{{cite news |last=Mozey |first=Brian |date=22 June 2016 |url=https://www.hometownsource.com/sun_post/news/local/duo-develops-nonprofit-organization-baseball-in-benin/article_6aefe8f6-a49d-56bb-ac65-6974a62faf7f.html |access-date=27 August 2022 |url-status=live |url-access=registration |title=Duo develops nonprofit organization, Baseball in Benin |newspaper=Minnesota Sun Post |publisher=APG of East Central Minnesota |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160805192808/http://post.mnsun.com/2016/06/22/duo-develops-nonprofit-organization-baseball-in-benin/ |archive-date=5 August 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=29 April 2022 |url=https://www.fiteq.org/news/234 |title=Beninese Teqball Federation targets nationwide engagement |publisher=[[FITEQ]] |access-date=3 January 2024 |archive-date=3 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240103075824/https://www.fiteq.org/news/234 |url-status=live }}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Africa}}
<!-- [[Bibliography of Benin]] -->
* [[Outline of Benin]]
* [[Telephone numbers in Benin]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Refbegin}}
{{Free-content attribution
| title = UNESCO Science Report: towards 2030
| author = UNESCO
| publisher = UNESCO Publishing
| page numbers = 471–497
| source =
| documentURL = http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0023/002354/235406e.pdf
| license statement URL =
| license = CC BY-SA IGO 3.0
}}
{{Refend}}

==Further reading==
{{Refbegin}}
* Butler, S., ''Benin (Bradt Travel Guides)'' (Bradt Travel Guides, 2019)
* Caulfield, Annie, ''Show Me the Magic: Travels Round Benin by Taxi'' (Penguin Books Ltd, 2003)
* Kraus, Erika and Reid, Felice, ''Benin (Other Places Travel Guide)'' (Other Places Publishing, 2010)
* Seely, Jennifer, ''The Legacies of Transition Governments in Africa: The Cases of Benin and Togo'' (Palgrave Macmillan, 2009)
{{Refend}}

== External links ==
{{Sister project links|voy=Benin}}
* {{Official website|https://www.gouv.bj/}}, Government of Benin {{in lang|fr}}

'''General information'''
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13037572 Country Profile] from [[BBC News]]
* [https://ecowap.ecowas.int/country/Benin Benin] profile from [[ECOWAS]]
* [https://www.aljazeera.com/where/benin/ News headline links] from [[Al Jazeera]].
* [[BBC]], {{YouTube|rp8flCwvoAU|Civilisations – BBC Two: "Western reactions to Benin bronzes"}}, 10 April 2018.
* {{wikiatlas|Atlas of Benin}}

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