Country explorer: Benin
EXPERIMENTAL
2024
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Overview
Benin is a lower-middle-income country in Africa with a medium-sized population. Its economy has grown stably in recent decades, and is based on agriculture, textile industry and trade.
Benin is home to the Pendjari National Park, offering spectacular wildlife viewing opportunities.
Economy
Benin's economy has shown notable growth and diversification with gradual increases in GDP per capita, significant shifts in poverty thresholds indicating poverty reduction, fluctuating yet generally low unemployment rates compared to regional averages, and controlled inflation rates, marking its path towards sustainable economic development akin to its lower-middle-income peers.
Demographics
Benin has experienced consistent population growth accompanied by a gradual decrease in fertility rates and a notable improvement in life expectancy, a demographical trend common among lower-middle-income countries.
Basic needs
Benin has shown gradual improvement in citizens' access to electricity and sustained, albeit low, increases in access to safely managed sanitation, yet struggles significantly in enhancing access to clean fuels for cooking, underscoring a complex evolution of basic needs that mirrors challenges and gradual progress similar to many lower-middle-income countries.
Human development
Benin has showcased gradual improvements in human development, as evidenced by modest increases in the Human Development Index, reductions in child mortality rates, growth in literacy rates among adults, and slight advancements in average learning-adjusted years of schooling, aligning with common trends observed across lower-middle-income countries.
Environment & energy
Benin has experienced a noticeable decline in per capita CO₂ emissions and renewable freshwater resources, a steady loss of forest area, and a negligible increase in renewable energy production, mirroring broader environmental and energy challenges faced by lower-middle-income countries, though with a distinct trend of slow progression towards renewable energy adoption compared to some peers.
Technology & innovation
Benin has demonstrated modest but consistent progress in digital inclusion and information dissemination, exemplified by a steady increase in internet usage and mobile phone subscriptions among its population, aligning it with general trends observed in lower-middle-income countries, albeit with room for growth in research and development outputs.
Culture & society
Benin has witnessed moderate socio-cultural transformations marked by a slight increase in the share of the population born abroad, gradual improvements in self-reported life satisfaction, a steady decrease in gender inequality, and a consistent decline in the age dependency ratio, reflecting trends common among its lower-middle-income peers yet distinguished by its specific pace and pattern of changes.
Governance
Benin has demonstrated marked improvements in governance indicators such as rule of law, press freedom, and political civil liberties, positioning it as an increasingly rule-abiding, less corrupt, and progressively freer nation in comparison to some of its regional peers.