Urban population in Benin
Benin: Urban population was 53.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Urban population in Benin, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for urban population in Benin is 53.4%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is up 1.6% on the previous year and up 16.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Benin peaked at 53.4% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 9.8%, in 1960.
That places Benin 147th out of 217 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Urban population in Benin, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 9.8% | — |
| 1961 | 10.2% | +4.7% |
| 1962 | 10.8% | +5.4% |
| 1963 | 11.4% | +6.0% |
| 1964 | 12.2% | +6.3% |
| 1965 | 13.0% | +6.6% |
| 1966 | 13.8% | +6.6% |
| 1967 | 14.7% | +6.6% |
| 1968 | 15.7% | +6.5% |
| 1969 | 16.7% | +6.3% |
| 1970 | 17.7% | +6.1% |
| 1971 | 18.8% | +5.8% |
| 1972 | 19.8% | +5.6% |
| 1973 | 20.8% | +5.3% |
| 1974 | 21.9% | +4.9% |
| 1975 | 22.9% | +4.6% |
| 1976 | 23.9% | +4.3% |
| 1977 | 24.8% | +3.9% |
| 1978 | 25.7% | +3.6% |
| 1979 | 26.5% | +3.2% |
| 1980 | 27.3% | +3.0% |
| 1981 | 28.1% | +3.0% |
| 1982 | 28.9% | +2.9% |
| 1983 | 29.8% | +2.8% |
| 1984 | 30.6% | +2.7% |
| 1985 | 31.4% | +2.6% |
| 1986 | 32.1% | +2.5% |
| 1987 | 32.9% | +2.3% |
| 1988 | 33.6% | +2.1% |
| 1989 | 34.2% | +1.9% |
| 1990 | 34.8% | +1.7% |
| 1991 | 35.3% | +1.5% |
| 1992 | 35.8% | +1.3% |
| 1993 | 36.2% | +1.1% |
| 1994 | 36.5% | +1.0% |
| 1995 | 36.8% | +0.9% |
| 1996 | 37.1% | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 37.4% | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 37.7% | +0.7% |
| 1999 | 38.0% | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 38.3% | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 38.6% | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 39.0% | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 39.4% | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 39.9% | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 40.3% | +1.1% |
| 2006 | 40.8% | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 41.3% | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 41.8% | +1.3% |
| 2009 | 42.3% | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 42.9% | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 43.5% | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 44.0% | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 44.7% | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 45.3% | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 45.9% | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 46.6% | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 47.3% | +1.5% |
| 2018 | 48.0% | +1.5% |
| 2019 | 48.7% | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 49.4% | +1.5% |
| 2021 | 50.2% | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 51.0% | +1.5% |
| 2023 | 51.7% | +1.5% |
| 2024 | 52.5% | +1.5% |
| 2025 | 53.4% | +1.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 12.8% | 9.8% | 16.7% | 10 |
| 1970s | 22.3% | 17.7% | 26.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 30.9% | 27.3% | 34.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 36.6% | 34.8% | 38.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 40.2% | 38.3% | 42.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 45.7% | 42.9% | 48.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 51.4% | 49.4% | 53.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Benin
- 144 Somalia 55.1% compare
- 145 Côte d'Ivoire 54.5% compare
- 146 Trinidad and Tobago 54.0% compare
- 148 Slovak Republic 53.2% compare
- 149 Bosnia and Herzegovina 52.7% compare
- 150 Romania 52.2% compare
More climate change data for Benin
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 6,760 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 2,583 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 4,177 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 9.75 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 149.17 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 457.08 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 256.1 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 200.98 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.9664 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 7.18 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Benin?
- Urban population in Benin was 53.4% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Benin?
- The highest recorded value was 53.4% in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Benin?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.8% in 1960.
- How does Benin rank for urban population?
- Benin ranks 147th out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Benin?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Benin data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division.