Urban population in Benin
Benin: Urban population was 7.91 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Urban population in Benin, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
Benin recorded 7.91 million for urban population in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of up 4.0% on the previous year and up 51.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Benin peaked at 7.91 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 246,433, in 1960.
That places Benin 78th out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Urban population in Benin, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 246,433 | — |
| 1961 | 262,307 | +6.4% |
| 1962 | 281,349 | +7.3% |
| 1963 | 303,643 | +7.9% |
| 1964 | 329,127 | +8.4% |
| 1965 | 357,725 | +8.7% |
| 1966 | 389,303 | +8.8% |
| 1967 | 423,738 | +8.8% |
| 1968 | 460,955 | +8.8% |
| 1969 | 500,847 | +8.7% |
| 1970 | 543,302 | +8.5% |
| 1971 | 588,162 | +8.3% |
| 1972 | 635,286 | +8.0% |
| 1973 | 684,496 | +7.7% |
| 1974 | 735,569 | +7.5% |
| 1975 | 788,352 | +7.2% |
| 1976 | 842,656 | +6.9% |
| 1977 | 898,226 | +6.6% |
| 1978 | 954,685 | +6.3% |
| 1979 | 1.01 million | +6.0% |
| 1980 | 1.07 million | +5.9% |
| 1981 | 1.14 million | +6.0% |
| 1982 | 1.20 million | +5.9% |
| 1983 | 1.27 million | +5.9% |
| 1984 | 1.35 million | +5.8% |
| 1985 | 1.42 million | +5.7% |
| 1986 | 1.50 million | +5.6% |
| 1987 | 1.58 million | +5.4% |
| 1988 | 1.67 million | +5.3% |
| 1989 | 1.75 million | +5.1% |
| 1990 | 1.84 million | +4.9% |
| 1991 | 1.92 million | +4.7% |
| 1992 | 2.01 million | +4.4% |
| 1993 | 2.12 million | +5.7% |
| 1994 | 2.23 million | +4.8% |
| 1995 | 2.29 million | +3.0% |
| 1996 | 2.37 million | +3.5% |
| 1997 | 2.46 million | +3.8% |
| 1998 | 2.56 million | +3.9% |
| 1999 | 2.66 million | +3.9% |
| 2000 | 2.76 million | +4.0% |
| 2001 | 2.88 million | +4.0% |
| 2002 | 2.99 million | +4.1% |
| 2003 | 3.12 million | +4.2% |
| 2004 | 3.25 million | +4.2% |
| 2005 | 3.40 million | +4.5% |
| 2006 | 3.55 million | +4.4% |
| 2007 | 3.70 million | +4.3% |
| 2008 | 3.86 million | +4.4% |
| 2009 | 4.03 million | +4.4% |
| 2010 | 4.20 million | +4.4% |
| 2011 | 4.39 million | +4.4% |
| 2012 | 4.58 million | +4.4% |
| 2013 | 4.78 million | +4.4% |
| 2014 | 5.00 million | +4.5% |
| 2015 | 5.22 million | +4.5% |
| 2016 | 5.45 million | +4.5% |
| 2017 | 5.69 million | +4.4% |
| 2018 | 5.94 million | +4.4% |
| 2019 | 6.20 million | +4.3% |
| 2020 | 6.46 million | +4.2% |
| 2021 | 6.73 million | +4.2% |
| 2022 | 7.01 million | +4.1% |
| 2023 | 7.30 million | +4.1% |
| 2024 | 7.60 million | +4.1% |
| 2025 | 7.91 million | +4.0% |
Benin compared with similar countries
- Benin's 7.91 million is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6.62 million, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Benin's 7.91 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.82 million, 1.6× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 355,543 | 246,433 | 500,847 | 10 |
| 1970s | 768,264 | 543,302 | 1.01 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.40 million | 1.07 million | 1.75 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.25 million | 1.84 million | 2.66 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.35 million | 2.76 million | 4.03 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.15 million | 4.20 million | 6.20 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.17 million | 6.46 million | 7.91 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Benin
More climate change data for Benin
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 1.33 million kg (2050)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Benin?
- Urban population in Benin was 7.91 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Benin?
- The highest recorded value was 7.91 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Benin?
- The lowest recorded value was 246,433 in 1960.
- How does Benin rank for urban population?
- Benin ranks 78th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Benin?
- Over the last ten years it is up 51.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Benin data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban 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. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.