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Benin

Africa

Capital

Porto-Novo

Population

14,111,034

Area

112,622 km²

Currency

West African CFA Franc (XOF)

Phone Code

+229

ISO Codes

BJ / BEN

ISO numeric

204

Internet domain

.bj

Timezone

UTC+1

Religion

Christianity, Islam, Vodun

About Benin

Benin is a West African nation and the birthplace of Vodun religion, with a rich history as the Kingdom of Dahomey.

Wikipedia ↗

Languages

French

Benin in numbers

These figures are calculated from the data on this page and compared with the other 195 countries Beelad covers.

Population density	125 people per km² rank 73 of 196 (highest first); the average across all 196 countries is 60 per km²
Share of world population	0.174 % world total: 8,091,734,930 (UN, 1 July 2023)
Share of Africa	0.954% of its people, 0.375% of its land area
Area in square miles	43,484 1 km² = 0.386 sq mi
Closest in size	Honduras (112,492 km²)
Closest in population	Rwanda (13,954,471 people)

Who else uses XOF?

7 other countries in our list also use XOF: Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the capital of Benin?

The capital of Benin is Porto-Novo.

What is the population of Benin?

Benin has a population of approximately 14,111,034 people.

What currency does Benin use?

The currency of Benin is the West African CFA Franc (XOF).

What languages are spoken in Benin?

The official or major languages of Benin are French.

Did You Know?

Benin ranks #76 of 196 countries by population, with about 14,111,034 people.
Benin ranks #100 of 196 countries by area, covering 112,622 km².
Within Africa, Benin ranks #28 of 54 countries by population.
Benin recognises 1 official or major language(s): French.

More countries in Africa

Data notes and sources

Population: UN World Population Prospects 2024, estimate for 1 July 2023 (people living in the country, whatever their citizenship).
Area: total area including inland water, in km². Codes: ISO 3166-1 (alpha-2, alpha-3, numeric), ISO 4217 (currency), ITU-T E.164 (calling codes) and the IANA root zone (internet domains).
Time zone: the standard (non-daylight-saving) offset, or the range of offsets for countries with several zones.
Last reviewed: October 2026. Found an error? Tell us through the contact page.

How we check our data →