Food imports in Benin
Benin: Food imports was 33.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Food imports in Benin, 1962–2024
Source: Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division. Measured in % of merchandise imports.
Analysis
Benin recorded 33.3% for food imports in 2024.
The figure is up 1.6% on the previous year and down 27.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, food imports in Benin peaked at 52.3% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 17.2%, in 1971.
Benin ranks 8th of 196 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 43 years of available data.
Food imports in Benin, year by year
| Year | % of merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1962 | 26.4% | — |
| 1963 | 22.6% | -14.2% |
| 1964 | 24.4% | +7.7% |
| 1965 | 22.8% | -6.5% |
| 1966 | 24.7% | +8.3% |
| 1967 | 21.8% | -11.6% |
| 1968 | 21.8% | -0.2% |
| 1969 | 19.6% | -10.3% |
| 1970 | 17.8% | -8.9% |
| 1971 | 17.2% | -3.7% |
| 1972 | 20.9% | +22.0% |
| 1973 | 21.8% | +4.2% |
| 1974 | 17.8% | -18.2% |
| 1979 | 23.4% | +31.2% |
| 1980 | 26.3% | +12.1% |
| 1982 | 24.9% | -5.1% |
| 1998 | 24.8% | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 23.0% | -7.5% |
| 2000 | 21.9% | -4.8% |
| 2001 | 20.4% | -6.9% |
| 2002 | 23.9% | +17.3% |
| 2003 | 24.2% | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 24.6% | +1.5% |
| 2005 | 29.9% | +21.9% |
| 2006 | 30.7% | +2.5% |
| 2007 | 31.2% | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 36.1% | +16.0% |
| 2009 | 31.1% | -14.0% |
| 2010 | 38.6% | +24.3% |
| 2011 | 33.9% | -12.2% |
| 2012 | 37.9% | +11.7% |
| 2013 | 40.3% | +6.4% |
| 2014 | 45.8% | +13.7% |
| 2015 | 40.2% | -12.3% |
| 2016 | 50.5% | +25.6% |
| 2017 | 52.3% | +3.6% |
| 2018 | 46.9% | -10.3% |
| 2019 | 38.4% | -18.1% |
| 2020 | 32.9% | -14.3% |
| 2021 | 35.1% | +6.6% |
| 2022 | 30.0% | -14.6% |
| 2023 | 32.7% | +9.1% |
| 2024 | 33.3% | +1.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 23.0% | 19.6% | 26.4% | 8 |
| 1970s | 19.8% | 17.2% | 23.4% | 6 |
| 1980s | 25.6% | 24.9% | 26.3% | 2 |
| 1990s | 23.9% | 23.0% | 24.8% | 2 |
| 2000s | 27.4% | 20.4% | 36.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 42.5% | 33.9% | 52.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 32.8% | 30.0% | 35.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Benin
- 5 Djibouti 38.6% compare
- 6 Niger 37.9% compare
- 7 Haiti 37.3% compare
- 9 Cape Verde 32.6% compare
- 10 Sierra Leone 32.3% compare
- 11 Sao Tome and Principe 31.8% compare
More private sector data for Benin
- Merchandise trade 36.4% (2025)
- Manufactures imports 50.1% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 4.95 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 39.7% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 7.4% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 3.99 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 269.2 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.1623 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate -0.8946 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per capita 334.2 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is food imports in Benin?
- Food imports in Benin was 33.3% in 2024, according to Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division.
- What is the highest food imports recorded in Benin?
- The highest recorded value was 52.3% in 2017.
- What is the lowest food imports recorded in Benin?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.2% in 1971.
- How does Benin rank for food imports?
- Benin ranks 8th out of 196 countries with data for 2024.
- Is food imports rising or falling in Benin?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Benin data come from?
- The figures come from Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division, published as part of Food imports (% of merchandise imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Food comprises the commodities in SITC (Rev. 3) sections 0 (food and live animals), 1 (beverages and tobacco), and 4 (animal and vegetable oils and fats) and division 22 (oil seeds, oil nuts, and oil kernels). This indicator is expressed as a percentage of merchandise imports which is comprised of goods whose economic ownership is changed between a non-resident and a resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e.