Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) in Benin
Benin: Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) was 3.91 billion current US$ in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
3.91 billion current US$
Change on year
up 7.4%
World rank
150th
of 206 countries
All-time high
3.91 billion current US$
in 2023
All-time low
1.20 million current US$
in 1960
Years of data
64
1960–2023
Merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Benin, 1960–2023
Source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB). Measured in current US$.
Analysis
In 2023, merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Benin stood at 3.91 billion current US$. That is the highest value across all 64 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 7.4% on the previous year and up 29.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Benin peaked at 3.91 billion current US$ in 2023 and was at its lowest, 1.20 million current US$, in 1960.
Benin ranks 150th of 206 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) in Benin, year by year
| Year | current US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 1.20 million current US$ | — |
| 1961 | 23.50 million current US$ | +1858.3% |
| 1962 | 19.60 million current US$ | -16.6% |
| 1963 | 30.90 million current US$ | +57.7% |
| 1964 | 30.00 million current US$ | -2.9% |
| 1965 | 32.40 million current US$ | +8.0% |
| 1966 | 31.16 million current US$ | -3.8% |
| 1967 | 40.82 million current US$ | +31.0% |
| 1968 | 46.78 million current US$ | +14.6% |
| 1969 | 50.69 million current US$ | +8.3% |
| 1970 | 52.65 million current US$ | +3.9% |
| 1971 | 71.86 million current US$ | +36.5% |
| 1972 | 87.35 million current US$ | +21.6% |
| 1973 | 102.84 million current US$ | +17.7% |
| 1974 | 133.23 million current US$ | +29.6% |
| 1975 | 179.53 million current US$ | +34.8% |
| 1976 | 192.70 million current US$ | +7.3% |
| 1977 | 248.49 million current US$ | +29.0% |
| 1978 | 289.95 million current US$ | +16.7% |
| 1979 | 296.94 million current US$ | +2.4% |
| 1980 | 293.19 million current US$ | -1.3% |
| 1981 | 477.31 million current US$ | +62.8% |
| 1982 | 419.57 million current US$ | -12.1% |
| 1983 | 268.48 million current US$ | -36.0% |
| 1984 | 257.95 million current US$ | -3.9% |
| 1985 | 273.11 million current US$ | +5.9% |
| 1986 | 297.48 million current US$ | +8.9% |
| 1987 | 275.89 million current US$ | -7.3% |
| 1988 | 303.44 million current US$ | +10.0% |
| 1989 | 194.76 million current US$ | -35.8% |
| 1990 | 256.32 million current US$ | +31.6% |
| 1991 | 234.43 million current US$ | -8.5% |
| 1992 | 424.12 million current US$ | +80.9% |
| 1993 | 335.73 million current US$ | -20.8% |
| 1994 | 340.87 million current US$ | +1.5% |
| 1995 | 622.61 million current US$ | +82.7% |
| 1996 | 548.17 million current US$ | -12.0% |
| 1997 | 599.40 million current US$ | +9.3% |
| 1998 | 638.22 million current US$ | +6.5% |
| 1999 | 841.08 million current US$ | +31.8% |
| 2000 | 559.59 million current US$ | -33.5% |
| 2001 | 616.96 million current US$ | +10.3% |
| 2002 | 714.56 million current US$ | +15.8% |
| 2003 | 885.78 million current US$ | +24.0% |
| 2004 | 896.56 million current US$ | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 887.68 million current US$ | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 1.00 billion current US$ | +12.9% |
| 2007 | 1.59 billion current US$ | +58.2% |
| 2008 | 1.71 billion current US$ | +7.7% |
| 2009 | 1.54 billion current US$ | -9.7% |
| 2010 | 2.11 billion current US$ | +37.1% |
| 2011 | 1.90 billion current US$ | -10.0% |
| 2012 | 2.35 billion current US$ | +23.7% |
| 2013 | 3.02 billion current US$ | +28.3% |
| 2014 | 3.87 billion current US$ | +28.3% |
| 2015 | 2.54 billion current US$ | -34.5% |
| 2016 | 2.56 billion current US$ | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 3.23 billion current US$ | +26.2% |
| 2018 | 3.35 billion current US$ | +3.7% |
| 2019 | 2.94 billion current US$ | -12.2% |
| 2020 | 2.67 billion current US$ | -9.2% |
| 2021 | 3.19 billion current US$ | +19.4% |
| 2022 | 3.64 billion current US$ | +14.1% |
| 2023 | 3.91 billion current US$ | +7.4% |
Benin compared with similar countries
- Benin's 3.91 billion current US$ is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 8.62 billion current US$, 45% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Benin's 3.91 billion current US$ is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.61 billion current US$, 85% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) in Benin changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | +1858.3% | 1.20 million current US$ | 23.50 million current US$ |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 30.70 million current US$ | 1.20 million current US$ | 50.69 million current US$ | 10 |
| 1970s | 165.55 million current US$ | 52.65 million current US$ | 296.94 million current US$ | 10 |
| 1980s | 306.12 million current US$ | 194.76 million current US$ | 477.31 million current US$ | 10 |
| 1990s | 484.09 million current US$ | 234.43 million current US$ | 841.08 million current US$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.04 billion current US$ | 559.59 million current US$ | 1.71 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.79 billion current US$ | 1.90 billion current US$ | 3.87 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.35 billion current US$ | 2.67 billion current US$ | 3.91 billion current US$ | 4 |
Countries ranked near Benin
More private sector data for Benin
- Merchandise trade 36.4% (2025)
- Food imports 33.3% (2024)
- 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$), annual growth rate -0.8946 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Benin?
- Merchandise imports by the reporting economy in Benin was 3.91 billion current US$ in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise imports by the reporting economy recorded in Benin?
- The highest recorded value was 3.91 billion current US$ in 2023.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports by the reporting economy recorded in Benin?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.20 million current US$ in 1960.
- How does Benin rank for merchandise imports by the reporting economy?
- Benin ranks 150th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise imports by the reporting economy rising or falling in Benin?
- Over the last ten years it is up 29.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Benin data come from?
- The figures come from Staff estimates, World Bank (WB), published as part of Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Merchandise imports by the reporting economy are the total merchandise imports by the reporting economy from the rest of the world, as reported in the IMF's Direction of trade database. Data are in current U.S. dollars.