Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in South in Benin
Benin: Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in South was 17.5% in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in South in Benin, 1961–2023
Source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB). Measured in % of total merchandise imports.
Analysis
In 2023, merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in south in Benin stood at 17.5%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.8% on the previous year and up 56.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in south in Benin peaked at 19.4% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1971.
Benin ranks 7th of 205 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in South in Benin, year by year
| Year | % of total merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.3% | — |
| 1963 | 0.6% | -49.3% |
| 1964 | 0.7% | +3.0% |
| 1965 | 0.9% | +38.9% |
| 1966 | 0.1% | -84.1% |
| 1967 | 0.6% | +314.8% |
| 1968 | 0.3% | -58.1% |
| 1969 | 0.0% | -96.9% |
| 1971 | 0.0% | -64.7% |
| 1972 | 0.0% | +887.2% |
| 1973 | 0.5% | +1828.9% |
| 1975 | 3.5% | +556.9% |
| 1976 | 4.4% | +26.9% |
| 1977 | 10.5% | +138.7% |
| 1978 | 10.4% | -1.5% |
| 1979 | 8.5% | -17.8% |
| 1980 | 8.8% | +3.2% |
| 1981 | 10.3% | +17.1% |
| 1982 | 4.9% | -52.5% |
| 1983 | 2.4% | -50.9% |
| 1984 | 1.5% | -36.5% |
| 1988 | 4.0% | +162.0% |
| 1989 | 3.3% | -18.6% |
| 1990 | 1.8% | -44.8% |
| 1991 | 3.9% | +115.0% |
| 1992 | 4.9% | +27.3% |
| 1993 | 3.1% | -37.4% |
| 1994 | 4.0% | +30.0% |
| 1995 | 2.3% | -43.6% |
| 1996 | 2.2% | -1.6% |
| 1997 | 3.3% | +49.1% |
| 1998 | 4.1% | +22.4% |
| 1999 | 2.6% | -36.7% |
| 2000 | 2.6% | +2.7% |
| 2001 | 1.7% | -36.7% |
| 2002 | 2.1% | +25.7% |
| 2003 | 1.7% | -19.9% |
| 2004 | 1.7% | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 1.1% | -34.9% |
| 2006 | 2.4% | +118.3% |
| 2007 | 2.2% | -7.7% |
| 2008 | 1.1% | -49.2% |
| 2009 | 1.2% | +7.8% |
| 2010 | 1.9% | +55.2% |
| 2011 | 1.9% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 4.4% | +131.2% |
| 2013 | 11.2% | +154.4% |
| 2014 | 12.7% | +13.3% |
| 2015 | 10.1% | -20.7% |
| 2016 | 16.1% | +59.6% |
| 2017 | 19.4% | +20.6% |
| 2018 | 12.8% | -33.7% |
| 2019 | 14.8% | +15.3% |
| 2020 | 12.6% | -14.8% |
| 2021 | 18.0% | +42.8% |
| 2022 | 16.7% | -7.2% |
| 2023 | 17.5% | +4.8% |
Benin compared with similar countries
- Benin's 17.5% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.7%, 6.5× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Benin's 17.5% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 7.0%, 2.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in South 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | +1828.9% | 0.0% | 0.5% |
| 1972 | +887.2% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| 1975 | +556.9% | 0.5% | 3.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.6% | 0.0% | 1.3% | 8 |
| 1970s | 4.7% | 0.0% | 10.5% | 8 |
| 1980s | 5.0% | 1.5% | 10.3% | 7 |
| 1990s | 3.2% | 1.8% | 4.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.8% | 1.1% | 2.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.5% | 1.9% | 19.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.2% | 12.6% | 18.0% | 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 from low- and middle-income economies in south in Benin?
- Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in south in Benin was 17.5% in 2023, according to Staff estimates, World Bank (WB).
- What is the highest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in south recorded in Benin?
- The highest recorded value was 19.4% in 2017.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in south recorded in Benin?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1971.
- How does Benin rank for merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in south?
- Benin ranks 7th out of 205 countries with data for 2023.
- Is merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in south rising or falling in Benin?
- Over the last ten years it is up 56.5%. 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 from low- and middle-income economies in South Asia (% of total merchandise imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 57 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in South Asia are the sum of merchandise imports by the reporting economy from low- and middle-income economies in the South Asia region according to the World Bank classification of economies. Data are expressed as a percentage of total merchandise imports by the economy. Data are computed only if at least half of the economies in the partner country group had non-missing data.