Benin
Government debt in Benin
Government debt in Benin: 53.6% of GDP in 1998 and 59.3% of GDP in 2025, by IMF estimates.
- Latest, 2025
- 59.3% of GDP
- Since 1998
- +5.7 percentage points
- Rank, 2025
- 58 of 149
- counting from the highest
- Projected, 2031
- 50.3% of GDP
- IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026)
% of GDP · IMF
What the numbers say
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts it at 50.3% of GDP in 2031.
- The highest was 61.3% of GDP in 2023, the lowest 8.4% of GDP in 2006.
Every year
% of GDP · IMF
| Year | Benin |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 59.3 |
| 2024 | 60.5 |
| 2023 | 61.3 |
| 2022 | 59.7 |
| 2021 | 55.6 |
| 2020 | 46.1 |
| 2019 | 40.4 |
| 2018 | 40.8 |
| 2017 | 39.4 |
| 2016 | 35.9 |
| 2015 | 30.9 |
| 2014 | 22.3 |
| 2013 | 18.5 |
| 2012 | 19.5 |
| 2011 | 21.9 |
| 2010 | 21 |
| 2009 | 18.8 |
| 2008 | 18.3 |
| 2007 | 14.3 |
| 2006 | 8.4 |
| 2005 | 27 |
| 2004 | 21.5 |
| 2003 | 23.4 |
| 2002 | 30.8 |
| 2001 | 38 |
| 2000 | 39.6 |
| 1999 | 39.4 |
| 1998 | 53.6 |
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Benin |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 58.1 |
| 2027 | 56.5 |
| 2028 | 54.7 |
| 2029 | 53.1 |
| 2030 | 51.7 |
| 2031 | 50.3 |
Good to know
- What the government owes, as a share of the economy’s yearly output.
- Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook, October 2026.
- The dashed line is the IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026), a scenario rather than a forecast.
- Ranks count the 149 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Benin in numbers
Every measure for Benin on one page
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Military
- Military spending0.89% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollars$204M in 2025
- Military spending per person$15 in 2025
- Military share of state spending4.8% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnel12,000 people in 2020
- National power0.07% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workers0.21% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms imports4 million TIV in 2025