Benin: cost of living

How much is petrol in Benin?

Super petrol cost 725 CFA francs a litre at the pump in Benin at the end of August 2026, and diesel 750 CFA francs, according to the BCEAO Monthly Statistical Bulletin, August 2026. Both prices rose in May 2026, from 695 and 720 CFA francs, and were unchanged in June, July and August.

Pump prices in Benin are set by the government, and the BCEAO records the end-of-month price in each UEMOA state. In August 2026 petrol cost 725 CFA francs in Togo, 905 in Côte d'Ivoire and 499 in Niger.

Official sources: BCEAO: Monthly Statistical Bulletin, August 2026 (PDF)

What is the poverty rate in Benin?

36.2% of Benin's population lived below the national poverty line in 2021, down from 38.5% in 2018, according to World Bank data based on national household surveys. At the international line of $3.00 a day (2021 prices), the share was 27.2% in 2021, according to the World Bank.

The national poverty line is set by Benin's statistics institute from the cost of a basic basket of food and other needs, so it is not directly comparable with other countries. The international line allows comparison. Both figures come from the 2021 harmonised household living conditions survey (EHCVM).

Official sources: World Bank: Poverty at national poverty lines, Benin · World Bank: Poverty at $3.00 a day, Benin

Are prices rising in Benin?

Prices in Benin were almost flat in mid-2026: consumer prices were 0.6% lower in May 2026 than a year earlier, 0.4% lower in June, unchanged in July and 0.1% higher in August, according to the BCEAO Monthly Statistical Bulletin, August 2026.

Across the UEMOA, food and non-alcoholic drinks added 0.4 percentage points to the union's 1.3% inflation in August 2026, after subtracting from it in mid-2025. The BCEAO does not break down contributions by country in this table; Benin's detailed price index by product group is compiled by the national statistics institute, INStaD. Annual inflation is measured on the harmonised consumer price index, so figures are comparable across the union.

Official sources: BCEAO: Monthly Statistical Bulletin, August 2026 (PDF)

How unequal is income in Benin?

Benin's Gini index was 34.4 in 2021, down from 37.9 in 2018, according to the World Bank. The index runs from 0, where everyone has the same, to 100, where one person has everything.

The figures are based on household consumption in the 2018 and 2021 harmonised household surveys, not on income, which is the usual approach in West Africa where much income is informal. Over the same period the share of people below the national poverty line fell from 38.5% to 36.2%. The next estimate depends on a new national household survey.

Official sources: World Bank: Gini index, Benin · World Bank: Poverty at national poverty lines, Benin

What is the inflation rate in Benin?

According to the IMF, consumer price inflation in Benin was 1.1% in 2025. Its high point since 2005 was 2008, at 7.9%; its low point was 2016, at -0.8%. It is 31st highest of 39 in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the median is 3.4%. World rank, highest first: 129th of 165.

How much do people in Benin spend?

$895: that is household consumption per person in Benin for 2025, according to the World Bank. It is the top of the series, which starts in 2005. Across Sub-Saharan Africa the middle value was $840, and Benin placed 17th highest of 37. World rank, highest first: 104th of 124.

How many people in Benin live on under $3 a day?

The World Bank puts the share of people living on less than $3.00 a day in Benin at 27.2% in 2021. It was 68.4% in 2011. It is 10th highest of 13 in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the median is 38.6%. Worldwide: 10th of 80.

What is the poverty rate in Benin?

36.2%: that is the share of people below the national poverty line in Benin for 2021, according to the World Bank. Sub-Saharan Africa median: 41.2%; Benin is 12th highest of 13. Worldwide: 16th of 72.

What is Benin's Gini coefficient?

The World Bank puts the Gini index in Benin at 34.4 in 2021. It was 43.4 in 2011. Sub-Saharan Africa median: 36.2; Benin is 10th highest of 13. World rank, highest first: 37th of 80.

How many people in Benin go hungry?

In 2024, moderate or severe food insecurity in Benin was 65.6%, according to the FAO. Since 2015 it has ranged from 55.0% (2015) to 66.3% (2017). Sub-Saharan Africa median: 60.5%; Benin is 11th highest of 34. Of 135 countries with 2024 data, 14th highest.