Population in the largest city in Benin
Benin: Population in the largest city was 17.4% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Population in the largest city in Benin, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of urban population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population in the largest city in Benin is 17.4%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 0.5% on the previous year and up 19.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population in the largest city in Benin peaked at 32.0% in 1979 and was at its lowest, 14.2%, in 2014.
Benin ranks 126th of 153 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Population in the largest city in Benin, year by year
| Year | % of urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 29.7% | — |
| 1961 | 29.7% | +0.2% |
| 1962 | 30.2% | +1.7% |
| 1963 | 30.6% | +1.3% |
| 1964 | 30.9% | +0.9% |
| 1965 | 31.1% | +0.6% |
| 1966 | 30.8% | -0.7% |
| 1967 | 30.6% | -0.8% |
| 1968 | 30.4% | -0.7% |
| 1969 | 30.2% | -0.6% |
| 1970 | 30.1% | -0.4% |
| 1971 | 30.0% | -0.2% |
| 1972 | 30.0% | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 30.1% | +0.2% |
| 1974 | 30.2% | +0.5% |
| 1975 | 30.5% | +0.8% |
| 1976 | 30.8% | +1.1% |
| 1977 | 31.2% | +1.3% |
| 1978 | 31.7% | +1.6% |
| 1979 | 32.0% | +0.9% |
| 1980 | 31.5% | -1.7% |
| 1981 | 30.9% | -1.8% |
| 1982 | 30.4% | -1.7% |
| 1983 | 29.9% | -1.7% |
| 1984 | 29.4% | -1.6% |
| 1985 | 28.9% | -1.5% |
| 1986 | 28.5% | -1.4% |
| 1987 | 28.2% | -1.3% |
| 1988 | 27.9% | -1.1% |
| 1989 | 27.6% | -1.0% |
| 1990 | 27.4% | -0.8% |
| 1991 | 27.2% | -0.6% |
| 1992 | 26.9% | -1.1% |
| 1993 | 26.0% | -3.3% |
| 1994 | 25.4% | -2.5% |
| 1995 | 25.2% | -0.8% |
| 1996 | 24.9% | -1.3% |
| 1997 | 24.5% | -1.6% |
| 1998 | 24.1% | -1.7% |
| 1999 | 23.7% | -1.7% |
| 2000 | 23.2% | -1.7% |
| 2001 | 22.8% | -1.8% |
| 2002 | 22.2% | -2.6% |
| 2003 | 21.4% | -3.8% |
| 2004 | 20.5% | -3.9% |
| 2005 | 19.7% | -4.1% |
| 2006 | 18.9% | -4.0% |
| 2007 | 18.2% | -3.9% |
| 2008 | 17.4% | -4.0% |
| 2009 | 16.7% | -4.0% |
| 2010 | 16.1% | -4.0% |
| 2011 | 15.4% | -4.0% |
| 2012 | 14.8% | -4.0% |
| 2013 | 14.2% | -4.0% |
| 2014 | 14.2% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 14.5% | +2.4% |
| 2016 | 14.9% | +2.4% |
| 2017 | 15.2% | +2.4% |
| 2018 | 15.6% | +2.5% |
| 2019 | 16.0% | +2.4% |
| 2020 | 16.3% | +2.3% |
| 2021 | 16.7% | +2.0% |
| 2022 | 17.0% | +1.7% |
| 2023 | 17.2% | +1.2% |
| 2024 | 17.3% | +0.8% |
| 2025 | 17.4% | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 30.4% | 29.7% | 31.1% | 10 |
| 1970s | 30.7% | 30.0% | 32.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 29.3% | 27.6% | 31.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 25.5% | 23.7% | 27.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 20.1% | 16.7% | 23.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.1% | 14.2% | 16.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.0% | 16.3% | 17.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Benin
More urban development data for Benin
- Population density 125.14 people per sq. km of land area (2023)
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 39.66 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Population in largest city 1.38 million (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 23 - Ecological 49.08 Hectares (2020)
- PM2.5 air pollution, population exposed to levels exceeding WHO 100.0% (2017)
- Dollar value of all resources made available to strengthen 8.36 million current US$ (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population in the largest city in Benin?
- Population in the largest city in Benin was 17.4% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population in the largest city recorded in Benin?
- The highest recorded value was 32.0% in 1979.
- What is the lowest population in the largest city recorded in Benin?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.2% in 2014.
- How does Benin rank for population in the largest city?
- Benin ranks 126th out of 153 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population in the largest city rising or falling in Benin?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Benin data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN), published as part of Population in the largest city (% of urban population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Population in largest city is the percentage of a country's urban population living in that country's largest metropolitan area.