Benin immigration statistics show a long-term rise in the number of immigrants, alongside substantial emigration and a sharp increase in registered refugees and asylum-seekers during 2023 and 2024. The available figures also show why travel-document questions require attention to neighboring countries, family connections and changing population movements.
Contents
- Immigrant population over time
- Who makes up the immigrant population
- Refugees, asylum-seekers and internal displacement
- Emigration and remittance flows
- Population and urbanization context
- Borders and transport connections
- Economic and social indicators
Immigrant population over time
Benin’s recorded immigrant population increased substantially between the early 1990s and the 2010s. The IOM Migration Profile Benin 2011 reported 77,904 immigrants in 1992 and 156,748 in 2002. The later Benin CMW initial report 2024 recorded 234,241 immigrants in 2013. These are measurement points from different publications and should be read as a historical series, not as a single continuously updated count.
| Measurement year | Immigrant or foreign-born population | Source label |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 77,904 | IOM Migration Profile Benin 2011 |
| 2002 | 156,748 | IOM Migration Profile Benin 2011 |
| 2010 | 232,000 | World Bank Migration and Remittances Factbook 2011 |
| 2013 | 234,241 | Benin CMW initial report 2024 |
| 2013 | 234.2 thousand | World Bank Migration and Remittances Factbook 2016 |
The World Bank Migration and Remittances Factbook 2011 placed the immigrant population at 232.0 thousand in 2010, equal to 2.5% of Benin’s population. The World Bank Migration and Remittances Factbook 2016 reported 234.2 thousand foreign-born residents in 2013, or 2.3% of the population. The different percentages reflect the population bases and source presentation associated with each publication; they should not be treated as contradictory counts.
The Benin CMW initial report 2024 described immigrants as about 2% of the population in 2013. Taken together, the 2013 figures indicate a foreign-born population of roughly 234 thousand, while the precise share varies by source. For readers preparing travel documents, the important point is that the statistics describe a relatively small share of the total population but a sizeable absolute population.
Who makes up the immigrant population
The available statistics show a notable gender difference between source estimates for 2013. The Benin CMW initial report 2024 said women represented 44% of immigrants in 2013. The World Bank Migration and Remittances Factbook 2016 reported women at 52.4% of immigrants in the same year. Because the figures come from separate source publications, neither should be silently substituted for the other.
For 2010, the World Bank Migration and Remittances Factbook 2011 reported that women accounted for 45.5% of immigrants. The same source said refugees represented 4.0% of immigrants in 2010. This provides a useful distinction: the immigrant population and the refugee population are related categories, but they are not interchangeable measures.
The World Bank Migration and Remittances Factbook 2016 listed Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, Ghana, Togo, Niger, Benin, Nigeria and Senegal among the top source countries for immigrants in 2013. The inclusion of Benin in that list reflects the source’s recorded country classification and does not change the meaning of the broader foreign-born estimate.
For 2010, the World Bank Migration and Remittances Factbook 2011 listed Niger, Togo, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and France as the top source countries for immigrants. The difference between the 2010 and 2013 lists illustrates the importance of specifying the measurement year when discussing migration routes or document requirements.
The June 2024 survey cited in the Benin CMW initial report 2024 identified family reunification as one of the main reasons for immigration to Benin. It also noted that nationals of Togo, Nigeria and Niger were often not viewed as foreigners because they had relatives in Benin. This observation is social and survey-based; it is not a new population count.
Refugees, asylum-seekers and internal displacement
Refugee and asylum-seeker figures changed sharply in the recent period covered by the supplied sources. The UN CMW initial report 2024 said Benin hosted around 5,000 registered refugees and asylum-seekers in May 2023. By May 2024, the same report said the number had risen to over 14,000 registered refugees and asylum-seekers. The report described this as an increase from around 5,000 to over 14,000 in one year.
The UNHCR Benin page reported that, as of December 2024, Benin hosted over 23,000 refugees and asylum-seekers. It also reported nearly 9,000 internally displaced persons in the country, mainly in Alibori and Atacora. These are separate population groups: refugees and asylum-seekers crossed an international border, while internally displaced persons remained within Benin.
A separate UNHCR Benin country page reported that Benin hosted close to 25,000 refugees and asylum-seekers, of whom 20,357 were registered. That page also reported 9,847 refugees registered in 2024. The differing totals should be retained with their source wording because “close to,” “over,” and registered counts describe different thresholds or populations.
An earlier World Bank Migration and Remittances Factbook 2016 figure recorded 31,889 refugees in 2014. The West Africa Gateway Benin profile recorded 6,900 refugees in 2009. These legacy figures describe earlier measurement periods and are not direct substitutes for the UN figures from 2023 and 2024.
Emigration and remittance flows
Benin is both a destination for immigrants and a country of emigration. The West Africa Gateway Benin profile recorded 531,600 emigrants in 2010, equal to 5.8% of the total population. This emigrant count is considerably larger than the 232,000 immigrants reported for 2010 by the World Bank Migration and Remittances Factbook 2011, but the two measures describe different directions of movement.
The same West Africa Gateway Benin profile reported diaspora remittances of USD 243 million in 2009e. The “e” identifies an estimate in the source. Remittances were listed as 3.6% of GDP and USD 27.45 per capita in that estimated 2009 period. The figures are useful for scale, but they should not be presented as current values.
For a later period, World Bank Benin data reported personal remittances received at 1.7% of GDP in 2023. This percentage is not directly comparable with the 3.6% estimate for 2009e without harmonized definitions and measurement methods, but it gives a dated indicator of the role of remittance receipts in the economy.
World Bank Benin data also reported net migration of -7,847 in 2025. A negative net-migration figure indicates that the recorded balance of migration was outward for that measurement year. It is not the same as the total number of emigrants, the immigrant stock, or the number of people who crossed a border for travel.
Population and urbanization context
The West Africa Gateway Benin profile recorded Benin’s population at 9.2 million in 2010. It reported 3.9 million people under age 15, equal to 43.7% of the population. The same profile gave a dependency ratio of 135 in 2010, indicating the source’s reported relationship between dependent and working-age populations.
Population growth was reported at 2.96% annually for 2005–2010 and 2.7% annually for 2010–2015. The total fertility rate was 5.48 births per woman in 2005–2010 and 5.08 births per woman in 2010–2015. These figures describe demographic conditions rather than immigration alone, but they help explain why the number of people needing civil and travel documentation can grow even when immigrants remain a small share of the total population.
The profile projected Benin’s population at 21.7 million in 2050. It also reported an urban population share of 42% in 2010, projected 47.2% for 2020 and projected 53.7% for 2030. The 2020 and 2030 values are projections from the profile, not later observed counts.
Borders and transport connections
Benin’s land boundaries totaled 1,989 km in the West Africa Gateway Benin profile, and its coastline was 121 km. The profile recorded borders of 306 km with Burkina Faso, 266 km with Niger, 773 km with Nigeria and 644 km with Togo. These neighboring-country connections are relevant context for the source-country patterns reported for immigrants.
| Connection or transport measure | Reported figure | Measurement period or source wording |
|---|---|---|
| Land boundaries | 1,989 km | West Africa Gateway Benin profile |
| Coastline | 121 km | West Africa Gateway Benin profile |
| Border with Burkina Faso | 306 km | West Africa Gateway Benin profile |
| Border with Niger | 266 km | West Africa Gateway Benin profile |
| Border with Nigeria | 773 km | West Africa Gateway Benin profile |
| Border with Togo | 644 km | West Africa Gateway Benin profile |
The same profile listed 5 airports with paved runways, 438 km of railways and 150 km of waterways in 2010. It listed 16,000 km of roadways in 2006, including 1,400 km paved and 14,600 km unpaved. Cotonou was identified as the main port and terminal. These infrastructure figures are historical profile data and should be read with their stated dates.
Economic and social indicators
Several older indicators help place migration and documentation needs in a broader setting. The West Africa Gateway Benin profile recorded a trade balance of USD -797 million in 2009 and foreign direct investment inflows of USD 93 million in the same year. External debt was USD 1,141 million in 2009, equal to 4.5% of GDP. Debt service was 6.3% of exports in 2010e, where the source marked the period as an estimate.
The profile reported public revenue and grants at 21.7% of GDP in 2009, public expenditures and net lending at 25.9% of GDP, and an overall fiscal balance of -4.2% of GDP. It also reported a child-labour rate of 46% among children aged 5–14 for 1999–2007. These figures are not immigration counts, but they are dated indicators of the social and economic setting in which migration decisions occur.
The same profile recorded official development assistance at USD 683 million, or 4.93% of GDP and USD 77.17 per capita, in the profile year. Its comparison with diaspora remittances described remittances as sizable relative to ODA. Because the profile contains multiple years and estimates, each figure should remain tied to its stated period rather than treated as a current annual benchmark.