Benin recorded US$3,905 million in total imports in 2023, according to the WITS Trade Summary 2023. The same source recorded US$1,052 million in exports, while the WTO Trade Profiles 2023 reported merchandise imports of US$4,784 million for 2022. These figures describe different measurement years and source presentations, so they should be read as year-specific indicators rather than a single time series.
Contents
- 2023 import scale and trade context
- Main supplying countries
- Products and import composition
- Rice imports
- Palm oil imports
- Tariffs and duty-free trade
- Transport and services
2023 import scale and trade context
The WITS Trade Summary 2023 counted 3,125 imported HS6-digit products and imports from 144 countries. For comparison, Benin exported 761 HS6-digit products to 101 countries in that same 2023 summary. The import side therefore covered a broader set of product-country combinations than the export side in the reported measures.
WITS recorded Benin’s 2023 trade balance at -US$916 million, equal to -4.66% of GDP. GDP in current US dollars was US$19,673 million, and trade represented 44.66% of GDP. Trade in services represented 10.17% of GDP. These are 2023 indicators from the WITS Trade Summary 2023, and the percentages should not be combined with the separate 2022 or 2021 measures below.
The reported GNI per capita, Atlas method, was US$1,390 in 2023, also in the WITS Trade Summary 2023. This is a per-person income indicator, not an import value or a measure of household spending on imported goods.
WITS also reported world trade growth of -3.13% in 2023 and Benin country growth of -2.67%. Those figures provide the source’s reported growth context for the year; they do not identify a product-specific change in Benin’s imports.
The following summary keeps the two principal merchandise-import totals attached to their stated years and sources:
| Measure | Value | Period | Source label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total imports | US$3,905 million | 2023 | WITS Trade Summary 2023 |
| Merchandise imports | US$4,784 million | 2022 | WTO Trade Profiles 2023 |
| Trade balance | -US$916 million | 2023 | WITS Trade Summary 2023 |
| Trade balance as share of GDP | -4.66% | 2023 | WITS Trade Summary 2023 |
The WTO Trade Profiles 2023 reported Benin’s GDP per capita at US$1,298 in 2022, trade per capita at US$332 in 2022, and the current account balance at -5.7% of GDP in 2022. It also reported trade at 25.6% of GDP for 2020–2022. These measurements use different periods from the WITS 2023 summary and should remain distinct.
Main supplying countries
India was Benin’s top import partner in 2023, with US$666 million in imports, according to the WITS Trade Summary 2023. China supplied US$500 million, France supplied US$338 million, the United States supplied US$205 million, and Nigeria supplied US$201 million.
The WTO Trade Profiles 2023 presented the 2022 supplier mix as shares of Benin’s imports. The European Union supplied 21.4%, India supplied 15.7%, China supplied 13.1%, the United Arab Emirates supplied 6.7%, and Nigeria supplied 5.1%.
| Supplier or group | 2022 share | 2023 import value where reported |
|---|---|---|
| European Union | 21.4% | — |
| India | 15.7% | US$666 million |
| China | 13.1% | US$500 million |
| United Arab Emirates | 6.7% | — |
| Nigeria | 5.1% | US$201 million |
| France | — | US$338 million |
| United States | — | US$205 million |
The 2022 percentages and 2023 dollar values answer different questions: one describes the reported share of imports in 2022, while the other gives partner-specific value in 2023. The table therefore does not calculate or imply a year-over-year change.
WITS recorded a Hirschman-Herfindahl market concentration index of 0.41 for Benin in 2023. It also reported an export market penetration index of 1.60. These are summary trade indicators from the WITS Trade Summary 2023; neither is a value for imports from one particular country.
Products and import composition
Rice was the top imported product in 2022 at US$665 million, according to the WTO Trade Profiles 2023. Other listed 2022 imports were poultry meat at US$110 million, palm oil at US$47 million, wheat at US$38 million, and cane or beet sugar at US$28 million.
The same WTO source grouped 2022 imports into broad product categories. Agricultural products accounted for 28.6%, fuels and mining products for 10.5%, manufactures for 34.2%, and other products for 26.7%. It separately reported non-agricultural imports of US$2,586 million in 2022.
For 2023, WITS classified US$321 million of Benin’s imports as raw materials, or 8.21% of imports. Intermediate goods amounted to US$801 million, or 20.51%. Consumer goods amounted to US$2,095 million, or 53.66%, and capital goods amounted to US$682 million, or 17.46%.
| 2023 import classification | Value | Share of imports |
|---|---|---|
| Raw materials | US$321 million | 8.21% |
| Intermediate goods | US$801 million | 20.51% |
| Consumer goods | US$2,095 million | 53.66% |
| Capital goods | US$682 million | 17.46% |
These WITS categories show the composition supplied by the source. The product groups in the WTO profile—agriculture, fuels and mining, manufactures, and other products—use a different classification, so their shares are not substitutes for the 2023 end-use categories.
Rice imports
The WITS rice imports 2023 figures identify semi-milled or wholly milled rice as a major import line. Benin imported rice worth US$637,814.13 thousand in 2023 and imported 1,451,340,000 kilograms of this product.
India supplied US$458,292.85 thousand of those rice imports. The United Arab Emirates supplied US$57,271.42 thousand, Thailand supplied US$44,352.21 thousand, Singapore supplied US$40,989.91 thousand, and Pakistan supplied US$13,150.15 thousand. These supplier amounts are reported for the specified rice product and 2023; they are not totals for all goods from those countries.
The source label for these figures is WITS rice imports 2023. The reported product description is semi-milled or wholly milled rice, which is narrower than every possible rice-related customs category. The 2022 WTO figure of US$665 million for rice is a separate year and source presentation, while the 2023 WITS figure is stated in thousands of US dollars.
Palm oil imports
WITS palm oil imports 2023 recorded Benin imports of US$147,330.07 thousand for palm oil, excluding crude, and liquid fractions. The reported quantity was 158,685,000 kilograms.
Malaysia supplied US$84,482.55 thousand of these palm oil imports and Indonesia supplied US$54,267.19 thousand. The United Arab Emirates supplied US$4,029.80 thousand, Singapore supplied US$1,729.80 thousand, and Lebanon supplied US$1,383.78 thousand.
The WTO Trade Profiles 2023 separately reported palm oil imports of US$47 million in 2022. Because the 2022 entry and the 2023 WITS entry differ in year and the 2023 description excludes crude palm oil, they should not be treated as a directly comparable complete series. The 2023 WITS amount is specifically tied to the stated product description and measurement year.
Tariffs and duty-free trade
The WITS Trade Summary 2023 reported a maximum tariff rate of 35% on any product in Benin. The simple average tariff across all products was 11.18%, while the trade-weighted average tariff was 10.67%.
The simple average gives the source’s average across products, whereas the trade-weighted average reflects the reported import weights. They are different measures and should not be read as two competing values for one individual shipment or product.
WITS recorded duty-free imports of US$630,003.46 thousand in 2023. The duty-free tariff-line share was 21.05%. The dollar figure measures the reported value of duty-free imports, while the tariff-line percentage describes the share of tariff lines; the two indicators use different denominators.
Transport and services
The WTO Trade Profiles 2023 reported that sea transport accounted for 68.1% of Benin’s import value in 2022. Air transport accounted for 20.6%, and other transport modes accounted for 11.3%.
For services, the same WTO source reported commercial services imports of US$260 million in 2021 and goods-related services imports of US$2 million in 2021. These are service categories for 2021, not merchandise-import totals for 2022 or 2023.
The WITS Country Profile 2023 reported services imports of US$1,540,431,080.82 in current balance-of-payments US dollars. This measurement is identified by its source as a current BoP dollar figure. It should therefore be kept separate from the WTO commercial-services and goods-related-services entries, which have their own category labels and a stated 2021 period.
Together, the transport shares and services figures add context to Benin’s import statistics. The transport measures describe how 2022 import value moved into the country, while the services entries describe separately defined services trade measures for 2021 and the WITS current-BoP profile measure.