Benin: Exports of goods and services (current US$, BoP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Benin's exports of goods and services (current US$, BoP) rose 5.6% on 2022 (from US$4.27 billion to US$4.51 billion).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was +8.2% and a typical year strayed about 13.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 101% in 1981 and the biggest yearly fall was 59.7% in 1982. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 the straight-line trend is upward, about US$176.15 million a year. A straight line explains 87% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about US$5.11 billion for 2026. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2021 to 2023 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was US$65.25 million, against US$805.86 million for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

In 2023, Benin had the 5th highest value of the 12 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Benin in the 2023 ranking

• Guyana — 2nd of 12: US$13.74 billion
• Lebanon — 3rd of 12: US$11.77 billion
• Senegal — 4th of 12: US$7 billion
• South Sudan — 6th of 12: US$4.5 billion
• Aruba — 7th of 12: US$3.15 billion
• Curaçao — 8th of 12: US$2.11 billion

What this measures

Exports of goods includes changes in the economic ownership of goods from residents of the compiling economy to non-residents, irrespective of physical movement of goods across national borders. Exports of services includes services provided by residents to non-residents. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.

Limitations: Discrepancies may arise in the balance of payments because there is no single source for balance of payments data and therefore no way to ensure that the data are fully consistent. Sources include customs data, monetary accounts of the banking system, external debt records, information provided by enterprises, surveys to estimate service transactions, and foreign exchange records. Differences in collection methods - such as in timing, definitions of residence and ownership, and the exchange rate used to value transactions - contribute to net errors and omissions. In addition, smuggling and other illegal or quasi-legal transactions may be unrecorded or misrecorded.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a gap-filled total.

All 50 values

Exports of goods and services (current US$, BoP) in nearby economies

• Angola — US$30.73 billion (2025)
• Botswana — US$6.58 billion (2025)
• Burkina Faso — US$6.75 billion (2024)
• Burundi — US$555.03 million (2025)
• Cabo Verde — US$1.28 billion (2025)
• Cameroon — US$8.59 billion (2024)
• Comoros — US$148.46 million (2023)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — US$36.42 billion (2025)
• Congo, Rep. — US$7.75 billion (2021)
• Côte d'Ivoire

More economic policy & debt data for Benin

• General government final consumption expenditure (current US$) — US$2.18 billion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (current LCU) — 1.27 trillion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) — US$2.01 billion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (constant LCU) — 1.19 trillion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (% of GDP) — 8.87% (2025)
• Households and NPISHs final consumption expenditure (current US$) — US$14.33 billion (2025)
• Households and NPISHs final consumption expenditure (current LCU) — 8.34 trillion (2025)
• Households and NPISHs final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Benin's exports of goods and services (current US$, BoP)?

US$4.51 billion in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1974?

It is up 3,823% from US$115 million in 1974 (7.78% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$4.51 billion in 2023 and the lowest US$115 million in 1974.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator BX.GSR.GNFS.CD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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