Benin: Personal remittances, received (% of GDP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Benin's personal remittances, received (% of GDP) rose 0.28 percentage points on 2022 (from 1.44% to 1.72%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was −0.22 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.82 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 standard deviations above 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 2.1 percentage points in 1992 and the biggest yearly fall was 3.25 percentage points in 1993. 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 downward, about 0.07 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 46% 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.

How it compares

In 2023, Benin had the 8th highest value of the 10 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

• Tuvalu — 5th of 10: 5.14%
• Guyana — 6th of 10: 3.22%
• Sint Maarten (Dutch part) — 7th of 10: 2.85%
• Aruba — 9th of 10: 1.04%
• Palau — 10th of 10: 0.8%

What this measures

Personal remittances comprise personal transfers and compensation of employees. Personal transfers consist of all current transfers in cash or in kind made or received by resident households to or from nonresident households. Personal transfers thus include all current transfers between resident and nonresident individuals. Compensation of employees refers to the income of border, seasonal, and other short-term workers who are employed in an economy where they are not resident and of residents employed by nonresident entities. Data are the sum of two items defined in the sixth edition of the IMF's Balance of Payments Manual: personal transfers and compensation of employees.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 50 values

Personal remittances, received (% of GDP) in nearby economies

• Angola — 0.04% (2025)
• Botswana — 0.83% (2025)
• Burkina Faso — 2.57% (2024)
• Burundi — 8.12% (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 11.67% (2025)
• Cameroon — 1.29% (2024)
• Comoros — 20.84% (2023)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 3.65% (2025)
• Congo, Rep. — 0.3% (2021)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 2.03% (2024)

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
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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Benin's personal remittances, received (% of GDP)?

1.72% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1974?

It is up 0.39 percentage points from 1.33% in 1974. The highest value was 8.04% in 1992 and the lowest 1.02% in 2004.

How does Benin rank?

8th highest of 10 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in personal remittances, received (% of GDP) unusual for Benin?

In 2023, Benin's personal remittances, received (% of GDP) rose 0.28 percentage points on 2022 (from 1.44% to 1.72%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was −0.22 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.82 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator BX.TRF.PWKR.DT.GD.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Staff estimates, World Bank (WB); IMF balance of payments data, International Monetary Fund (IMF); World Bank GDP estimates, World Bank (WB); OECD GDP estimates, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) 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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