Benin: Transport services (% of service imports, BoP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Benin's transport services (% of service imports, BoP) fell 26.31 percentage points on 2022 (from 67.3% to 40.99%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was +0.35 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 5.75 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 4.6 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 21.63 percentage points in 1991 and the biggest yearly fall was 26.31 percentage points in 2023. 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 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 21% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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 2nd 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

• Palau — 1st of 12: 55.98%
• Comoros — 3rd of 12: 40.55%
• South Sudan — 4th of 12: 37.69%
• Libya — 5th of 12: 36%

What this measures

Transport services covers the process of carriage of people and objects from one location to another as well as related supporting and auxiliary services. Also included are postal and courier services. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of service imports which are services provided by non-residents to residents.

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

All 50 values

Transport services (% of service imports, BoP) in nearby economies

• Angola — 39.4% (2025)
• Botswana — 25.53% (2025)
• Burkina Faso — 51.02% (2024)
• Burundi — 57.8% (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 29.68% (2025)
• Cameroon — 45.93% (2024)
• Comoros — 40.55% (2023)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 44.37% (2025)
• Congo, Rep. — 33.24% (2021)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 40.61% (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 transport services (% of service imports, BoP)?

40.99% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1974?

It is down 15.78 percentage points from 56.77% in 1974. The highest value was 77.91% in 2017 and the lowest 33.69% in 1989.

How does Benin rank?

2nd highest of 12 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in transport services (% of service imports, BoP) unusual for Benin?

In 2023, Benin's transport services (% of service imports, BoP) fell 26.31 percentage points on 2022 (from 67.3% to 40.99%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was +0.35 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 5.75 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 4.6 standard deviations below that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator BM.GSR.TRAN.ZS, 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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