Benin
Africa
Trade in Benin
| Benin was the world’s 130th largest exporter of goods and 160th largest exporter of commercial services in 2025. Export values were $827 and $494 million USD respectively. Benin’s top export category was agricultural products, followed by manufactures, and fuels and mining products. In 2023, Benin’s main export destination markets for goods and services trade were to Bangladesh, India and Pakistan, with trade representing 40.64 per cent of GDP. In terms of imports, Benin is the world’s 140th largest importer of goods and 136th largest importer of commercial services. Import values were $3865 and $1413 million USD respectively in 2025. Benin’s top import category was manufactures, followed by agricultural products and fuels and mining products. Leading import partners were India, China and France. Benin is part of 3 different Regional Trade Agreements, including with Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Global System of Trade Preferences among Developing Countries (GSTP) and West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU). |
Regional Trade Agreements Database
General InformationThis section includes general information on the economy, legal system, official languages and links to additional demographic information. |
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Official Name |
Republic of Benin |
Abbreviation |
BJ |
Capital |
Porto-Novo |
WTO Membership Date |
22 February 1996 |
Legal System |
civil law system modeled largely on the French system and some customary law |
Language |
French |
Number of Time Zone(s) |
1 |
Additional Information | |
Financial InformationThis section includes financial information such as the currency, exchange rate lookup and local banks issuing trade finance. |
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Currency |
West African CFA franc |
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Exchange Rate |
Google Finance Currencies |
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GTFP Confirming Banks Through the IFC's Global Trade Finance Program (GTFP) bank network, local financial institutions can establish working partnerships with a vast number of major international banks in the Program that can broaden access to finance and reduce cash collateral requirements. This extends and complements the capacity of banks to deliver trade finance by providing risk mitigation on a per-transaction basis in challenging markets where trade lines may be limited. |
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Contact InformationThis section includes contact information for business support organizations and national resources. |
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Business Support Organizations |
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Copyright Offices |
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Industrial Property Offices |
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SPS Enquiry Points Sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) enquiry points are government agencies designated to answer questions about trade requirements. |
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TBT Enquiry Points Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) enquiry points are government agencies designated to answer questions about trade requirements. |
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Additional Information |
ePing alert |
Links to other helpful resourcesThis section includes additional links to trade-related resources. |
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Trade Information Portal |
https://tradeportal.bj/ |
Last Reviewed: October, 2026
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