Demographics of Benin

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Demographics of Benin, Data of FAO, year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands.

The demographics of Benin include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

The majority of Benin’s 9.32 million people live in the south. The population is young, with a life expectancy of 50 years.

About 42 African ethnic groups live in this country; these various groups settled in Benin at different times and also migrated within the country. Ethnic groups include:

French is the official language but is spoken more in urban than in rural areas. The literacy rate is 52.2% adult males and 23.6% adult females, and slowly growing. Recent migrations have brought other African Nationals to Benin: Nigerians, Togolese, Malians, etc. The foreign community also includes many Lebanese and Indians involved in trade and commerce. The personnel of the many European Embassies and Foreign Aid Missions and of nongovernmental organizations and various missionary groups account for a large number of the 5,500 European population.

Several religions are practiced in Benin. African Traditional Religion is widespread (50%), and its practices vary from one ethnic group to the other. Arab merchants introduced Islam in the north and among the Yoruba. European missionaries brought Christianity to the south and central areas of Benin. Muslims account for 20% of the population and Christians for 30%. Many nominal Muslims and Christians continue to practice African Traditional Religion traditions. It is believed that West African Vodun originated in Benin and was introduced to Brazil and the Caribbean Islands by slaves taken from this particular area of the Slave Coast.

Population

According to the 2010 revison of the World Population Prospects the total population was 8 850 000 in 2010, compared to only 2 255 000 in 1950. The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2010 was 43.7%, 53.3% were between 15 and 65 years of age, while 3% were of 65 years or older .[1]

Total population (x 1000) Population aged 0–14 (%) Population aged 15–64 (%) Population aged 65+ (%)
1950 2 255 35.2 57 7.8
1955 2 302 37.0 56.6 6.3
1960 2 420 38.4 56.1 5.5
1965 2 602 40.7 54.3 5
1970 2 850 42.7 52.7 4.6
1975 3 182 44.2 51.4 4.4
1980 3 611 45.2 50.7 4.0
1985 4 140 45.9 50.4 3.7
1990 4 773 46.2 50.4 3.4
1995 5 651 45.5 51.3 3.1
2000 6 518 45.6 51.4 3.0
2005 7 634 44.6 52.4 3.0
2010 8 850 43.7 53.3 3.0

Vital statistics

Registration of vital events is in Benin not complete. The Population Departement of the United Nations prepared the following estimates.[1]

Period Live births per year Deaths per year Natural change per year CBR* CDR* NC* TFR* IMR*
1950-1955 93 000 79 000 14 000 41.0 34.8 6.1 5.86 210
1955-1960 103 000 75 000 28 000 43.6 31.7 11.9 6.13 195
1960-1965 116 000 74 000 41 000 46.2 29.7 16.5 6.42 184
1965-1970 129 000 75 000 54 000 47.5 27.6 19.9 6.65 173
1970-1975 144 000 73 000 71 000 47.8 24.1 23.7 6.84 152
1975-1980 163 000 73 000 90 000 47.9 21.5 26.4 7.00 136
1980-1985 185 000 77 000 108 000 47.7 19.8 27.9 7.01 126
1985-1990 210 000 82 000 128 000 47.2 18.4 28.8 6.88 120
1990-1995 240 000 85 000 155 000 46.0 16.3 29.7 6.56 108
1995-2000 268 000 89 000 179 000 44.0 14.6 29.5 6.16 98
2000-2005 298 000 95 000 203 000 42.2 13.4 28.7 5.79 91
2005-2010 336 000 103 000 233 000 40.7 12.4 28.3 5.49 85
* CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1000); NC = natural change (per 1000); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1000 births; TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman)

Births and deaths [2]

Year Population Live births Deaths Natural increase Crude birth rate Crude death rate Rate of natural increase TFR
2012* 376 439 79 116 297 323 40,2 8,4 31,8
  • Data are projections presented in Annuaire Statistique 2010.

Fertility and Births

Total Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and Crude Birth Rate (CBR):[3][4] [5]

Year CBR (Total) TFR (Total) CBR (Urban) TFR (Urban) CBR (Rural) TFR (Rural)
1996 42,2 6,32 (5,0) 37,8 5,24 (4,0) 44,8 7,02 (5,6)
2001 41,1 5,6 (4,6) 36,0 4,4 (3,6) 43,8 6,4 (5,3)
2006 41,5 5,7 (4,8) 38,7 4,9 (4,1) 43,0 6,3 (5,3)
2011-12 33,3 4,9 (4,0) 33,1 4,3 (3,6) 33,3 5,4 (4,4)

Structure of the population [6]

Structure of the population (01.07.2011) (Data refer to national projections) :

Age Group Male Female Total %
Total 4 446 877 4 620 199 9 067 076 100
0-4 828 064 801 448 1 629 512 17,97
5-9 675 912 659 254 1 335 166 14,73
10-14 575 756 564 312 1 137 068 12,54
15-19 553 241 527 958 1 081 199 11,92
20-24 398 920 369 026 767 946 8,47
25-29 291 598 317 891 609 489 6,72
30-34 227 400 310 493 537 893 5,93
35-39 213 385 281 234 494 619 5,46
40-44 175 956 202 155 378 111 4,17
45-49 142 056 166 810 308 866 3,41
50-54 110 074 122 576 232 560 2,56
55-59 82 190 89 780 171 970 1,90
60-64 64 968 70 800 135 768 1,50
65-69 35 915 39 619 75 534 0,83
70-74 36 511 46 229 82 740 0,91
75-79 15 591 20 862 36 453 0,40
80+ 22 340 29 752 52 092 0,57
Age group Male Female Total Percent
0-14 2 079 732 2 025 014 4 104 746 45,27
15-64 2 256 788 2 458 723 4 715 511 52,01
65+ 110 357 136 462 246 819 2,72

Structure of the population (01.07.2012) (Data refer to national projections) :

Age Group Male Female Total %
Total 4 597 122 4 767 497 9 364 619 100
0-4 848 381 821 156 1 669 537 17,83
5-9 714 423 695 397 1 409 820 15,05
10-14 564 146 557 463 1 121 609 11,98
15-19 574 540 553 886 1 128 426 12,05
20-24 425 448 391 609 817 057 8,72
25-29 309 616 322 231 631 847 6,75
30-34 232 752 310 116 542 868 5,80
35-39 217 217 293 007 510 224 5,45
40-44 182 127 212 403 394 530 4,21
45-49 147 450 173 811 321 261 3,43
50-54 115 563 130 131 245 694 2,62
55-59 84 453 92 746 177 199 1,89
60-64 69 667 76 609 146 276 1,56
65-69 36 370 39 273 75 643 0,81
70-74 37 398 47 056 84 454 0,90
75-79 16 114 21 609 37 723 0,40
80+ 21 457 28 994 50 451 0,54
Age group Male Female Total Percent
0-14 2 126 950 2 074 016 4 200 966 44,86
15-64 2 358 833 2 556 549 4 915 382 52,49
65+ 111 339 136 932 248 271 2,65

Structure of the population (DHS 2011-2012) (Males 41 697, Females 42 807 = 84 504) :

Age Group Male (%) Female (%) Total (%)
0-4 17,1 15,9 16,5
5-9 18,7 17,1 17,9
10-14 15,5 14,2 14,9
15-19 9,4 7,3 8,3
20-24 5,6 7,1 6,4
25-29 5,4 7,8 6,6
30-34 5,0 6,6 5,8
35-39 5,2 5,3 5,3
40-44 3,9 3,9 3,9
45-49 3,1 2,6 2,8
50-54 2,9 4,4 3,6
55-59 2,1 2,0 2,0
60-64 1,8 2,0 1,9
65-69 1,4 1,2 1,3
70-74 1,1 1,0 1,1
75-79 0,6 0,5 0,6
80+ 1,0 0,8 0,9
unknown 0,2 0,1 0,1
Age group Male (%) Female (%) Total (%)
0-14 51,3 47,2 49,3
15-64 44,5 49,1 46,7
65+ 4,1 3,5 3,9

Ethnic groups

There are several dozen ethnolinguistic groups in Benin, representing three of Africa's language families: Niger–Congo, Nilo-Saharan, and Afroasiatic. The latter is represented by Hausa living mostly as merchants in the north, while Nilo-Saharan is represented by the Dɛndi, descending from the Songhai Empire. The Dɛndi language predominates along the Niger River in the far north, and is used as a lingua franca in Muslim areas throughout the north, in Alibori, Borgou, and Donga provinces. Of the Niger–Congo family, five branches are represented:

  • Mande by the Boko or Busa, now in the far eastern corner (southern Alibori-northern Borgou), but previously more widely spread before being largely absorbed by the Bariba
  • Senegambian by the nomadic Fulani scattered across the northeast
  • Benue–Congo by the Yoruba such as those of the old kingdom of Sakete, and the capital city of Porto-Novo, having expanded west from the Yoruba cities of Oyo and Ife in the 12th to 19th centuries
  • Gur (Voltaic) languages predominate in the four northern provinces, with the Batɔmbu (Bariba) of the old Borgou (Bariba) Kingdom occupying most of the countryside in its successor provinces of Borgou and Alibori, as well as the provincial capital of Parakou; the Yom throughout much of Donga province and its capital Djougou; and several groups in the Atakora, including the Bɛtamaribɛ of the Otammari country around the provincial capital of Natitingou, the Biali, the Waama of Tanguiéta, and the Gulmàceba.
  • Kwa, especially the Gbe languages spoken by the Tado peoples in the southern and central provinces: the Aja who established themselves in Kouffo province from neighboring Togo and gave rise to the other Tado peoples of Benin, except for the Mina of Mono province, who arrived separately from Togo or Ghana: The Fɔn culture centered in Zou province around the old Fɔn capital of Abomey, but also dominant in Cotonou and southern Atlantique areas such as Ouidah; the Maxi in central Collines, especially around Savalou; the Ayizɔ of central Atlantique (Allada); the Xwla and Xueda in the lagoons of the coast; the Tɔfin of Ouémé; and the Gun. Other Kwa languages are spoken by the Anii in southern Donga in the region of Bassila, and the Fooɖo in western Donga near the town of Ouaké.

The largest ethnic group are the Fon, with 1.7 million speakers of the Fon language (2001), followed by the various Yoruba groups (1.2 million), the Aja (600,000), the Bariba (460,000), the Ayizo (330,000), the Fulani (310,000), and the Gun (240,000). Near the ports in the south can be found many people who are descended from returned Brazilian slaves. There are also small numbers of Europeans, principally French, and people from the western Asia, mainly Lebanese, and East Asia, chiefly Indians.

CIA World Factbook demographic statistics

The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.

Population

9,325,032
Note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2011 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 44.7% (male 2,126,973/female 2,042,340)
15-64 years: 52.6% (male 2,443,370/female 2,461,421)
65 years and over: 2.7% (male 101,640/female 149,288) (2011 est.)

Median age

Total:17.2 years
Male: 16.8 years
Female: 17.7 years (2009 est.)

Population growth rate

2.911% (2011 est.)

Urbanization

Urban population: 42% of total population (2010)
Rate of urbanization: 4% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

Sex ratio

At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.70 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.0 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

Total population: 59 years
Male: 57.83 years
Female: 60.23 years (2009 est.)

HIV/AIDS

Adult prevalence rate: 1.2% (2007 est.)
People living with HIV/AIDS: 64,000 (2007 est.)
Deaths: 3,300 (2007 est.)

Major infectious diseases

Degree of risk: very high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: malaria, yellow fever, and others are high risks in some locations
Respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
Animal contact disease: rabies (2009)

Nationality

English :Noun: Beninese (singular and plural) English :Adjective: Beninese

However, French is widely spoken throughout Benin while English speakers are few and far between. From a practical standpoint the only terms one is likely to hear while in country are Béninois (for men) and Béninoise (for women). Pronunciation (Ben-een-w-ah) is the same for both terms.

French: Noun (Male): Béninois French: Noun (Female): Béninoise

Ethnic groups

African 99% (42 ethnic groups, most important being Fon, Adja, Yoruba, Bariba), Europeans 10,000

Religions

Christian 45.8% (Catholic 27.1%, Celestial 5%, Methodist 3.2%, other Protestant 2.2%, other 5.3%), Muslim 24.4%, Vodoun 17.3%, other 15.5% (2002 census)

Languages

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Over 50 languages are spoken in Benin. The official language is French. Of the many indigenous African languages, Fon and Yoruba are the most important in southern Benin, and in the north there are at least six major languages, including Baatonum and Fulani.

Literacy

Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 34.7%
Male: 47.9%
Female: 23.3% (2002 census)

Education expenditure

4.4% of total GDP
country comparison to the world: 91

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the CIA World Factbook document "2009 edition". and the 2003 U.S. Department of State website.