Number of people living in extreme poverty in Benin
Benin: Number of people living in extreme poverty was 9.95 million people in 2021. ◆ Volatile
Number of people living in extreme poverty in Benin, 2003–2021
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Benin recorded 9.95 million people for number of people living in extreme poverty in 2021. That is the highest value across all 5 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 26.2% on the previous year and up 209.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in extreme poverty in Benin peaked at 9.95 million people in 2021 and was at its lowest, 2.34 million people, in 2003.
That places Benin 64th out of 120 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
Number of people living in extreme poverty in Benin, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 2.34 million people | — |
| 2011 | 3.22 million people | +37.7% |
| 2015 | 3.88 million people | +20.6% |
| 2018 | 7.89 million people | +103.1% |
| 2021 | 9.95 million people | +26.2% |
Benin compared with similar countries
- Benin's 9.95 million people is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 14.39 million people, 69% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
- Benin's 9.95 million people is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 10.66 million people, 93% of the median. (26 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2.34 million people | 2.34 million people | 2.34 million people | 1 |
| 2010s | 5.00 million people | 3.22 million people | 7.89 million people | 3 |
| 2020s | 9.95 million people | 9.95 million people | 9.95 million people | 1 |
Countries ranked near Benin
More poverty & inequality data for Benin
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 2 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 4.56 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 1,356 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate 20.35 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 11.63 (2013)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 11.6% (2013)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2013)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people living in extreme poverty in Benin?
- Number of people living in extreme poverty in Benin was 9.95 million people in 2021, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in Benin?
- The highest recorded value was 9.95 million people in 2021.
- What is the lowest number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in Benin?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.34 million people in 2003.
- How does Benin rank for number of people living in extreme poverty?
- Benin ranks 64th out of 120 countries with data for 2021.
- Is number of people living in extreme poverty rising or falling in Benin?
- Over the last ten years it is up 209.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Benin data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people living in extreme poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Number of people living in households with an income or consumption above $3 per day.