Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median in Benin
Benin: Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median was 10.5% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median in Benin, 2003–2021
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median in Benin is 10.5%, measured in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 5 years on record.
That represents a change of down 5.7% on the previous year and down 10.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median in Benin peaked at 20.1% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 10.5%, in 2021.
Benin ranks 73rd of 120 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median in Benin, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 10.9% | — |
| 2011 | 11.7% | +7.9% |
| 2015 | 20.1% | +70.9% |
| 2018 | 11.1% | -44.7% |
| 2021 | 10.5% | -5.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 10.9% | 10.9% | 10.9% | 1 |
| 2010s | 14.3% | 11.1% | 20.1% | 3 |
| 2020s | 10.5% | 10.5% | 10.5% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Benin
- 70 Slovakia 10.6% compare
- 71 Mauritania 10.6% compare
- 72 Burkina Faso 10.5% compare
- 74 Malta 10.4% compare
- 75 Côte d'Ivoire 10.1% compare
- 76 Bosnia and Herzegovina 10.0% compare
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 relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median in Benin?
- Relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median in Benin was 10.5% in 2021, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median recorded in Benin?
- The highest recorded value was 20.1% in 2015.
- What is the lowest relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median recorded in Benin?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.5% in 2021.
- How does Benin rank for relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median?
- Benin ranks 73rd out of 120 countries with data for 2021.
- Is relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median rising or falling in Benin?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below 50% of the median.