Share of population living in urbanized areas in Benin

Benin: Share of population living in urbanized areas was 51.3% in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
51.3%
Change on year
up 1.1%
World rank
137th
of 202 countries
All-time high
51.3%
in 2025
All-time low
0.0%
in 1000
Years of data
108
1000–2025

Share of population living in urbanized areas in Benin, 1000–2025

0204060100015122025

Source: HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of population living in urbanized areas in Benin is 51.3%, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 108 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.1% on the previous year and up 13.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in urbanized areas in Benin peaked at 51.3% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1000.

Benin ranks 137th of 202 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1000s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1100s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1200s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1300s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1400s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1500s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1600s 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 1
1700s 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 1
1710s 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 1
1720s 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 1
1730s 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 1
1740s 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 1
1750s 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 1
1760s 0.4% 0.4% 0.4% 1
1770s 0.4% 0.4% 0.4% 1
1780s 0.5% 0.5% 0.5% 1
1790s 0.5% 0.5% 0.5% 1
1800s 0.6% 0.6% 0.6% 1
1810s 0.7% 0.7% 0.7% 1
1820s 0.8% 0.8% 0.8% 1
1830s 0.9% 0.9% 0.9% 1
1840s 1.0% 1.0% 1.0% 1
1850s 1.2% 1.2% 1.2% 1
1860s 1.4% 1.4% 1.4% 1
1870s 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1
1880s 1.8% 1.8% 1.8% 1
1890s 2.0% 2.0% 2.0% 1
1900s 2.3% 2.3% 2.3% 1
1910s 2.6% 2.6% 2.6% 1
1920s 3.0% 3.0% 3.0% 1
1930s 3.5% 3.5% 3.5% 1
1940s 3.9% 3.9% 3.9% 1
1950s 6.2% 4.5% 8.1% 10
1960s 11.6% 8.7% 14.9% 10
1970s 20.8% 15.8% 26.2% 10
1980s 30.2% 27.0% 33.7% 10
1990s 36.9% 34.6% 38.7% 10
2000s 40.5% 39.2% 41.8% 10
2010s 44.9% 42.0% 47.8% 10
2020s 49.9% 48.5% 51.3% 6

Countries ranked near Benin

  1. 134 Togo 53.2% compare
  2. 135 Egypt 52.5% compare
  3. 136 Senegal 51.7% compare
  4. 138 Mauritius 50.9% compare
  5. 139 Aruba 50.6% compare
  6. 140 Mauritania 50.3% compare

See the full ranking of 202 places →

More population data for Benin

All data for Benin →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in urbanized areas in Benin?
Share of population living in urbanized areas in Benin was 51.3% in 2025, according to HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in urbanized areas recorded in Benin?
The highest recorded value was 51.3% in 2025.
What is the lowest share of population living in urbanized areas recorded in Benin?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1000.
How does Benin rank for share of population living in urbanized areas?
Benin ranks 137th out of 202 countries with data for 2025.
Is share of population living in urbanized areas rising or falling in Benin?
Over the last ten years it is up 13.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Benin data come from?
The figures come from HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urbanized areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 108 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in urbanized areas
Unit
%
Source
HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
202 places, 21,784 data points, 1000–2025
Last refreshed

Share of population living in urban areas in a country over time.