Benin Demographics Profile 2008

Population

8,294,941
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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 43.6% (male 1,824,803/female 1,790,723)
15-64 years: 54% (male 2,210,525/female 2,268,138)
65 years and over: 2.4% (male 80,081/female 120,671) (2008 est.)

Median age

total: 17.9 years
male: 17.5 years
female: 18.3 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate

2.619% (2008 est.)

Birth rate

37.36 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate

11.67 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate

0.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 76.19 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 80.58 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 71.66 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 53.85 years
male: 52.67 years
female: 55.06 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.96 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

1.9% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

68,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

5,800 (2003 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 and yellow fever
respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2008)

Nationality

noun: Beninese (singular and plural)
adjective: Beninese

Ethnic groups

Fon and related 39.2%, Adja and related 15.2%, Yoruba and related 12.3%, Bariba and related 9.2%, Peulh and related 7%, Ottamari and related 6.1%, Yoa-Lokpa and related 4%, Dendi and related 2.5%, other 1.6% (includes Europeans), unspecified 2.9% (2002 census)

Religions

Christian 42.8% (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

French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 34.7%
male: 47.9%
female: 23.3% (2002 census)