Benin
Republic of Benin · Western Africa
Benin is a country in Western Africa, with Porto-Novo as its capital, home to about 14,814,460 people. Benin shares land borders with 4 countries, listed below alongside its flag, currency, calling code and ISO codes.
| Capital | Porto-Novo |
|---|---|
| Region | Western Africa |
| Currency | West African CFA franc (XOF Fr) |
| Calling code | +229 |
| ISO codes | BJ / BEN / 204 ISO 3166-1 |
| Flag emoji | 🇧🇯 |
| Population | 14,814,460 (2025) World Bank |
| Area | 112,622 km² |
| Languages | French |
| Internet domain | .bj |
| Demonym | Beninese |
Bordering countries
About Benin
Benin, officially Republic of Benin, is a United Nations member state in Western Africa. Its capital and seat of government is Porto-Novo. It shares land borders with 4 countries. The official currency is the West African CFA franc (Fr), using the code XOF.
Curious about the city itself? See what is the capital of Benin for Porto-Novo’s own facts and history.
To call Benin from abroad, dial the country code +229. In international standards it is identified by the ISO 3166-1 codes BJ (alpha-2) and BEN (alpha-3), which appear in everything from web addresses to shipping labels. As of 2025, its population is around 14,814,460.
Frequently asked questions
What is the capital of Benin?
What currency does Benin use?
What is the country calling code for Benin?
What are the ISO codes for Benin?
What is the flag emoji for Benin?
How Benin compares
- Area: 112,622 km², ranking 100 of 194 sovereign states by land area.
- Population: 14,814,460, ranking 75 of 193 sovereign states.
- Density: about 132 people per square kilometre.
- Land borders: 4, against an average of 4.1 across the sovereign states that have any.
- Currency reach: 7 other countries and territories use the West African CFA franc (see the full list).
Flags with the same colours as Benin
9 other national flags use exactly the same set of colour families (red, yellow, green). Similar colours are the most common reason flags get mistaken for one another, though colour alone says nothing about layout.
Benin appears in these lists
Population from the World Bank (SP.POP.TOTL); flag, capital, currency, calling code and ISO data from open datasets. Rankings, density and flag colour matches are computed from that same dataset. Full sources and vintage on the data page. Last updated . Report a correction.