The 2003 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency
telecommunications, water, electricity, and agriculture in spite of
initial government reluctance. The Paris Club and bilateral
creditors have eased the external debt situation, while pressing for
speeded-up structural reforms.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $7.38 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
6% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 38% industry: 15% services: 47% (2002 est.)
Population below poverty line:
37% (2001 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.3% (2002 est.)
Labor force:
NA
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Budget:
revenues: $377.4 million
expenditures: $561.8 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2001)
Industries:
textiles, food processing, chemical production, construction
materials (2001)
Industrial production growth rate:
8.3% (2001 est.)
Electricity - production:
274.3 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 14.2% hydro: 85.8% other: 0% (2001) nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption:
631.1 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:
376 million kWh (2001)
Oil - production:
700 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
11,500 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA (2001)
Oil - imports:
NA (2001)
Oil - proved reserves:
4.105 million bbl (37257)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
608.8 million cu m (37257)
Agriculture - products: cotton, corn, cassava (tapioca), yams, beans, palm oil, peanuts, livestock (2001)
Exports:
$207 million f.o.b. (2002)
Exports - commodities:
cotton, crude oil, palm products, cocoa
Exports - partners:
India 25%, Italy 11.1%, Indonesia 7.4%, China 7.2%, Thailand 6.7%,
Brazil 6.1%, UK 4.4%, Niger 4% (2002)
Imports:
$479 million c.i.f. (2002)
Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, capital goods, petroleum products
Imports - partners:
China 30.7%, France 15.7%, UK 4.8%, Italy 4.2% (2002)
Debt - external:
$1.6 billion (2000)
Economic aid - recipient:
$342.6 million (2000)
Currency:
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible
authority is the Central Bank of the West African States
Currency code:
XOF
Exchange rates:
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 696.99
(2002), 733.04 (2001), 711.98 (2000), 615.7 (1999), 589.95 (1998)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications Benin
Telephones - main lines in use:
51,000 (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
55,500 (2000)
Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: fair system of open-wire, microwave radio relay, and
cellular connections
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean); submarine cable
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2000)
Radios:
660,000 (2000)
Television broadcast stations:
1;; (2001)
Televisions:
66,000 (2000)
Internet country code:
.bj
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
4 (2002)
Internet users:
25,000 (2002)
Transportation Benin
Railways: total: 578 km narrow gauge: 578 km 1.000-m gauge (2002)
Highways:
total: 6,787 km
paved: 1,357 km (including 10 km of expressways)
unpaved: 5,430 km (1999 est.)
Waterways:
streams navigable along small sections, important only locally
Ports and harbors:
Cotonou, Porto-Novo
Merchant marine:
none (2002 est.)
Airports:
5 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2002)
Military Benin
Military branches:
Armed Forces (including Army, Navy, Air Force), National Gendarmerie
Military manpower - military age:
18 years of age (2003 est.)
Military manpower - availability: note: both sexes are liable for military service females age 15–49: 1,536,036 (2003 est.) males age 15–49: 1,597,562
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15–49: 805,603
females age