Benin's external debt reaches $16.9 billion, up 16.5%
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on La Nouvelle Tribune
Benin's external debt reached $16.9 billion at the end of 2025, up 16.5% in one year, from $3.6 billion in 2015, according to the World Bank's International Debt Report 2026 published on 5 November. The stock, dominated by multilateral creditors ($6.2 billion) and private creditors ($5.1 billion), represents 373% of exports and 70% of the country's gross national income.
Benin's external debt at the end of 2025 comprised $12.4 billion in public or publicly guaranteed debt, $2.9 billion in private non-guaranteed debt and $1.6 billion in short-term debt, according to the World Bank's International Debt Report 2026. Multilateral creditors held $6.2 billion, including $2.8 billion from the International Development Association (IDA) and $1 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Private creditors held $5.1 billion and bilateral creditors $1.2 billion, according to the World Bank. The outstanding debt represented 373% of exports and 70% of gross national income, while official loans had an average rate of 1.7% over 23 years, compared with 7.2% over 15 years for private borrowing.
Benin raised $850 million on international markets at the beginning of 2026, including $500 million in sukuk, becoming the first African country to issue an international sukuk. According to the World Bank, the external debt of developing countries reached $9.4 trillion in 2025, its fastest increase since 2021.
Benin's external debt represented 37.6% of GDP in 2022 and 40.3% in 2024, with an estimate of 43.5% for 2025 according to Bpifrance Assurance Export. Public debt rose from 41.2% of GDP in 2019 to 53.4% in 2024, according to a note by UMOA-Titres.
The International Debt Report 2026 was published by the World Bank on 5 November 2026. It states that Benin's external debt stock stood at $3.6 billion in 2015.
