Drinking water usage in urban areas in Benin
Benin: Drinking water usage in urban areas was 61,850 people in 2024. ▼ Falling
Drinking water usage in urban areas in Benin, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for drinking water usage in urban areas in Benin is 61,850 people, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
That represents a change of down 14.0% on the previous year and down 51.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, drinking water usage in urban areas in Benin peaked at 141,152 people in 2006 and was at its lowest, 61,850 people, in 2024.
That places Benin 26th out of 188 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Drinking water usage in urban areas in Benin, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 138,211 people | — |
| 2001 | 138,701 people | +0.4% |
| 2002 | 139,231 people | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 139,973 people | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 140,514 people | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 141,034 people | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 141,152 people | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 140,756 people | -0.3% |
| 2008 | 140,144 people | -0.4% |
| 2009 | 139,165 people | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 137,810 people | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 136,064 people | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 133,893 people | -1.6% |
| 2013 | 131,252 people | -2.0% |
| 2014 | 128,164 people | -2.4% |
| 2015 | 124,578 people | -2.8% |
| 2016 | 120,427 people | -3.3% |
| 2017 | 115,658 people | -4.0% |
| 2018 | 110,215 people | -4.7% |
| 2019 | 104,056 people | -5.6% |
| 2020 | 97,163 people | -6.6% |
| 2021 | 89,507 people | -7.9% |
| 2022 | 81,088 people | -9.4% |
| 2023 | 71,889 people | -11.3% |
| 2024 | 61,850 people | -14.0% |
Benin compared with similar countries
- Benin's 61,850 people is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 6,494 people, 9.5× the median. (44 countries reporting)
- Benin's 61,850 people is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 10,146 people, 6.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 139,888 people | 138,211 people | 141,152 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 124,212 people | 104,056 people | 137,810 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 80,299 people | 61,850 people | 97,163 people | 5 |
Countries ranked near Benin
- 23 Madagascar 79,365 people compare
- 24 Tajikistan 78,996 people compare
- 25 South Sudan 71,509 people compare
- 27 Papua New Guinea 57,751 people compare
- 28 Rwanda 57,272 people compare
- 29 Argentina 50,159 people compare
More environment data for Benin
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -9.6 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -10.11 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.268 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.29 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.38 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate 2.92 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is drinking water usage in urban areas in Benin?
- Drinking water usage in urban areas in Benin was 61,850 people in 2024, according to WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest drinking water usage in urban areas recorded in Benin?
- The highest recorded value was 141,152 people in 2006.
- What is the lowest drinking water usage in urban areas recorded in Benin?
- The lowest recorded value was 61,850 people in 2024.
- How does Benin rank for drinking water usage in urban areas?
- Benin ranks 26th out of 188 countries with data for 2024.
- Is drinking water usage in urban areas rising or falling in Benin?
- Over the last ten years it is down 51.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Benin data come from?
- The figures come from WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Drinking water usage in urban areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of people using drinking water directly collected from surface waters.