Employment by status in Benin
Benin: Employment by status was 19.8% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Employment by status in Benin, 1991–2024
Source: International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Benin recorded 19.8% for employment by status in 2024. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.6% on the previous year and up 23.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment by status in Benin peaked at 19.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 12.9%, in 1991.
That places Benin 169th out of 186 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Employment by status in Benin, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 12.9% | — |
| 1992 | 13.0% | +0.9% |
| 1993 | 13.1% | +0.7% |
| 1994 | 13.4% | +1.9% |
| 1995 | 13.4% | +0.6% |
| 1996 | 13.6% | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 13.7% | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 13.8% | +0.8% |
| 1999 | 13.9% | +0.9% |
| 2000 | 14.1% | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 14.3% | +1.1% |
| 2002 | 14.4% | +1.1% |
| 2003 | 14.6% | +1.0% |
| 2004 | 14.7% | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 14.8% | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 14.9% | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 15.0% | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 15.1% | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 15.2% | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 15.3% | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 15.4% | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 15.6% | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 15.7% | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 16.0% | +1.4% |
| 2015 | 16.1% | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 16.4% | +1.4% |
| 2017 | 16.6% | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 16.9% | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 17.3% | +2.0% |
| 2020 | 16.9% | -2.2% |
| 2021 | 18.1% | +7.1% |
| 2022 | 19.2% | +5.9% |
| 2023 | 19.5% | +1.5% |
| 2024 | 19.8% | +1.6% |
Benin compared with similar countries
- Benin's 19.8% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 35.3%, 56% of the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Benin's 19.8% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 26.5%, 75% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 13.4% | 12.9% | 13.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 14.7% | 14.1% | 15.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.1% | 15.3% | 17.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.7% | 16.9% | 19.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Benin
More work & labour data for Benin
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.4203 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.395 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.4457 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.3247 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 2.72 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 15,661 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 8,269 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 19,967 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 19,620 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 39,588 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment by status in Benin?
- Employment by status in Benin was 19.8% in 2024, according to International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest employment by status recorded in Benin?
- The highest recorded value was 19.8% in 2024.
- What is the lowest employment by status recorded in Benin?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.9% in 1991.
- How does Benin rank for employment by status?
- Benin ranks 169th out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
- Is employment by status rising or falling in Benin?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Benin data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Employment by status. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of people in employment working as employees, as a percentage of total employment.