Society · Poverty headcount ($3.00 a day) · Benin
Benin’s poverty headcount ($3.00 a day) was 27.2% of population in 2021.
27.2% of population
2021Derived
Down 10 pp from 2018.
Stale — last updated 18 Oct 2026
In plain words
27.2% of population
What it is. This measure counts the share of people in Benin living below a daily poverty line, with prices adjusted to 2021 levels so that a dollar buys a comparable basket across countries. The World Bank builds it from household surveys and fills the years between surveys by modelling, so it is a modelled estimate and an official national release it is not. It captures money-based poverty and leaves out hardships such as poor health or schooling, as well as differences in living standards inside a household.
Lower is better. A lower share is better because each percentage point is people who can afford more than the barest necessities. The latest figure is 27.2% of population, for 2021. Since 2003 the share has ranged from 70.5% of population in 2003 down to 27.2% of population in 2021, so the latest reading is the lowest in that span and sits far below where the series began.
Why it matters. Roughly 27 per cent of Benin's people still live below this line, so a large group of households has very little room to absorb a poor harvest or a medical bill. For firms, so many people on low spending limits demand for anything beyond basics. For the state, the figure sets the size of the group that health and cash support programmes need to reach. Because the 2021 figure is modelled, the next household survey is where to check whether the fall has held.
| Period | Poverty headcount ($3.00 a day) · Benin |
|---|---|
| 2003 | 70.5% of population |
| 2011 | 68.4% of population |
| 2015 | 65.8% of population |
| 2018 | 37.2% of population |
| 2021 | 27.2% of population |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0) · Licence: CC BY 4.0
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Strata-AF™ Data, Poverty headcount ($3.00 a day), Benin, 2021; source World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0), retrieved 18 Oct 2026; https://data.strata-af.com/society/poverty-headcount/benin
Data insights · Worked out from the published figures
What this means
Working this out from the published figures…
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Methodology
Share of the population living on less than $3.00 a day (2021 purchasing power parity). A World Bank modelled estimate from household surveys, interpolated or extrapolated between survey years; not an official national release.
Share of the population living on less than $3.00 a day (2021 purchasing power parity). Unit: % of population.
This is a World Bank modelled estimate. It is built from household surveys and interpolated or extrapolated between survey years. It is not an official national release, and every value carries the Derived label.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (series SI.POV.DDAY), retrieved through the World Bank API and published under CC BY 4.0. Updated annually; the World Bank's own source notes apply.