Republic of Benin

Introduction

World Factbook as of November 2014: "The economy of Benin remains underdeveloped and dependent on subsistence agriculture, cotton production, and regional trade... In order to raise growth, Benin plans to attract more foreign investment, place more emphasis on tourism, facilitate the development of new food processing systems and agricultural products, and encourage new information and communication technology... Cotton, a key export, suffered from flooding in 2010-11, but high prices supported export earnings. The government agreed to a 25% increase in civil servant salaries in 2011, following a series of strikes, increasing pressure on the national budget. Benin has appealed for international assistance to mitigate piracy against commercial shipping in its territory."

Economic growth
2011: 3.8%
2010: 2.6%
2009: 2.7%

Labor force in agriculture

Industries
Textiles, food processing, construction materials, cement

Export commodities
Cotton, cashews, shea butter, textiles, palm products, seafood

Export partners
2009: India 26.4%, China 21.4%, Niger 6.5%, Nigeria 5.6%, Indonesia 4.4%

Oil exports/imports per day
2009: exports 10,840, imports 33,410

Income Distribution – GINI index
Ranks 82nd among 140 countries (lower rank number is less equal).

Health expenditures
2009: 4.2% of GDP