Urban area over the long-term in Benin

Benin: Urban area over the long-term was 1,225 km² per grid cell in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
1,225 km² per grid cell
Change on year
up 3.4%
World rank
86th
of 202 countries
All-time high
1,225 km² per grid cell
in 2025
All-time low
0.0008 km² per grid cell
in 1000
Years of data
108
1000–2025

Urban area over the long-term in Benin, 1000–2025

02505007501.0k1.2k100015122025

Source: HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in km² per grid cell.

Analysis

In 2025, urban area over the long-term in Benin stood at 1,225 km² per grid cell. That is the highest value across all 108 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.4% on the previous year and up 50.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, urban area over the long-term in Benin peaked at 1,225 km² per grid cell in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.0008 km² per grid cell, in 1000.

That places Benin 86th out of 202 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1000s 0.0008 km² per grid cell 0.0008 km² per grid cell 0.0008 km² per grid cell 1
1100s 0.0026 km² per grid cell 0.0026 km² per grid cell 0.0026 km² per grid cell 1
1200s 0.0088 km² per grid cell 0.0088 km² per grid cell 0.0088 km² per grid cell 1
1300s 0.0303 km² per grid cell 0.0303 km² per grid cell 0.0303 km² per grid cell 1
1400s 0.1022 km² per grid cell 0.1022 km² per grid cell 0.1022 km² per grid cell 1
1500s 0.3405 km² per grid cell 0.3405 km² per grid cell 0.3405 km² per grid cell 1
1600s 1.06 km² per grid cell 1.06 km² per grid cell 1.06 km² per grid cell 1
1700s 3.3 km² per grid cell 3.3 km² per grid cell 3.3 km² per grid cell 1
1710s 2.96 km² per grid cell 2.96 km² per grid cell 2.96 km² per grid cell 1
1720s 3.31 km² per grid cell 3.31 km² per grid cell 3.31 km² per grid cell 1
1730s 3.71 km² per grid cell 3.71 km² per grid cell 3.71 km² per grid cell 1
1740s 4.16 km² per grid cell 4.16 km² per grid cell 4.16 km² per grid cell 1
1750s 4.66 km² per grid cell 4.66 km² per grid cell 4.66 km² per grid cell 1
1760s 5.22 km² per grid cell 5.22 km² per grid cell 5.22 km² per grid cell 1
1770s 5.85 km² per grid cell 5.85 km² per grid cell 5.85 km² per grid cell 1
1780s 6.55 km² per grid cell 6.55 km² per grid cell 6.55 km² per grid cell 1
1790s 7.34 km² per grid cell 7.34 km² per grid cell 7.34 km² per grid cell 1
1800s 8.23 km² per grid cell 8.23 km² per grid cell 8.23 km² per grid cell 1
1810s 9.22 km² per grid cell 9.22 km² per grid cell 9.22 km² per grid cell 1
1820s 9.87 km² per grid cell 9.87 km² per grid cell 9.87 km² per grid cell 1
1830s 10.58 km² per grid cell 10.58 km² per grid cell 10.58 km² per grid cell 1
1840s 11.34 km² per grid cell 11.34 km² per grid cell 11.34 km² per grid cell 1
1850s 12.14 km² per grid cell 12.14 km² per grid cell 12.14 km² per grid cell 1
1860s 13.01 km² per grid cell 13.01 km² per grid cell 13.01 km² per grid cell 1
1870s 15.17 km² per grid cell 15.17 km² per grid cell 15.17 km² per grid cell 1
1880s 17.7 km² per grid cell 17.7 km² per grid cell 17.7 km² per grid cell 1
1890s 20.64 km² per grid cell 20.64 km² per grid cell 20.64 km² per grid cell 1
1900s 24.06 km² per grid cell 24.06 km² per grid cell 24.06 km² per grid cell 1
1910s 27.99 km² per grid cell 27.99 km² per grid cell 27.99 km² per grid cell 1
1920s 32.18 km² per grid cell 32.18 km² per grid cell 32.18 km² per grid cell 1
1930s 35.32 km² per grid cell 35.32 km² per grid cell 35.32 km² per grid cell 1
1940s 35.32 km² per grid cell 35.32 km² per grid cell 35.32 km² per grid cell 1
1950s 36.97 km² per grid cell 35.32 km² per grid cell 41.9 km² per grid cell 10
1960s 55.71 km² per grid cell 43.81 km² per grid cell 70.68 km² per grid cell 10
1970s 106.39 km² per grid cell 75.2 km² per grid cell 145.26 km² per grid cell 10
1980s 199.64 km² per grid cell 153.66 km² per grid cell 254.57 km² per grid cell 10
1990s 351.34 km² per grid cell 271.56 km² per grid cell 426.87 km² per grid cell 10
2000s 546.79 km² per grid cell 448.31 km² per grid cell 645.72 km² per grid cell 10
2010s 806.45 km² per grid cell 668.95 km² per grid cell 998.83 km² per grid cell 10
2020s 1,128 km² per grid cell 1,033 km² per grid cell 1,225 km² per grid cell 6

Countries ranked near Benin

  1. 83 Zambia 1,407 km² per grid cell compare
  2. 84 Oman 1,399 km² per grid cell compare
  3. 85 Libya 1,243 km² per grid cell compare
  4. 87 Tunisia 1,211 km² per grid cell compare
  5. 88 Liberia 1,198 km² per grid cell compare

See the full ranking of 202 places →

More reference data data for Benin

All data for Benin →

Frequently asked questions

What is urban area over the long-term in Benin?
Urban area over the long-term in Benin was 1,225 km² per grid cell in 2025, according to HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest urban area over the long-term recorded in Benin?
The highest recorded value was 1,225 km² per grid cell in 2025.
What is the lowest urban area over the long-term recorded in Benin?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0008 km² per grid cell in 1000.
How does Benin rank for urban area over the long-term?
Benin ranks 86th out of 202 countries with data for 2025.
Is urban area over the long-term rising or falling in Benin?
Over the last ten years it is up 50.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Benin data come from?
The figures come from HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Urban area over the long-term. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 108 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Urban area over the long-term
Unit
km² per grid cell
Source
HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
202 places, 21,816 data points, 1000–2025
Last refreshed

Total built-up area of a country over time.