Benin: World Bank puts external debt at $16.9 billion in 2025

Benin’s external debt reached $16.9 billion at the end of 2025, up 16.5% in a year, according to the World Bank’s International Debt Report 2026, published on November 5. The debt stood at $3.6 billion in 2015 and was estimated at 43.5% of GDP in 2025 by Bpifrance Assurance Export. The total comprises $12.4 billion in public or publicly guaranteed debt, $2.9 billion in private non-guaranteed debt, and $1.6 billion in short-term debt; multilateral creditors hold $6.2 billion. In early 2026, Benin raised $850 million on international markets, including a $500 million sukuk, becoming the first African country to issue an international sukuk.