Population:
8,791,832
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2009 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 45.2% (male 2,028,493/female 1,948,353)
15-64 years: 52.1% (male 2,275,662/female 2,308,945)
65 years and over: 2.6% (male 94,569/female 135,810) (2009 est.)

Median age:
total: 17.2 years
male: 16.8 years
female: 17.7 years (2009 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.977% (2009 est.)

Birth rate:
39.22 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)

Death rate:
9.45 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)

Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)

Urbanization:
urban population: 41% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 4% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2009 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 64.64 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 68.07 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 61.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 59 years
male: 57.83 years
female: 60.23 years (2009 est.)

Total fertility rate:
5.49 children born/woman (2009 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.2% (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
64,000 (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
3,300 (2007 est.)

Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever
respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
animal contact disease: rabies (2009)

Nationality:
noun: Beninese (singular and plural)
adjective: Beninese

Ethnic groups:
Fon and related 39.2%, Adja and related 15.2%, Yoruba and related 12.3%, Bariba and related 9.2%, Peulh and related 7%, Ottamari and related 6.1%, Yoa-Lokpa and related 4%, Dendi and related 2.5%, other 1.6% (includes Europeans), unspecified 2.9% (2002 census)

Religions:
Christian 42.8% (Catholic 27.1%, Celestial 5%, Methodist 3.2%, other Protestant 2.2%, other 5.3%), Muslim 24.4%, Vodoun 17.3%, other 15.5% (2002 census)

Languages:
French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south), tribal languages (at least six major ones in north)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 34.7%
male: 47.9%
female: 23.3% (2002 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 7 years
male: 9 years
female: 6 years (2001)

Education expenditures:
4.4% of GDP (2004)