Benin

Through the ages

Rivals in history

The kingdoms, empires and states Benin fought or stood against, from the first to today.

1. Kingdoms of Allada and Ouidah1724 to 1727

   Dahomey's King Agaja conquers Allada in 1724 and the slave trading port of Ouidah, capital of the Hueda kingdom, in 1727. Dahomey reaches the sea, and exiled Hueda rulers try for years to win back their land.

2. 🇳🇬 Oyo Empire1726 to 1823

   Oyo's cavalry invades Dahomey repeatedly from 1726 and forces it to pay a heavy yearly tribute. Dahomey stays a tributary for about a century, until King Ghezo stops paying as Oyo collapses in the 1820s.

3. 🇳🇬 Egba of Abeokuta1851 to 1864

   Dahomey's army, including its women soldiers, attacks the Egba Yoruba city of Abeokuta in 1851 and again in 1864. Both assaults fail with heavy losses, checking Dahomey's expansion to the east.

4. 🇫🇷 France1890 to 1894

   France fights two wars against Dahomey, in 1890 and from 1892. Colonel Dodds's army takes Abomey, and King Béhanzin surrenders in January 1894; he dies in exile in Algeria in 1906.

5. 🇳🇪 Niger1963 to 2005

   In 1963 a quarrel over Lété island in the Niger River brings troops of both countries to the border. The two states later take the case to the International Court of Justice, which in 2005 gives Lété to Niger.

6. Jihadist groups (JNIM)Since 2021Still open

   Since about 2021, fighters linked to al-Qaeda and coming from Burkina Faso and Niger have attacked army posts and villages in the far north, around the W and Pendjari national parks.

7. 🇳🇪 NigerSince 2023Still open

   After the July 2023 coup in Niger, the border closes under regional sanctions. Niger's military government keeps its side shut even after sanctions end, and in 2024 the two quarrel over oil exports through the pipeline to Benin's coast.

Today

Benin now

Present-day Benin is comprised of about 42 ethnic groups, including the Yoruba in the southeast, who migrated from what is now Nigeria in the 12th century; the Dendi in the north-central area, who came from Mali in the 16th century; the Bariba and the Fula in the northeast; the Ottamari in the Atakora mountains; the Fon in the area around Abomey in the south-central area; and the Mina, Xueda, and Aja, who came from Togo, on the coast.

Capital

Porto-Novo

Government

presidential republic

Head of government

Pascal Koupaki

Head of state

Romuald Wadagni

Languages

French

Area

114,760 km²

Through time

Then and now

• Population14.1 million2023 · 2.3 million in 1950
• Life expectancy60.8 years2023 · 35.4 years in 1950
• GDP per person$2,4772022 · $1,627 in 1950
• Living in cities53%2025 · 7% in 1950
• Literacy51%2022
• Political regimeElectoral autocracy2025 · Closed autocracy in 1950
• Military alliancesNone of these2024 · None of these in 1950
• Military spending0.9% of GDP2025
• War deaths0.9 per 100,0002025

Population: HYDE 3.3, Gapminder and UN WPP. GDP per capita: Maddison Project Database 2023. Urban share: UN WPP. Life expectancy: Riley, HMD, UN WPP. Literacy: OWID historical estimates, World Bank, UNESCO. Military spending: SIPRI. War deaths: UCDP. Political regime: V-Dem, Regimes of the World. All via Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0). Alliances and organization memberships: compiled by Atlas. Satellites in orbit: CelesTrak SATCAT. Modern borders, backcast.

Relations

Close partners and tensions

Summarised from World Bank and Wikipedia data, updated 23 October 2026.