Benin

Underemployment affected 72% of the labour force and 90.1% of workers were informal in the latest World Bank country context. A current primary average-weekly-hours measure was not secured, so time abundance is not inferred from low headline unemployment.

No sufficiently current national housing-adequacy, overcrowding and affordability dataset was secured. Rapid population growth, poverty and uneven urban/rural infrastructure prevent a positive housing inference.

Benin has substantial agricultural capacity and an active food-system investment programme, yet WFP reports severe food insecurity affecting hundreds of thousands and almost 83% of households unable to afford a healthy diet in its strategic-plan baseline.

Water resources and WASH investment exist, but 2025 health-facility WASH work and emergency northern interventions show service-quality and geographic gaps. A current national safely-managed household WASH percentage was not secured in this pass.

No sufficiently current primary national electricity-access and reliability series was secured in this pass. Energy abundance remains an explicit evidence gap rather than an inference.

Community-health policy is in nationwide implementation and child survival has improved, but maternal mortality remained 391 per 100,000 live births in the 2017-18 DHS basis and northern insecurity still constrains service access.

One child in three remains out of school, only 65% complete primary school, and one in four finishing pupils lacks sufficient competencies. Free kit distribution and digital classrooms reduce access friction but do not establish universal quality.

Road/freight systems are being modernized and safety campaigns are active, but a current national all-season road-access and public-transport affordability dataset was not secured. Freight licensing fees demonstrate continued money/administrative gates.

Cash Plus Care/Faaba is implemented for vulnerable girls and emergency transfers support displaced/host families. These are meaningful targeted systems, not universal family support; their design explicitly addresses financial barriers to schooling and care.

A 2025 World Bank operation directly targets land-tenure security, showing both active reform and unresolved access/security gaps. Forest/agroforestry investments add productive capacity but do not equal universal household land freedom.

Benin has 121 km of Gulf of Guinea coast plus forests, wetlands and culturally significant landscapes. Biodiversity finance is expanding, while northern insecurity constrains safe access in affected areas.

Reforestation, agroforestry and biodiversity-finance programmes are funded and active. Climate stress, degraded forest lands and northern livelihood/security pressures remain; planned reforestation is not counted as already restored land.

A 2024 decree established regulated legal aid and 2025 implementation strengthened access to justice. Northern communes face deteriorating security and violent-extremism risks, so national institutional progress coexists with sharp subnational safety constraints.

Health-facility waste management is being strengthened through WASH FIT, but no reliable current national solid-waste generation, collection and material-recovery dataset was secured. No nationwide circular-return system is established by the evidence found.