Benin’s total external debt reached $16.889 billion at the end of 2025, up from $14.496 billion a year earlier, according to new World Bank data. The outstanding stock increased by $2.392 billion, or 16.5%, as public-sector obligations to international creditors continued to expand.
The figures come from Benin’s country tables in the International Debt Report 2026, presented on Thursday, 5 November. They cover external borrowing by both public and private entities as well as short-term obligations, distinguishing the government’s debt from the wider economy’s total liabilities.
| Period | Outstanding stock |
|---|---|
| End-2024 | 14.496 |
| End-2025 | 16.889 |
Private creditors account for a growing share
Long-term public and publicly guaranteed external debt rose from $8.951 billion at the end of 2024 to $11.202 billion at the end of 2025, an increase of about 25.2%. Official creditors held $6.107 billion of that stock, including $4.939 billion owed to multilateral institutions.
Private creditors accounted for a further $5.095 billion in long-term public external debt, compared with $3.859 billion a year earlier. Bondholders held $2.761 billion, while commercial banks and other private lenders held $2.334 billion. The figures underline the role of capital markets and commercial financing in the composition of Benin’s external liabilities.
| Creditors | Outstanding stock |
|---|---|
| Official creditors | 6.107 |
| Private creditors | 5.095 |
Debt-service payments rise
Principal repayments on long-term external debt climbed to $735.8 million in 2025 from $634.2 million in 2024. Interest payments rose to $379.1 million from $344.1 million over the same period, taking combined principal and interest payments to $1.115 billion in 2025.
The external debt-service ratio increased to 29.2% of exports in 2025 from 26.6% in 2024, according to the World Bank series. Meanwhile, new long-term external loan disbursements totalled $1.993 billion, compared with $2.298 billion the previous year.
Across low- and middle-income countries, the World Bank said external debt grew 5.5% in 2025 to a record $9.4 trillion. Private borrowing and public bond issuance together increased by nearly 35% to $251 billion across those economies.