The 2013 census records over 68 languages spoken in Benin, making it one of Africa's most linguistically diverse countries. French is the country's official language, while Fon, Yom and Yoruba have the status of national languages. The census indicates that Fon is the most widely spoken as a first language (20% of the population), followed by Baatonum (9%) and Borgu Fulfulde (8%).
Fon, Gun are most prevalent in the south of the country, where urban populations are concentrated. At least six major languages are spoken in the north, including Baatonum, Biali, Dendi, Fulfulde and Yom.
French is used for official government communications, and is spoken as a second language by roughly 35% of the population in 2013, an increase on the 25% recorded in 2002. At least 14% of the population use Yoruba to communicate with speakers of other languages. Most Beninese speak more than one language.
The literacy rate in Benin for 2013 was 52.5%. Literacy rates are markedly lower for women (44.3%) than men (61.2%).
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Curated datasets
Available on Humanitarian Data Exchange (HDX)
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Maps and resources:
Benin Languages Map: Static (EN)
Static map highlighting the most common languages spoken in Benin. Data is from the 2013 census.
Benin Languages Map: Static (FR)
Static map highlighting the most common languages spoken in Benin. Data is from the 2013 census.
Languages of Benin: Interactive (EN)
Interactive map showing the number of speakers and geographic spread of different languages in Benin. Data is from the 2013 census.