Countries

Benin: trade by HS code

  • US$1.5bnExports 2024
  • US$4.6bnImports 2024
  • 1,597HS6 · Exports

Benin exported goods worth US$1.5bn and imported US$4.6bn in 2024, in 1,597 and 3,807 different six-digit products.

Its main exports were raw cotton (not carded or combed) (5201.00), soybeans (not for sowing) (1201.90) and soybean meal (2304.00).

Its largest customer was Bangladesh and its largest supplier India.

In the 12 months to August 2026, the UK imported goods worth £9.8m from Benin (+100% on the year before), above all pineapples, mangoes, guavas and mangosteens and shelled cashew nuts, and exported £43.6m to it.

Under DCTS Comprehensive, 98% of the UK tariff lines are duty-free for goods from Benin that meet the rules of origin.

Benin and the UK

UK imports£9.8m+100% · last 12 months
UK exports£43.6m+3% · last 12 months
Duty-free access to the UK98%share of tariff lines at 0% under a preference

Agreement or scheme: DCTS Comprehensive

What the UK imports from Benin

  1. 0804.30Pineapples£5.8m
  2. 0804.50Mangoes, guavas and mangosteens£2m
  3. 0801.32Shelled cashew nuts£1.1m
  4. 0713.35Cow peas (Vigna unguiculata)£324.5k
  5. 1208.10Flours and meals of oil seeds or oleaginous fruits, other: of soya beans£168.6k
  6. 0306.17Frozen shrimps and prawns£114.6k
  7. 6104.62Women's cotton trousers and shorts, knitted£54.7k
  8. 0713.33Dried kidney beans£50k
  9. 3302.90Other odoriferous mixtures (non-food)£45.7k
  10. 0810.90Other fresh fruit£31.5k

Data up to August 2026 (provisional) · HMRC

Benin and the EU

EU imports€64.3m+30% · last 12 months
EU exports€693.3m-3% · last 12 months
Duty-free access to the EU97%share of tariff lines at 0% under a preference

Agreement or scheme: GSP-EBA (Special arrangement for the least-developed countries - Everything But Arms)

What the EU imports from Benin

  1. 0801.32Shelled cashew nuts€9m
  2. 0804.30Pineapples€6.2m
  3. 6302.60Cotton terry towels€5.4m
  4. 6109.10Cotton T-shirts and vests, knitted€5.4m
  5. 0804.50Mangoes, guavas and mangosteens€5.3m
  6. 2304.00Soybean meal€4.3m
  7. 6104.62Women's cotton trousers and shorts, knitted€2.2m
  8. 5208.12Plain weave, weighing more than 100 g/m2€1.9m
  9. 5205.23Single combed cotton yarn (Nm 43-52)€1.8m
  10. 8431.49Parts of excavators, cranes and earthmovers€1.8m

Data up to August 2026 (provisional) · Eurostat Comext

Top exports

  1. 5201.00Raw cotton (not carded or combed)US$505.6m
  2. 1201.90Soybeans (not for sowing)US$252.5m
  3. 2304.00Soybean mealUS$95.2m
  4. 1207.99Other oilseedsUS$82.5m
  5. 0801.32Shelled cashew nutsUS$64.7m
  6. 1201.10Soya beans, whether or not broken: seedUS$48.2m
  7. 1507.10Crude soybean oilUS$30.7m
  8. 7214.20Steel rebar (deformed bars)US$24.4m
  9. 8802.12Helicopters over 2,000 kgUS$20m
  10. 0801.31Cashew nuts in shellUS$19.7m
  11. 2306.10Oilcake and other solid residues, whether or not ground: of cotton seedsUS$18.7m
  12. 2008.11Prepared groundnuts (peanuts)US$18m
  13. 1207.29Other oil seeds and oleaginous fruits, whether or not broken: cotton seeds, otherUS$15.9m
  14. 4407.23Wood sawn or chipped lengthwise, sliced or peeled, whether: of tropical wood, teakUS$15.3m
  15. 5208.12Plain weave, weighing more than 100 g/m2US$14.6m
  16. 4403.42Other, of tropical wood: teakUS$12m
  17. 7108.13Semi-manufactured gold (non-monetary)US$11.1m
  18. 7213.91Steel wire rod under 14 mmUS$10.4m
  19. 4101.20Whole hides and skins, unsplit, of a weight per skin not exceeding 8 kg when simply dried, 10 kg when dry-salted, or 16 kg when fresh, wet-salted or otherwise preservedUS$9.9m
  20. 1006.30Milled riceUS$9.5m

Top imports

  1. 1006.30Milled riceUS$927.4m
  2. 3105.20NPK fertilisersUS$210.9m
  3. 1701.99Refined sugar (other)US$82.7m
  4. 2716.00ElectricityUS$71.6m
  5. 3004.90Other medicines, dosed or for retail saleUS$70.4m
  6. 6309.00Worn clothing (second-hand)US$64.3m
  7. 7213.91Steel wire rod under 14 mmUS$57.6m
  8. 0303.55Jack and horse mackerel (Trachurus spp.)US$56.2m
  9. 3917.21Rigid polyethylene pipesUS$51.7m
  10. 0207.14Frozen chicken cuts and offalUS$49.3m
  11. 1001.99Wheat and meslin (not seed, not durum)US$47.4m
  12. 8703.23Petrol cars, 1500-3000 ccUS$43.9m
  13. 0207.27Cuts and offal, frozenUS$41.7m
  14. 2713.20Petroleum bitumenUS$38.9m
  15. 8703.90Other passenger vehicles (other powertrains)US$38.6m
  16. 3102.10UreaUS$38.6m
  17. 7308.90Other steel structures and partsUS$37.4m
  18. 1006.40Broken riceUS$33.9m
  19. 2523.10Cement clinkerUS$33.1m
  20. 1511.90Refined palm oil and fractionsUS$32.8m

Main buyers from Benin

  1. Bangladesh US$480.4m
  2. India US$174.4m
  3. China US$168.2m
  4. Pakistan US$144.2m
  5. United States US$68.5m
  6. Denmark US$68.3m
  7. Chad US$34m
  8. United Arab Emirates US$28.6m
  9. Nigeria US$15.8m
  10. Togo US$12.5m

Main suppliers of Benin

  1. India US$788.6m
  2. China US$456.7m
  3. United States US$262.1m
  4. Morocco US$216.6m
  5. France US$180.8m
  6. Nigeria US$112.1m
  7. Thailand US$107m
  8. Côte d’Ivoire US$93.1m
  9. Brazil US$87.3m
  10. Togo US$71.7m

Questions and answers

What does Benin export most?

In 2024, its largest export at the six-digit level was raw cotton (not carded or combed) (HS 5201.00), worth US$505.6m.

Does the UK have a trade agreement with Benin?

Yes: goods from Benin can enter at preferential rates under DCTS Comprehensive, duty-free on 98% of tariff lines, provided they meet the rules of origin and come with proof of origin.