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The twenty imports Benin is best placed to replace.

Benin imported USD 2.7bn of manufactured goods in 2024 and exported USD 761m. These are the twenty that sit closest to what it already makes well and where one country supplies most of them.

USD 627mthe twenty, imported in 2024
15products imported at scale, not yet exported well, and close to existing strengths
196products Benin already exports well
40product lines imported at USD 10m or more
The twenty

Demand, capability, exposure. Nothing else is claimed.

Each line shows the import bill, where it comes from, the nearest thing Benin already exports well, and how many countries make it. It does not say whether a plant in Benin would pay. That reason is not in any trade record, and it is the maker's question.

This edition is trade and capability only, scored out of 8. The UK edition adds which public bodies buy each product and which region holds the capability; those layers are built only where a country publishes contract awards and regional trade, and Benin does not publish them in a form this record can read yet.

  1. 1

    Sugars: sucrose, chemically pure, in solid form, not containing added flavouring or colouring matterHS 170199

    Comes fromBrazil 77%, 23 source countries
    Nearest export strengthSugars: sucrose, chemically pure, in solid form, containing added... (exports USD 190k)
    Exports of this lineUSD 2k
    Countries that export it well44

    Score 8 of 8: import bill USD 83m, top 5 per cent of candidates (3); proximity to Benin's export strengths in the top 10 per cent (3); Brazil supplies 77 per cent (2).

    USD 83mup 8% on 2022
  2. 2

    Fertilizers, mineral or chemical: containing the three fertilizing elements nitrogen, phosphorus and potassiumHS 310520

    Comes fromMorocco 64%, 6 source countries
    Nearest export strengthFertilizers, mineral or chemical: nitrogenous, other kinds including... (exports USD 424k)
    Exports of this lineUSD 67k
    Countries that export it well35

    Score 7 of 8: import bill USD 211m, top 3 per cent of candidates (3); proximity to Benin's export strengths in the top 18 per cent (2); Morocco supplies 64 per cent (2).

    USD 211mup 69% on 2022
  3. 3

    Fertilizers, mineral or chemical: nitrogenous, urea, whether or not in aqueous solutionHS 310210

    Comes fromUnited States 65%, 7 source countries
    Nearest export strengthFertilizers, mineral or chemical: nitrogenous, other kinds including... (exports USD 424k)
    Exports of this lineUSD 204k
    Countries that export it well27

    Score 6 of 8: import bill USD 39m, top 22 per cent of candidates (2); proximity to Benin's export strengths in the top 13 per cent (2); United States supplies 65 per cent (2).

    USD 39mdown 28% on 2022
  4. 4

    Food preparations: pasta, uncooked (excluding that containing eggs), not stuffed or otherwise preparedHS 190219

    Comes fromTurkey 82%, 22 source countries
    Nearest export strengthFood preparations: couscous (exports USD 203k)
    Exports of this linenone recorded
    Countries that export it well32

    Score 6 of 8: import bill USD 29m, top 38 per cent of candidates (1); proximity to Benin's export strengths in the top 7 per cent (3); Turkey supplies 82 per cent (2).

    USD 29mdown 51% on 2022
  5. 5

    Plastics: tubes, pipes and hoses thereof, rigid, of polymers of ethyleneHS 391721

    Comes fromIvory Coast 43%, 18 source countries
    Nearest export strengthIron or non-alloy steel: angles, shapes and sections, cold-formed or...
    Exports of this linenone recorded
    Countries that export it well40

    Score 4 of 8: import bill USD 52m, top 15 per cent of candidates (2); proximity to Benin's export strengths in the top 28 per cent (1); Ivory Coast supplies 43 per cent (1).

    USD 52mup 351% on 2022
  6. 6

    Cement clinkers (whether or not coloured)HS 252310

    Comes fromAlgeria 26%, 9 source countries
    Nearest export strengthCement: portland, other than white, whether or not artificially... (exports USD 971k)
    Exports of this linenone recorded
    Countries that export it well36

    Score 4 of 8: import bill USD 33m, top 28 per cent of candidates (1); proximity to Benin's export strengths in the top 5 per cent (3).

    USD 33mdown 8% on 2022
  7. 7

    Insecticides: other than containing goods specified in Subheading Notes 1 & 2 to this Chapter: put up in forms or...HS 380891

    Comes fromIvory Coast 72%, 21 source countries
    Nearest export strengthIndustrial monocarboxylic fatty acids, acid oils from refining: tall... (exports USD 37k)
    Exports of this linenone recorded; 1 more line in the heading, USD 14m
    Countries that export it well29

    Score 4 of 8: import bill USD 30m, top 35 per cent of candidates (1); proximity to Benin's export strengths in the top 40 per cent (1); Ivory Coast supplies 72 per cent (2).

    USD 30mup 178% on 2022
  8. 8

    Paper and paperboard: sacks and bags of paper, paperboard, cellulose wadding or fibres, having a base of a width of...HS 481930

    Comes fromMorocco 81%, 11 source countries
    Nearest export strengthnone in the same chapter
    Exports of this lineUSD 3k
    Countries that export it well36

    Score 4 of 8: import bill USD 23m, top 55 per cent of candidates (0); proximity to Benin's export strengths in the top 15 per cent (2); Morocco supplies 81 per cent (2).

    USD 23mup 57% on 2022
  9. 9

    Fabrics, woven: containing 85% or more by weight of cotton, printed, plain weave, weighing more than 100g/m2 but not...HS 520852

    Comes fromChina 57%, 10 source countries
    Nearest export strengthCotton: not carded or combed (exports USD 506m)
    Exports of this lineUSD 13k
    Countries that export it well13

    Score 3 of 8: import bill USD 28m, top 43 per cent of candidates (1); proximity to Benin's export strengths in the top 43 per cent (1); China supplies 57 per cent (1).

    USD 28mdown 44% on 2022
  10. 10

    Fertilizers, mineral or chemical: potassic, n.e.c. in heading no. 3104HS 310490

    Comes fromCanada 100%, 1 source country
    Nearest export strengthFertilizers, mineral or chemical: nitrogenous, other kinds including... (exports USD 424k)
    Exports of this linenone recorded
    Countries that export it well22

    Score 3 of 8: import bill USD 14m, top 75 per cent of candidates (0); proximity to Benin's export strengths in the top 35 per cent (1); Canada supplies 100 per cent (2).

    USD 14mfrom USD 37k in 2022
  11. 11

    Food preparations: of flour, meal, starch, malt extract or milk products, for uses n.e.c. in heading no. 1901HS 190190

    Comes fromMalaysia 43%, 23 source countries
    Nearest export strengthFood preparations: couscous (exports USD 203k)
    Exports of this lineUSD 1k
    Countries that export it well39

    Score 3 of 8: import bill USD 13m, top 80 per cent of candidates (0); proximity to Benin's export strengths in the top 22 per cent (2); Malaysia supplies 43 per cent (1).

    USD 13mdown 34% on 2022
  12. 12

    Footwear: n.e.c. in heading no. 6402, (other than just covering the ankle), with outer soles and uppers of rubber or...HS 640299

    Comes fromChina 88%, 16 source countries
    Nearest export strengthFootwear: n.e.c. in chapter 64 (exports USD 119k)
    Exports of this lineUSD 9k
    Countries that export it well16

    Score 3 of 8: import bill USD 10m, top 98 per cent of candidates (0); proximity to Benin's export strengths in the top 48 per cent (1); China supplies 88 per cent (2).

    USD 10mdown 32% on 2022
  13. 13

    Insulated electric conductors: for a voltage not exceeding 1000 volts, not fitted with connectorsHS 854449

    Comes fromMorocco 35%, 31 source countries
    Nearest export strengthElectric generating sets: with compression-ignition internal... (exports USD 550k)
    Exports of this lineUSD 9k
    Countries that export it well35

    Score 2 of 8: import bill USD 31m, top 32 per cent of candidates (1); proximity to Benin's export strengths in the top 50 per cent (1).

    USD 31mup 4% on 2022
  14. 14

    Food preparations: n.e.c. in item no. 2106.10HS 210690

    Comes fromChina 51%, 36 source countries
    Nearest export strengthWaters: including mineral and aerated, containing added sugar or...
    Exports of this lineUSD 230k
    Countries that export it well51

    Score 2 of 8: import bill USD 23m, top 57 per cent of candidates (0); proximity to Benin's export strengths in the top 30 per cent (1); China supplies 51 per cent (1).

    USD 23mdown 25% on 2022
  15. 15

    Glass: carboys, bottles, flasks, jars, pots, phials and other containers of glass, (not ampoules), used for the...HS 701090

    Comes fromSwitzerland 52%, 18 source countries
    Nearest export strengthCans: which are to be closed by soldering or crimping, for any...
    Exports of this lineUSD 355k
    Countries that export it well38

    Score 2 of 8: import bill USD 10m, top 100 per cent of candidates (0); proximity to Benin's export strengths in the top 32 per cent (1); Switzerland supplies 52 per cent (1).

    USD 10mup 23% on 2022

One line per customs heading. Products Benin already exports well and still imports are below, because they are a different conversation. No employment figures appear on this page, by decision.

Made here already, still imported

Scale conversations, not capability ones.

  • Clothing: worn, and other worn articles imports USD 64m, exports USD 910k, top source United Kingdom 25%
  • Iron or non-alloy steel: bars and rods, hot-rolled, in irregularly wound... imports USD 58m, exports USD 10m, top source Belgium 20%
  • Motorcycles (including mopeds) and cycles: fitted with an auxiliary motor... imports USD 31m, exports USD 1m, top source China 66%
  • Iron or non-alloy steel: flat-rolled, width 600mm or more, painted, varnished... imports USD 14m, exports USD 972k, top source China 82%
How the twenty were chosen

Three scores, each from a field the record carries.

Import bill, 0 to 3, by percentile among the 40 lines imported at USD 10m or more: above the median one point, top quarter two, top tenth three.

Proximity to export strengths, 0 to 3, on the same percentiles: the product-space method (Hidalgo, Klinger, Barabasi and Hausmann, Science 2007) on CEPII's BACI file of every bilateral trade flow for 2024, 157 countries and 5,388 products. Two products are close when the countries that export one well tend to export the other well. Only products in the upper half for proximity can enter the list at all: best placed is a proximity claim.

Supply concentration, 0 to 2: one point when a single country supplies 40 per cent or more, two at 60 per cent.

Scope. Manufactured goods, customs chapters 16 to 96, excluding ores, fuels and precious metals. Primary agriculture is out of scope for a page about manufacture.

What it cannot tell you

A map of where to look.

Trade data says what crossed the border, not why. Cost, scale, patents, tariffs and the plain fact that a supplier is good at it are all invisible here. The world file reconciles what each pair of countries reports, so a national customs file would differ in detail. Nothing on this page is a forecast or a promise.

Source: CEPII BACI, HS22, version 202601, years 2022 to 2024. Edition of 2026-11-02. The UK edition with its procurement and regional layers is at /made-here/.

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