FSCI Indicators Breakdown
The Food Systems Countdown Initiative (FSCI) is a collaborative interdisciplinary effort to monitor global food systems. The FSCI developed a framework that includes five themes: (1) diets, nutrition, and health; (2) environment, natural resources, and production; (3) livelihoods, poverty, and equity; (4) governance; and (5) resilience and identified 50 indicators across these themes. This page presents national level data for these 50 indicators for Benin.
Benin income group: Low Income
Comparison
Benin
Western Africa
World
Diets, Nutrition, and Health
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Benin
3.23
Western Africa
3.39
World
3.32
PPP dollar/capita/day
Cost of a healthy diet per capita
3.23 PPP dollar/capita/day
Per-person cost of the least expensive locally available foods to meet daily needs, based on food-based dietary guidelines
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Benin
60%
Western Africa
69%
World
37%
Percent of the population who cannot afford a healthy diet
60%
Share of the population whose food budget is less than the cost of a healthy diet
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Benin
111.6
Western Africa
147.5
World
256.7
g/capita/day
Availability of fruits
111.6 g/capita/day
Amount of fruits—an underconsumed yet highly nutritious food group—available in a country’s food supply per capita per day
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Benin
222.2
Western Africa
181.8
World
278.9
g/capita/day
Availability of vegetables
222.2 g/capita/day
Amount of vegetables—an underconsumed yet highly nutritious food group—available in a country’s food supply per capita per day
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Western Africa
21%
World
68%
Percent of the population using safely managed drinking water services
No Data
Share of the population that gets drinking water from an improved source, providing the clean water essential for food security (SDG 6.1.1)
Benin
0.2
Western Africa
3.7
World
155.1
current PPP dollar/capita/year
Retail value (total sales) of ultra-processed foods per capita
0.2 current PPP dollar/capita/year
Annual perperson sales of ultra-processed foods, which are known to be associated with poor health outcomes
2021
Benin
42%
Western Africa
48%
World
66%
MDD-W: Minimum dietary diversity for women
42%
Share of women who consumed at least the minimum recommended food groups the previous day, which makes it more likely they consume adequate micronutrients
2021
Benin
21%
Western Africa
23%
World
39%
All-5: Consumption of all five food groups
21%
Share of the adult population consuming all five food groups typically recommended for daily consumption
2021
Benin
2.9
Western Africa
2.8
World
3.8
NCD-Protect
2.9
Average score for adults on an indicator of dietary practices protective against noncommunicable diseases, like eating enough fiber, on a scale from 0 to 9
2021
Benin
1.2
Western Africa
1.8
World
2.1
NCD-Risk
1.2
Average score for adults on an indicator of dietary practices known to raise the risk of noncommunicable diseases, like eating too much sugar, on a scale from 0 to 9
2021
Benin
15%
Western Africa
16%
World
11%
Adults: Zero fruit or vegetable consumption
15%
Share of adults who did not consume any fruits or vegetables the previous day
2021
Benin
11%
Western Africa
25%
World
19%
Adults: Soft drink consumption
11%
Share of adults who consumed a sugar-sweetened soft drink, which are generally known to be unhealthy, during the previous day
2021
Benin
10%
Western Africa
14%
World
11%
POU: Prevalence of undernourishment
10%
Share of the population that goes hungry—that is, lacks enough calories for a healthy, active life (SDG 2.1.1)
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Benin
62%
Western Africa
57%
World
29%
Percent of the population experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity
62%
Share of the population experiencing food insecurity, measured according to the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) (SDG 2.1.2)
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Benin
26%
Western Africa
23%
World
32%
MDD (IYCF): Minimum dietary diversity for infants and young children
26%
Share of young children who consumed at least the minimum recommended food groups the previous day, which makes it more likely they consume adequate micronutrients
2018
Source: UNICEF
Benin
54
Western Africa
49
World
39
% population 6-23 months
Children (6-23 months): Zero fruit or vegetable consumption
54% population 6-23 months
Share of young children who did not consume any fruits or vegetables the previous day
2018
Source: UNICEF
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Environment, natural resources, and production
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Benin
0.1
Western Africa
0.1
World
0.4
tonnes/ha
Cereals yield
0.1 tonnes/ha
Yield, or production per unit area (tonnes per hectare)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
Benin
1.1
Western Africa
0.8
World
1.4
tonnes/ha
Fruit yield
1.1 tonnes/ha
Yield, or production per unit area (tonnes per hectare)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
Benin
0.6
Western Africa
0.5
World
2
tonnes/ha
Vegetable yield
0.6 tonnes/ha
Yield, or production per unit area (tonnes per hectare)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
Benin
2,060
Western Africa
2,047.8
World
22,628.8
100 g/animal
Cow's milk yield
2,060 100 g/animal
Yield, or production per animal (100 g per animal)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
Benin
209.3
Western Africa
118
World
221
kg/animal
Beef yield
209.3 kg/animal
Yield, or production per animal (100 g per animal)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
Benin
4
Western Africa
10
World
21.2
Fishery health index progress score
4
An indicator summarizing the availability and sustainability of fish, which are at risk of overfishing or environmental degradation
2021
Source: Minderoo Foundation
Benin
19,157.2
Western Africa
32,723.4
World
83,692.6
kT CO2eq
Agri-food systems greenhouse gas emissions
19,157.2 kT CO2eq
Benin
0.2
Western Africa
0.1
World
0.2
kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for cereals (excluding rice)
0.2 kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions (kg CO2 equivalents) per kilogram produced of cereals (excluding rice)
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Benin
0.4
Western Africa
1.4
World
1.1
kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for rice
0.4 kg CO2eq/kg product
Benin
12.3
Western Africa
8
World
1
kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for cow's milk
12.3 kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions (kg CO2 equivalents) per kilogram produced of cow's milk
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Benin
76.3
Western Africa
102.1
World
28.3
kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for beef
76.3 kg CO2eq/kg product
Benin
0
Western Africa
1
World
0
% change
Cropland area change
0% change
Average percentage change in cropland over the previous five years; expanding cropland is a major driver of biodiversity and ecosystem service loss and greenhouse gas emissions
2021
Source: FSCI
Benin
49
Western Africa
39
World
43
% agricultural land
Functional integrity: Agricultural land with minimum level of natural habitat
49% agricultural land
Percentage of agricultural land area with enough semi-natural or natural habitat, relative to the amount of cropland or rangeland, to maintain biodiversity and functioning ecosystems
2015
Source: DeClerck et al. 2021
Benin
0%
Western Africa
3%
World
17%
Agriculture water withdrawal as percent of total renewable water resources
0%
Water withdrawn for irrigation each year, as a percentage of the total renewable water resources available
2020
Source: AQUASTAT
Benin
1.2
Western Africa
0.7
World
2.3
kg/ha
Pesticide use per area of cropland
1.2 kg/ha
The use of pesticides per area of cropland (kg active ingredient per hectare); pesticide use can cause pollution and harm health
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Livelihoods, Poverty, and Equity
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Benin
27
Western Africa
23
World
4
% GDP
Share of agriculture in GDP
27% GDP
Percentage of a country’s GDP derived from agriculture, a measure of the level of economic development of the country
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
Benin
1
Western Africa
2
World
4
% working age population
Unemployment rate (Rural)
1% working age population
Western Africa
9
World
6
% working age population
Underemployment rate (Rural)
No Data
Percentage of working-age people in rural areas who are underemployed (i.e., worked fewer hours than expected)
Source: ILO
Benin
19
Western Africa
25
World
58
% population
Social protection coverage
19% population
Percentage of people who live in households that benefit from social protection programs, like cash transfers and health insurance
2018
Source: World Bank
Benin
22
Western Africa
19
World
23
% welfare of beneficiary households
Social protection adequacy
22% welfare of beneficiary households
An indicator showing the extent to which social protection is sufficient to meet household needs
2018
Source: World Bank
Benin
17
Western Africa
24
World
8
% children 5-17
Percent of children 5-17 years engaged in child labor
17% children 5-17
Percentage of children ages 5–17 who are engaged in child labor, the majority of which is known to be in the food system and specifically in agriculture
2018
Source: UNICEF
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Governance
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Benin
0.7
Western Africa
0.8
World
0.6
Civil society participation index
0.7
An indicator capturing the level of participation in civil society organizations
2022
Source: Varieties of Democracy
Benin
0%
Western Africa
5%
World
8%
Percent of the urban population living in cities signed onto the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact
0%
Percentage of the urban population that lives in cities signed on to the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact, suggesting prioritization of food issues in urban planning
2020
Western Africa
NaN
World
NaN
Degree of legal recognition of the right to food
No Data
Western Africa
NaN
World
NaN
Presence of a national food system transformation pathway
No Data
Benin
-0.2
Western Africa
-0.8
World
0
Government effectiveness index
-0.2
An index capturing the perception of how effective the government is in making and enforcing policies and providing services
2022
Source: World Governance Indicators
Benin
40
Western Africa
40.2
World
69.5
Food safety capacity
40
Whether functioning mechanisms exist to detect and respond to foodborne disease issues, measured as the percentage of a set of criteria met
2020
Source: WHO Global Health Observatory
Western Africa
NaN
World
NaN
Presence of national health-related food environment policies
No Data
Whether the country has any health-related food taxes, which are used to discourage consumption of unhealthy foods
Benin
0.5
Western Africa
0.7
World
0.2
V-Dem accountability index
0.5
An index capturing the extent to which the government is seen as being accountable for its actions
2022
Source: Varieties of Democracy
Benin
65
Western Africa
42.2
World
43
Open budget index score
65
A score based on how easily the public can access information about how the government raises and spends money
2021
Source: International Budget Partnership
Western Africa
NaN
World
NaN
Guarantees for public access to information
No Data
Whether the country has and implements guarantees for access to information (SDG 16.10.2)
Source: Sustainable Development Goals
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Resilience
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Western Africa
NaN
World
NaN
Ratio of total damages from all disasters to GDP
No Data
Cost of all damage from natural disasters, as a percentage of GDP
Source: EM-DAT
Benin
0.7
Western Africa
0.6
World
0.7
Dietary sourcing flexibility index
0.7
An index capturing the diversity of pathways through which food reaches consumers, indicating how difficult it is to disrupt the food supply
2019
Source:
FAO
Benin
109
Western Africa
103.3
World
110.1
Number per 100 people
Mobile cellular subscriptions
109 Number per 100 people
Number of mobile phone subscriptions as a percentage of the population, indicating the level of infrastructure and access to information to respond to shocks
2022
Benin
0.4
Western Africa
0.3
World
0.5
Social capital index
0.4
An index for the social capital in the country—how much people feel they can trust and can rely on their government and one another
2021
Source: Legatum InstituteFSCI
Benin
74
Western Africa
60
World
25
% agricultural land
Proportion of agricultural land with minimum level of species diversity (crop and pasture)
74% agricultural land
Percentage of agricultural land (crop and pasture) containing a sufficient diversity of species, which helps cope with shocks and changes
2020
Source:
Jones et al. 2021
Benin
483
Western Africa
3,675
World
163,165.1
Number of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in either medium- or long-term conservation facilities
483
Number of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in medium- or long-term conservation facilities (SDG 2.5.1)
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Benin
0
Western Africa
0
World
3.8
Number of animal genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in either medium- or long-term conservation facilities
0
Number of animal genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in medium- or long-term conservation facilities (SDG 2.5.1)
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Benin
0.3
Western Africa
0.4
World
0.4
Prevalence of severe coping strategies
0.3
Percentage of high-risk populations who need to rely on extreme strategies to cope with food insecurity
2022
Source:
WFP
Benin
1.1
Western Africa
0.7
World
0.7
Food price volatility
1.1
Benin
26
Western Africa
30.8
World
32.2
kcal/capita/day
Food supply variability per capita
26 kcal/capita/day
How much the food supply (in calories per person per day) varies over time, indicating how well the food system can respond to shocks
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Less Desirable
More Desirable