Benin
Western Africa · Capital Porto-Novo
Each opens that government's own advisory for Benin — the authoritative version, updated far faster than this page.
Atlas Risk Score · 178th safest of 220
Where the risk actually is
Each region is coloured by the advice that applies to most of it, drawn by hand from the wording of all five government advisories. Numbered markers flag localised warnings — usually a border strip or remote interior — that cover only a small part of an otherwise lower-risk region.
This map reads stronger than the world map's colour, and both are right. The world map shades Benin by its Atlas Risk Score — 53, Moderate — which blends government advice with crime, health, roads and natural hazards. This map shows the advice alone, and the strongest level anywhere in Benin is “essential travel only”.
What the warnings actually cover
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Atacora — Essential travel only. Essential travel only to the rest of the Alibori and Atacora departments in the north — spillover from the Sahel insurgency.
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1
Northern parks and Burkina border — Do not travel. Do-not-travel covers Parc du W, the Mékrou and Djona hunting zones, Pendjari National Park and everywhere within 5km of the Burkina Faso border. Terrorism and kidnapping — these are the safari parks, so this rules out northern wildlife tourism entirely.
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2
Nigerian border strip — Essential travel only. Essential-travel-only between the RNIE2 highway from Tchaourou to Malanville and the Nigerian border, because of rising criminality.
A numbered marker warns about the small area described in its note — the rest of that region carries the base advice. Mapped by hand from the official wording in July 2026; always check the current advisory before you book.
What drives the score
Each pillar is scored 0–100 against every other country. Longer bar = more risk.
Biggest factor here: health & medical. Disease environment plus how good the care is if you need it.
Practical facts
The things worth knowing before you land.
When to go
Average daytime high and nightly low for Porto-Novo, over 2010-2019. Bars are rainfall; the colour band is how hot the days get.
Mildest and driest around July to August, and November to April.
Compare with neighbours
Sources for this page
Vaccinations, malaria and outbreaks. This atlas does not give medical advice — it is personal, it changes, and it is the one thing worth getting from a doctor. Both national services publish current advice for Benin:
- US State Department advice for Benin — current advisory
- Netherlands advice for Benin — current advisory
- UK FCDO advice for Benin — current advisory
- World Bank Open Data — governance, homicide, road deaths, health and economic indicators
- INFORM Risk Index 2026 (European Commission JRC) — natural hazard, epidemic and conflict exposure, coping capacity
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office — travel advice and regional warnings
- Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs — colour-coded travel advice, including region-level zones
- US Department of State — travel advisory levels 1-4
Check the official advisory before you book. This page reflects data as of August 2026. Advisories change without warning, and only your own government's advice affects your travel insurance.