Benin City vs Port Harcourt

Benin City leads Port Harcourt by 5 points on the CIRA Index, 42 to 37. Benin City grades better on 3 measures, Port Harcourt on 3; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Benin City 42, Port Harcourt 37
• OECD: Benin City 41, Port Harcourt 38
• UN Tourism: Benin City 47, Port Harcourt 47
• UNDRR: Benin City 28, Port Harcourt 28

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Benin City 55, Port Harcourt 38
• Economy and jobs: Benin City 56, Port Harcourt 42
• Climate and hazards: Benin City 20, Port Harcourt 25
• Water and environment: Benin City 56, Port Harcourt 75
• Community and housing: Benin City –, Port Harcourt 0
• Access and continuity: Benin City 17, Port Harcourt 21

Where Benin City is stronger

• Domestic share of nights: 88.4 % of nights by residents of the same country (country figure) (World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Economic Impact Research (EIR), 2025). At or above 45: grade 4/4.
• Largest foreign market: 18 % of international arrivals or nights (country figure) (World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), Nigeria Economic Impact Report 2024, 2023). Between 15 and 20: grade 3/4.
• Unemployment rate: 4.4 % of the labour force (region figure) (National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Nigeria Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2023, 2023). At or below 5: grade 4/4.

Where Port Harcourt is stronger

• Extreme heat days: 20.8 days a year at or above 35°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). Between 15 and 30: grade 2/4.
• Green space: 52 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (Global Forest Watch / World Resources Institute, Port Harcourt, Rivers, Nigeria Deforestation Rates & Statistics, 2020). At or above 40: grade 4/4.
• Access redundancy: 2 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Federal Ministry of Transportation / Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), 2024). Between 2 and 3: grade 2/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• Nigeria: #104 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
• Nigeria: #104 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Benin City in full · Port Harcourt in full

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