The entire population was urban while the total labour force in the department numbered 253,892.

The proportion of households with no level of attained formal education was 21.1%, by far the lowest of any department in the country.

Petroleum was discovered in the 1960s in offshore areas, while titanium, low-quality iron ore, ilmenite and chromite are the major minerals.

[3] The department's region has mostly low-lying sandy coastal plains towards the Atlantic Ocean, marshes, lagoons and lakes.

[4] According to Benin's 2013 census, the total population of Littoral Department was 679,012, with 325,872 males and 353,140 females.

A law passed in 1999 transformed the sous-prefectures, the lowest level of territorial administration, into local governments.

[8] Municipalities and communal councils have elected representatives who manage the administration of the regions.