Expert 1:1 Care

English-Language Individual Therapy Reaching Every Corner of Benin.

Individual therapy in Benin has long meant navigating a French-only clinical system with fewer than six mental health workers per 100,000 people and a queue for a first specialist appointment that stretches past 12 weeks. Grouport pairs residents in Cotonou, Porto-Novo, Parakou, Abomey-Calavi, and everywhere in between with a licensed clinician for one-on-one weekly video sessions at $103 per session, billed as a predictable $448 monthly subscription. Intake is short, matching is immediate, and every session runs over HIPAA-compliant video in English. Whether you are working through anxiety, burnout, or grief, online therapy in Benin no longer requires a bus ride to CNHU-HKM or months on a hospital waitlist to begin.

Greeting

The State of Mental Health in Benin.

Understanding the landscape of mental health care access and the challenges
residents face across the state.

Mental Illness Prevalence

15.1% of Beninese adults live with a mental health condition each year, reflecting the ongoing need for accessible therapy options.

Wait Time

12 weeks the average wait to secure a first mental health appointment in Benin's public system, an interval during which symptoms often deepen.

Median Household Income

$3,832 median household income in Benin, shaping what households can allocate to private mental health care.

Percentage Who Need Therapy

90.0% of Beninese adults with a mental health condition do not receive formal specialist treatment.

Provider Shortage

88% of Benin's mental health workforce falls short of what is needed to fully meet population demand for specialist care.

Mental Health Providers per 100k Residents

6.12 per 100,000 mental health workers in Benin, a density that shapes availability, wait times, and access across the country.

Read together, the numbers make the case for a one-on-one online model in Benin. Roughly 15 percent of Beninese adults live with a mental health condition each year, but only 6.12 mental health workers per 100,000 people are available to meet that demand, and most of those workers practise inside a narrow strip of the Cotonou-Porto-Novo corridor. The result is a 12-week queue for a first specialist appointment and roughly 90 percent of adults with a diagnosable condition receiving no formal care at all. At a GNI per capita PPP of about $4,400, unpublished private cash-pay fees put reliable weekly therapy further out of reach still. A licensed clinician available this week at a fixed $103 per session, over video in English, is a direct answer to each of those pressures.

UNDERSTANDING THE CHALLENGE

Understanding Mental Health Access in Benin.

The Problem

Benin's mental health system runs through a small number of anchor points: the psychiatric unit at CNHU-HKM in Cotonou, a departmental service in Parakou, and a scattering of private practitioners in the Cotonou-Porto-Novo corridor. At 6.12 mental health workers per 100,000, the national roster is thin to begin with, and once you factor in the concentration of specialists in the two southern cities, someone living in Natitingou, Djougou, or Kandi may have no resident psychiatrist within several hundred kilometres. English-language clinical care is rarer still in a country where French is the working language of medicine.

The Impact

Consider what a 12-week wait actually means for a working adult in Cotonou or Parakou. Three months of sleep loss compounds. Three months of an unaddressed panic pattern reshapes what a person is willing to do at work, in a marriage, in a friendship. During that window, the choice is usually to defer entirely, to pay cash for a private consultation whose price is not published until you arrive, or to travel to CNHU-HKM in Cotonou for a slot with a psychiatrist who may not have English or the time to run therapy sessions. Grouport removes that wait outright. A short intake, an immediate match to a licensed one-on-one therapist, and the first session happens this week, not this quarter, at a fixed $103 per session with no cash exchange at any clinic desk.

The Solution

One-on-one online therapy directly answers the two pressures that define Benin's mental health system: a critically thin specialist workforce concentrated in the Cotonou-Porto-Novo corridor, and a private cash-pay market that rarely publishes prices in advance. Grouport clients meet privately with a licensed clinician for 45 minutes each week, and the sessions are built entirely around what that one person is working on, whether that is a period of insomnia, an unravelling relationship, or the slow drift into burnout that many NGO and public-sector professionals in Benin recognise. Continuity is deliberate: the same therapist stays with you week after week, so the work compounds rather than restarting each time a visiting consultant rotates out of a departmental hospital. That kind of dedicated, sustained one-on-one attention is exactly what Benin's public system, stretched across a handful of anchor sites, cannot reliably provide.

88% of Benin's mental health workforce falls short of what is needed to fully meet population demand for specialist care.

Three specific frictions loosen the moment you move to Grouport. The 12-week public queue disappears, because intake is brief and a licensed therapist is scheduled with you the same week rather than the following quarter. Geography stops mattering, because a stable MTN or Moov Africa connection in Djougou, Natitingou, Kandi, or Malanville reaches the same clinician the connection in Cotonou does, no eight-hour road trip on the RNIE 2 required. And the language mismatch that keeps many Anglophone residents and returnees out of French-only clinical settings simply falls away, because every session runs in English. Benin sits in the WAT time zone (UTC+1), which puts evening slots comfortably inside the European work day and mid-afternoon slots inside the North American morning, so scheduling around a demanding job is straightforward.

Access and Availability Across Benin.

Benin's formal mental health care landscape rests on a small number of pillars: the psychiatric unit at the Centre National Hospitalier et Universitaire Hubert Koutoukou Maga (CNHU-HKM) in Cotonou, a departmental service in Parakou, a handful of private psychologists clustered in the Cotonou-Porto-Novo corridor, and NGO or faith-based initiatives that vary in reach and clinical training. What is largely missing from that map is a weekly, English-language, one-on-one option delivered by a licensed clinician that a person can start this week from anywhere in the country. Grouport fills exactly that slot, extending licensed individual therapy to Beninese professionals, expatriates, diplomatic and NGO staff, university students, and returnees who need care that fits their schedule and their language.

Geographic Barriers

Benin runs roughly 700 kilometres from the Atlantic coast at Cotonou north to the Niger border, and specialist coverage tapers off sharply once you pass Bohicon. Someone in Natitingou or Djougou needing a psychiatric appointment in Cotonou is looking at an eight to ten hour road trip on the RNIE 2, or a departmental flight when the schedule aligns. Even inside Greater Cotonou, a cross-town clinic visit at rush hour on the Boulevard Saint-Michel or through the Godomey corridor can absorb half a working day. Online one-on-one therapy eliminates that footprint. A licensed Grouport clinician is reachable through a stable MTN, Moov Africa, or fixed broadband connection, which now extends to every departmental capital and most of the towns between them.

Extended Wait Times

The 12-week wait for a first specialist appointment in the public system is the number quoted for Cotonou, where capacity is highest. In Alibori, Atacora, and Donga in the north, the wait is often indeterminate because psychiatrists rotate through departmental hospitals only periodically, and a scheduled slot can slip by weeks if a visiting clinician is called elsewhere. Instead of waiting 12 weeks or longer for a first appointment, Benin clients can be in their first Grouport session within days. Intake takes a few minutes online, a licensed one-on-one therapist is matched right away, and the first 45 minute video session runs the same week.

Systemic Challenges

Several structural pieces of the Benin system push people out of formal care before they ever reach a therapist. The Assurance pour le Renforcement du Capital Humain (ARCH) scheme has rolled out slowly and generally does not reimburse outpatient psychotherapy, so consultations settle in cash. Private practice runs on unpublished per-session pricing at the clinic desk in CFA francs, and stigma still routes many families to traditional or faith practitioners first. Grouport works around all three barriers. Pricing is a flat monthly subscription in USD, $448 per month for weekly sessions or $224 for every-other-week, with no reliance on any local coverage scheme. There are no cash-quoted surprises, because $103 per session is the published rate. And because sessions happen privately over video, there is no clinic waiting room to walk into.

Urban-Rural Divide

About 52.5 percent of Beninese live in urban areas, and that urbanization is concentrated in the southern coastal belt around Cotonou, Abomey-Calavi, and Porto-Novo. The remaining 47.5 percent are spread across departments like Atacora, Donga, Alibori, and Borgou, well beyond routine access to a resident psychiatrist or psychologist. Even inside the cities, neighbourhoods like Fidjrosse or Cadjehoun are separated from downtown clinics by a rush-hour commute that few working adults can absorb twice a week. Grouport erases that divide. The same licensed clinician runs the same weekly one-on-one session whether the client logs in from a Cotonou apartment, a Parakou compound, or a village near the Pendjari corridor, as long as there is a working internet connection.

For Benin clients, Grouport offers a genuinely simpler path into individual therapy. There is no queue, because a licensed clinician is scheduled the same week you complete intake. There is no cash-in-envelope pricing, because the rate is a published $103 per session billed as a $448 monthly subscription in USD. There is no French-only intake to translate an already vulnerable conversation through, because every session runs in English. And because the model is designed around continuity rather than the periodic rotation of visiting specialists, the same therapist stays with you for the full arc of care, so the work builds week after week rather than restarting at each visit.

Affordable Individual Therapy Costs for Benin Residents.

Benin residents get immediate access to individual therapy at $103 per session (billed at $448 per month), 50 to 60 percent below the global average of $150 to $250 per session that private one-on-one care typically runs internationally. Locally, private consultations in Cotonou and Porto-Novo are cash-quoted in CFA francs at the clinic desk without published rates, and public psychiatric care through CNHU-HKM is subsidised but capacity-limited, which is why the first-appointment queue reaches 12 weeks. Grouport's fixed USD subscription puts a licensed one-on-one clinician on your calendar this week at a rate that would be difficult to match with any reliable, English-language, licensed option available in country.

Affordability and Income

At $448 per month for weekly one-on-one sessions or $224 per month for every-other-week, Grouport prices a full course of individual therapy as a predictable subscription rather than a series of cash surprises. Benin's GNI per capita PPP sits around $4,400, and the private consultation market in Cotonou tends to price itself out of reach for most working households once weekly cadence is factored in. A flat monthly rate in USD is easier to plan for than a per-visit invoice whose amount only becomes clear at the clinic front desk, and it lands well below the $150 to $250 per session that the global private market charges for the same kind of licensed one-on-one care. For expatriates paid in EUR or GBP, the price is a small line item in an international benefits budget; for Beninese professionals holding an internationally enabled card, it replaces the price volatility of the local private circuit with a single fixed number.

Hidden Cost and Barriers

The list of costs that never appear on a Beninese clinic invoice is long. A cross-Cotonou trip during rush hour can burn two hours in traffic each way, and taxi or moto fares add up quickly across weekly visits. A round trip from Parakou, Natitingou, or Djougou to see a specialist in the south usually means a bus fare, a hotel night, and two working days lost. Private clinics quote per-session fees in CFA francs at the desk, so budgeting a full course of care in advance is nearly impossible, and expatriates who fly abroad for continuity of care add international airfare and time-zone friction on top. Finding a licensed English-speaking clinician with actual availability is its own hidden cost in search hours. Grouport strips all of this away: no commute, no leave day, no cash-only surprises, no currency-conversion headache, one predictable monthly rate in USD, and the ability to cancel any time.

Immediate Availability

Compared with the 12-week public wait in Cotonou and the indeterminate delays typical in the northern departments, Grouport's start time is measured in days rather than months. A short online intake, an immediate match to a licensed one-on-one therapist, and the first 45 minute video session runs the same week the client signs up. No paperwork queue at CNHU-HKM, no visiting-consultant rotation to align with, no cash deposit at a clinic front desk. For Benin clients ready to start now, a licensed Grouport therapist is available this week.

How it Works

Community

Explore Virtual Mental Health Services

With plans tailored to you, it's easy to choose the right mental health care plan. Simply sign up today!

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Personalized match

We’ll get in touch with you to get brief context to make sure we match you with the therapist that best fits your needs & schedule. (Typically match in 24-72 hours)

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Start Online Therapy

Meet weekly with a licensed mental health professional for 45-minute video sessions. With consistent online therapy services, you can start seeing meaningful results.

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Mental Health Conditions We Treat in

Benin

Beyond individual therapy, Grouport offers licensed therapists who specialize across the full spectrum of mental health needs and evidence-based approaches. Whatever you're looking for, we have a therapist for your needs.

Meaningful Results

Check out how our online therapy services have helped our members see life-changing results

Stephanie

“Grouport is time flexible and affordable and if it didn’t exist, I don’t know where I would go. I had looked into other places before Grouport and there really wasn’t any option like it.”

Michael

“I highly recommend this to anyone who is struggling with anxiety or depression. The therapists are top notch and have made me feel really comfortable and my anxiety has improved tremendously in only a few sessions!”

Isabel

"I joined Grouport to work on myself and to heal. I’m learning so much at every session! The change I see not only in myself but in my fellow group members is abundantly encouraging and profoundly fulfilling. Group therapy with Grouport is a powerful healing tool."

Sheldon

“I was feeling very down at the end of 2020 and I was ready to do something drastic that I know I'd likely regret. The group definitely helped show me that there are people who feel the same way as I do.”

Nancy

“The therapy from Grouport is high quality and convenient. I am becoming much more self aware and am liking myself more. My relationships at work are better and I’m much happier.”

Emily

“I like the connection you can make with total strangers and the confidentiality it comes with.”

Olivia

“My weekly group helps me get through the week. Best experience ever!”

Danielle

"Grouport can help you with your issues. Their therapists are well trained to work with you on your issues. I felt my anxiety greatly improve after only a few sessions. I highly recommend it!"

Glenn

"Grouport's approach to DBT is a real strength. This approach provides tools and methods for working with difficult emotions and getting a handle on them. It has given me hope where other approaches have failed."

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Meet Our Therapists

Our therapists represent a wide range of clinical specialties & diverse backgrounds. They all undergo the most stringent credentialing process. Grouport therapists are caring, expert mental health professionals with years of experience helping people get the tools they need to see long-lasting change.

Every clinician working with Benin-based clients holds a professional license: psychologists, licensed clinical social workers (LCSWs), licensed marriage and family therapists (LMFTs), licensed mental health counselors (LMHCs), licensed professional counselors (LPCs), and providers holding PsyD and PhD degrees. Sessions run entirely in English. Many therapists carry meaningful experience with cross-cultural and expatriate caseloads, including clients navigating extended West Africa postings, dual-nationality family dynamics, and the specific disorientation that comes with seeking mental health care away from a home country. Scheduling accommodates WAT-friendly evening and weekend slots, and clients keep the same therapist week after week. All sessions are HIPAA-compliant and fully confidential.

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Affordable Individual Therapy & Care Options in Benin.

Group, individual, couples, family, IOP, and teen therapy — all online, all therapist-led. Mix and match care options to fit your needs — and get discounted pricing when you bundle.

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Individual Therapy

$112/session
billed at $448/month

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Group Therapy

$35/session
billed at $140/month

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Partnership

Couples Therapy

$123/session
billed at $492/month

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Family Therapy

$160/session
billed at $640/month

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IOP Therapy

$337/week
billed at $1,348/month

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Teen Therapy

$112/session
billed at $448/month

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Common Questions About Individual Therapy in Benin.

Do you offer financial assistance or scholarships?

While we don't currently offer financial assistance, we're committed to making therapy accessible. Group therapy at $32/session is our most affordable option and provides the same evidence-based treatment. We also provide superbills for insurance reimbursement upon request, accept HSA/FSA cards for tax savings, and offer flexible month-to-month billing with no long-term contracts. If cost is a significant barrier, contact our support team - we can discuss options that might work best for your situation.

Is online therapy confidential?

Yes, online therapy with Grouport is completely confidential and protected by the same privacy laws (HIPAA) as in-person therapy. Everything you discuss with your therapist remains private unless you give permission to share information or there's a legal requirement (such as risk of harm to yourself or others). Our video platform uses bank-level encryption to protect your sessions from unauthorized access. Your therapist maintains the same professional confidentiality standards as traditional in-person therapy, and all our systems are HIPAA-compliant to ensure your information stays secure.

Is the video platform for online therapy sessions secure and HIPAA-compliant?

Yes, Grouport uses a fully HIPAA-compliant video platform with end-to-end encryption to protect your online therapy sessions. This means your video and audio are encrypted from your device to your therapist's device, preventing anyone from intercepting or viewing your sessions. Our security measures meet or exceed healthcare industry standards and are regularly audited for compliance. Your session data is never recorded or stored unless you specifically request it, and all transmitted information is protected by the same security used by banks and healthcare systems.

How long do I need to attend online individual therapy?

Online individual therapy duration varies by person. Some people attend for months and others attend for years. It’s totally based on what’s helpful for you and there’s no standard timeline. Minimum commitment to see clinically significant results is typically 8-12 sessions since individual sessions need time to build cohesion and trust. So you can go for as long as it’s helpful for you and there’s no set duration. You can leave when your goals are met or continue ongoing support for maintenance, whichever works best for you. This is why we also provide the flexibility to cancel at any time.

What if I'm the only one with my specific problem?

You don't need identical problems to benefit from online individual therapy. So while your exact situation might be unique, you'll be with people who have similar struggles. Even really different problems often share underlying patterns like isolation, fear, shame, difficulty trusting. Those commonalities matter more than identical circumstances. If you have a particular diagnosis then diagnosis-specific individual sessions would be helpful and that’s why individual sessions are typically structured around certain diagnoses like a trauma group, eating disorder group, OCD group, a BPD group, or it can be a group that focuses on a particular type of treatment like DBT, CBT, EMDR that’s helpful for certain things or it might be a general group for folks who have commonalities of some sort.

Can I be in an online therapy therapy if I have social anxiety?

Yes, and actually online individual therapy is highly effective for social anxiety specifically. Initial anxiety about joining is normal and expected. It's practice in a safe environment and you get to work on the very thing that scares you with support right there. Most people with social anxiety find that the fear of individual therapy is way worse than the reality. Social anxiety only improves through experience and not avoidance, so group provides a structured opportunity for this. Many people who have social anxiety find that individual therapy is the number one driver of their improvement.

How is online individual therapy different from in-person?

Online individual therapy provides the same therapeutic benefits as in-person individual sessions while adding some unique features. Everyone joins by video from wherever they are physically located. It’s the same therapeutic experience, just a different format. Many people actually prefer online since there’s no commute, you can do it from home, and this way it's easier to make it part of your consistent routine. The therapist also manages online-specific differences like coordinating turn taking, managing technology problems, and ensuring engagement. Nonetheless it's shown to be as effective as in person individual therapy, and many people find it to be even more effective for a variety of reasons.

Can therapy help with major life transitions?

Big life changes, moving, career shifts, relationship changes, becoming a parent, dealing with empty nest, retirement, create stress anywhere. Therapy supports you through transitions, helps you adapt to change, and processes grief about what you're leaving behind.

What if I'm dealing with healthcare access issues where I live?

If you're in a country with limited healthcare, expensive medical care, or healthcare you don't trust, that creates legitimate anxiety. Therapy can't fix healthcare systems but helps you cope with the fear about medical access and make plans for health emergencies. If the access pertains to mental health care access, that’s what we help with directly through all our therapy options.

What if I need therapy but my only income is disability benefits?

You might qualify for Medicaid depending on your state. Some therapists offer sliding scale for people on fixed incomes. Community mental health centers often serve people on disability. Free support groups exist for various conditions. It's harder to access therapy on limited income, but options exist. Research local resources for low-income mental health care. At Grouport we offer affordable therapy options like group therapy and individual therapy. Our groups cost only $25/session - $35/session depending on which group you sign up for.

How does Grouport Individual Therapy compare to seeking care at CNHU-HKM in Cotonou?

Public psychiatric care in Benin is concentrated at the Centre National Hospitalier et Universitaire Hubert Koutoukou Maga in Cotonou, and clients often face wait times of roughly 12 weeks alongside travel from cities like Parakou or Natitingou. Grouport Individual Therapy removes that bottleneck. You match with a licensed clinician (psychologist, LCSW, LMHC, LMFT, LPC, PsyD, or PhD) and start right away over HIPAA-compliant video. Weekly 45 to 50 minute sessions run $103, or $448 per month, with an every-other-week option at $224 per month.

How do I decide within the first few sessions if my Grouport therapist is the right fit from Cotonou?

Grouport gives you room to evaluate fit across your first two or three weekly video sessions. During that window your licensed clinician gets a full picture of what brought you in, and you get a real sense of their style, pacing, and clinical approach. If the match is not right, you can request a different therapist at no penalty and continue at $103 per 45 to 50 minute session or $448 monthly. Sessions run on HIPAA-compliant video from Cotonou, Porto-Novo, or anywhere in Benin on WAT.

Individual Therapy Available Across Benin.

Regions

Alibori, Atacora, Atlantique, Borgou, Collines, Couffo, Donga, Littoral, Mono, Oueme, Plateau, Zou

Cities

Cotonou, Porto-Novo, Parakou, Abomey-Calavi, Djougou, Bohicon, Kandi, Natitingou, Ouidah, Abomey, Save, Lokossa, Malanville, Pobe, Come

Zip Codes

Grouport serves all zip codes across Benin. If you have an address in Benin, Grouport can serve you regardless of your zip code.

Online Individual Therapy Available Worldwide

Grouport offers online individual therapy available globally for people in 200+ countries. Find a licensed therapist that fits your needs for weekly one-on-one sessions.

Afghanistan Aland Islands Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil British Virgin Islands Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Colombia Comoros Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Curacao Cyprus Czech Republic Côte d'Ivoire Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island North Macedonia Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestine Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Republic of the Congo Reunion Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Barthélemy Saint Helena Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Sint Maarten Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu U.S. Virgin Islands Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vatican City Venezuela Vietnam Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe
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