| Population | 1,976,187 (July 2021 est.) |
| Nationality | noun: Bissau-Guinean(s) adjective: Bissau-Guinean |
| Ethnic groups | Fulani 28.5%, Balanta 22.5%, Mandinga 14.7%, Papel 9.1%, Manjaco 8.3%, Beafada 3.5%, Mancanha 3.1%, Bijago 2.1%, Felupe 1.7%, Mansoanca 1.4%, Balanta Mane 1%, other 1.8%, none 2.2% (2008 est.) |
| Languages | Portuguese-based Creole, Portuguese (official; largely used as a second or third language), Pular (a Fula language), Mandingo |
| Religions | Muslim 45.1%, Christian 22.1%, animist 14.9%, none 2%, unspecified 15.9% (2008 est.) |
| Age structure | 0-14 years: 43.17% (male 417,810/female 414,105) 15-24 years: 20.38% (male 192,451/female 200,370) 25-54 years: 30.24% (male 275,416/female 307,387) 55-64 years: 3.12% (male 29,549/female 30,661) 65 years and over: 3.08% (male 25,291/female 34,064) (2020 est.) |
| Dependency ratios | total dependency ratio: 81.2 youth dependency ratio: 76 elderly dependency ratio: 5.2 potential support ratio: 19.1 (2020 est.) |
| Median age | total: 18 years male: 17.4 years female: 18.6 years (2020 est.) |
| Population growth rate | 2.52% (2021 est.) |
| Birth rate | 36.64 births/1,000 population (2021 est.) |
| Death rate | 7.69 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.) |
| Net migration rate | -3.72 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.) |
| Population distribution | approximately one-fifth of the population lives in the capital city of Bissau along the Atlantic coast; the remainder is distributed among the eight other, mainly rural, regions as shown in this population distribution map |
| Urbanization | urban population: 44.6% of total population (2021) rate of urbanization: 3.22% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) |
| Major cities - population | 621,000 BISSAU (capital) (2021) |
| Sex ratio | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-24 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 25-54 years: 0.9 male(s)/female 55-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2020 est.) |
| Maternal mortality rate | 667 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate | total: 50.44 deaths/1,000 live births male: 56.33 deaths/1,000 live births female: 44.37 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population: 63.26 years male: 61.04 years female: 65.55 years (2021 est.) |
| Total fertility rate | 4.72 children born/woman (2021 est.) |
| Contraceptive prevalence rate | 20.6% (2018) |
| Drinking water source | improved: urban: 91.2% of population rural: 60.3% of population total: 73.5% of population unimproved: urban: 8.5% of population rural: 39.7% of population total: 26.5% of population (2017 est.) |
| Health expenditures | 7% (2018) |
| Physicians density | 0.13 physicians/1,000 population (2016) |
| Hospital bed density | 1 beds/1,000 population (2009) |
| Sanitation facility access | improved: urban: 66.5% of population rural: 13.4% of population total: 36.2% of population unimproved: urban: 33.5% of population rural: 86.6% of population total: 63.8% of population (2017 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate | 3% (2020 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | 37,000 (2020 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths | 1,500 (2020 est.) |
| Major infectious diseases | degree of risk: very high (2020) food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria, dengue fever, and yellow fever water contact diseases: schistosomiasis animal contact diseases: rabies |
| Obesity - adult prevalence rate | 9.5% (2016) |
| Children under the age of 5 years underweight | 18.8% (2019) |
| Education expenditures | 2.1% of GDP (2013) |
| Demographic profile | Guinea-Bissau’s young and growing population is sustained by high fertility; approximately 60% of the population is under the age of 25. Its large reproductive-age population and total fertility rate of more than 4 children per woman offsets the country’s high infant and maternal mortality rates. The latter is among the world’s highest because of the prevalence of early childbearing, a lack of birth spacing, the high percentage of births outside of health care facilities, and a shortage of medicines and supplies. Guinea-Bissau’s history of political instability, a civil war, and several coups (the latest in 2012) have resulted in a fragile state with a weak economy, high unemployment, rampant corruption, widespread poverty, and thriving drug and child trafficking. With the country lacking educational infrastructure, school funding and materials, and qualified teachers, and with the cultural emphasis placed on religious education, parents frequently send boys to study in residential Koranic schools (daaras) in Senegal and The Gambia. They often are extremely deprived and are forced into street begging or agricultural work by marabouts (Muslim religious teachers), who enrich themselves at the expense of the children. Boys who leave their marabouts often end up on the streets of Dakar or other large Senegalese towns and are vulnerable to even worse abuse. Some young men lacking in education and job prospects become involved in the flourishing international drug trade. Local drug use and associated violent crime are growing. |
| Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 59.9% male: 71.8% female: 48.3% (2015) |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
