Guinea-Bissau

Broadcast media

1 state-owned TV station and a second station, Radio e Televisao de Portugal (RTP) Africa, is operated by Portuguese public broadcaster (RTP); 1 state-owned radio station, several private radio stations, and some community radio stations; multiple international broadcasters are available (2007)

Internet country code

.gw

Internet users

total: 56,100 | percent of population: 3.3% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 181

Radio broadcast stations

AM 1 (transmitter out of service), FM 4, shortwave 0 (2001)

Telephone system

general assessment: small system including a combination of microwave radio relay, open-wire lines, radiotelephone, and mobile cellular communications | domestic: fixed-line teledensity less than 1 per 100 persons; mobile cellular teledensity is roughly 50 per 100 persons | international: country code - 245 (2011)

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 5,000 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: less than 1 (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 208

Telephones - mobile cellular

total: 1.1 million | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 65 (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 156

Television broadcast stations

1 (2007)

Agriculture - products

rice, corn, beans, cassava (manioc, tapioca), cashew nuts, peanuts, palm kernels, cotton; timber; fish

Budget

revenues: $175.6 million | expenditures: $213.4 million (2014 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-3.4% of GDP (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 135

Central bank discount rate

4.25% (31 December 2009) | 4.75% (31 December 2008) | country comparison to the world: 87

Commercial bank prime lending rate

15% (31 December 2014 est.) | 15% (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 36

Current account balance

-$13 million (2014 est.) | -$45 million (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 68

Debt - external

$1.095 billion (31 December 2010 est.) | $941.5 million (31 December 2000 est.) | country comparison to the world: 162

Economy - overview

Guinea-Bissau is highly dependent on subsistence agriculture, cashew nut exports, and foreign assistance. The legal economy is based on farming and fishing, but illegal logging and trafficking in narcotics are also important economic activities. The combination of limited economic prospects, weak institutions, and favorable geography have made this West African country a way station for drugs bound for Europe while trade in illegal logging, food, and fishing is also significant. Two out of three Bissau-Guineans remain below the absolute poverty line. Guinea-Bissau has substantial potential for development of mineral resources including phosphates, bauxite, and mineral sands. The country’s climate and soil make it feasible to grow a wide range of cash crops, fruit, vegetables, and tubers; however, cashews generate more than 80% export receipts and are the main source of income for many rural communities. With renewed donor support following elections in April-May 2014 and a successful regional bond issuance, the new government of Guinea-Bissau has made progress paying salaries, settling domestic arrears, and gaining more control over revenues and expenditures. The IMF noted that the new government has taken the positive step of developing a long-term economic plan, while implementing sensitive economic reforms in the wake of the 2012 coup.

Exchange rates

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - | 494.42 (2014 est.) | 494.42 (2013 est.) | 510.53 (2012 est.) | 471.87 (2011 est.) | 495.28 (2010 est.)

Exports

$171.9 million (2014 est.) | $152.8 million (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 187

Exports - commodities

fish, shrimp; cashews, peanuts, palm kernels, raw and sawn lumber

Exports - partners

India 52.3%, Nigeria 20.7%, China 16.3%, Togo 5.5% (2014)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP (official exchange rate)

$1.111 billion (2014 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$2.532 billion (2014 est.) | $2.469 billion (2013 est.) | $2.449 billion (2012 est.) | note: data are in 2014 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 189

GDP - composition, by end use

household consumption: 92.3% | government consumption: 12.1% | investment in fixed capital: 5.4% | investment in inventories: 0% | exports of goods and services: 15.5% | imports of goods and services: -25.2% | (2014 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture: 43.9% | industry: 13.6% | services: 42.5% (2014 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$1,500 (2014 est.) | $1,400 (2013 est.) | $1,400 (2012 est.) | note: data are in 2014 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 215

GDP - real growth rate

2.5% (2014 est.) | 0.8% (2013 est.) | -1.8% (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 129

Gross national saving

9.6% of GDP (2014 est.) | 2.6% of GDP (2013 est.) | -2.6% of GDP (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 153

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 2.9% | highest 10%: 28% (2002)

Imports

$227.5 million (2014 est.) | $182.8 million (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 205

Imports - commodities

foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products

Imports - partners

Portugal 20.6%, Senegal 17.5%, UK 16.1%, Spain 4.2%, India 4.2%, China 4.1% (2014)

Industrial production growth rate

1.9% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 113

Industries

agricultural products processing, beer, soft drinks

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

-1% (2014 est.) | 0.8% (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 6

Labor force

632,700 (2007 est.) | country comparison to the world: 154

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 82% | industry and services: 18% (2000 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$NA

Population below poverty line

NA%

Stock of broad money

$480.9 million (31 December 2014 est.) | $393 million (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 182

Stock of domestic credit

$160.1 million (31 December 2014 est.) | $185.6 million (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 178

Stock of narrow money

$392.5 million (31 December 2014 est.) | $330 million (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 169

Taxes and other revenues

15.8% of GDP (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 187

Unemployment rate

NA%

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

460,100 Mt (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 183

Crude oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 178

Crude oil - imports

0 bbl/day (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 115

Crude oil - production

0 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 182

Crude oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 180

Electricity - consumption

46.5 million kWh (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 207

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 185

Electricity - from fossil fuels

100% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 25

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 194

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 168

Electricity - from other renewable sources

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 123

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 191

Electricity - installed generating capacity

26,000 kW (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 201

Electricity - production

50 million kWh (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 207

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 187

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 166

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 123

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 120

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 185

Refined petroleum products - consumption

2,700 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 183

Refined petroleum products - exports

0 bbl/day (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 210

Refined petroleum products - imports

2,661 bbl/day (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 176

Refined petroleum products - production

0 bbl/day (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 123

Area

total: 36,125 sq km | land: 28,120 sq km | water: 8,005 sq km | country comparison to the world: 138

Area - comparative

slightly less than three times the size of Connecticut

Climate

tropical; generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds

Coastline

350 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m | highest point: unnamed elevation in the eastern part of the country 300 m

Environment - current issues

deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; overfishing

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands | signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 0.18 cu km/yr (18%/6%/76%) | per capita: 135.7 cu m/yr (2005)

Geographic coordinates

12 00 N, 15 00 W

Geography - note

this small country is swampy along its western coast and low-lying inland

Irrigated land

225.6 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

total: 762 km | border countries (2): Guinea 421 km, Senegal 341 km

Land use

agricultural land: 44.8% | arable land 8.2%; permanent crops 6.9%; permanent pasture 29.7% | forest: 55.2% | other: 0% (2011 est.)

Location

Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Senegal

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm | exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Natural hazards

hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season; brush fires

Natural resources

fish, timber, phosphates, bauxite, clay, granite, limestone, unexploited deposits of petroleum

Terrain

mostly low-lying coastal plain with a deeply indented estuarine coastline rising to savanna in east; numerous off-shore islands including the Arquipelago Dos Bijagos consisting of 18 main islands and many small islets

Total renewable water resources

31 cu km (2011)

Administrative divisions

9 regions (regioes, singular - regiao); Bafata, Biombo, Bissau, Bolama/Bijagos, Cacheu, Gabu, Oio, Quinara, Tombali

Capital

name: Bissau | geographic coordinates: 11 51 N, 15 35 W | time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Citizenship

citizenship by birth: yes | citizenship by descent: yes | dual citizenship recognized: no | residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Constitution

promulgated 16 May 1984; amended 1991, 1993, 1996; note - constitution suspended following military coup in April 2012 and restored in 2014 (2015)

Country name

`conventional long form: Republic of Guinea-Bissau | conventional short form: Guinea-Bissau | local long form: Republica da Guine-Bissau | local short form: Guine-Bissau | former: Portuguese Guinea | note: the country is named after the Guinea region of West Africa that lies along the Gulf of Guinea and stretches north to the Sahel; "Bissau" distinguishes the country from neighboring Guinea

Diplomatic representation from the US

the US Embassy suspended operations on 14 June 1998 in the midst of violent conflict between forces loyal to then President VIEIRA and military-led junta; the US Ambassador to Senegal, currently Ambassador James P. ZUMWALT, is accredited to Guinea-Bissau

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: none; note - Guinea-Bissau does not have official representation in Washington, DC

Executive branch

chief of state: President Jose Mario VAZ (since 17 June 2014) | head of government: Prime Minister Carlos CORREIA (since 17 September 2015); the initial appointment of Baciro DJA in August was nullified by the Supreme Court and he resigned | cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president | elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in two rounds if needed for a 5-year term (no term limits); election last held on 13 April 2014 with a runoff on 18 May 2014 (next to be held in 2019); prime minister appointed by the president after consultation with party leaders in the National People's Assembly | election results: first round - Jose Mario VAZ (PAIGC) 41%, Nuno Gomez NABIAM (independent) 25.1%, other 33.9%; Jose Mario VAZ elected president in second round - Jose Mario VAZ 61.9%, Nuno Gomez NABIAM 38.1%

Flag description

two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and green with a vertical red band on the hoist side; there is a black five-pointed star centered in the red band; yellow symbolizes the sun; green denotes hope; red represents blood shed during the struggle for independence; the black star stands for African unity | note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia; the flag design was heavily influenced by the Ghanaian flag

Government type

republic

Independence

24 September 1973 (declared); 10 September 1974 (from Portugal)

International law organization participation

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; non-party state to the ICCt

International organization participation

ACP, AfDB, AOSIS, AU (suspended), CPLP, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINUSMA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch

highest court(s): Supreme Court or Suprema Tribunal Justica (consists of 9 judges and organized into Civil, Criminal, and Social and Administrative Disputes Chambers); note - the Supreme Court has both appellate and constitutional jurisdiction | judge selection and term of office: judges nominated by the Higher Council of the Magistrate, a major government organ responsible for judge appointments, dismissals, and judiciary discipline; judges appointed by the president with life tenure | subordinate courts: Appeal Court; regional (first instance) courts; military court

Legal system

mixed legal system of civil law which incorporated Portuguese law at independence and influenced by early French civil code and customary law

Legislative branch

description: unicameral National People's Assembly or Assembleia Nacional Popular (102 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote to serve 4-year terms) | elections: last held on 13 April 2014 (next to be held in 2018) | election results: percent of vote by party - PAIGC 48.0%, PRS 30.8%, other parties 21.2%; seats by party - PAIGC 57, PRS 41, other 4

National anthem

name: "Esta e a Nossa Patria Bem Amada" (This Is Our Beloved Country) | lyrics/music: Amilcar Lopes CABRAL/XIAO He | note: adopted 1974; a delegation from then Portuguese Guinea visited China in 1963 and heard music by XIAO He; Amilcar Lopes CABRA, the leader of Guinea-Bissau's independence movement, asked the composer to create a piece that would inspire his people to struggle for independence

National holiday

Independence Day, 24 September (1973)

National symbol(s)

black star; national colors: red, yellow, green, black

Political parties and leaders

African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cabo Verde or PAIGC [Domingos Simoes PEREIRA] | Democratic Convergence Party or PCD [Vicente FERNANDES] | New Democracy Party or PND [Mamadu Iaia DJALO] | Party for Social Renewal or PRS [Filomeno Mendes PEREIRA] | Republican Party for Independence and Development or PRID [Aristides GOMES] | Union for Change or UM [Agnelo REGALA]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Chamber of Commerce of Agriculture, Industry, and Services [Braima CAMARA]

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

Since independence from Portugal in 1974, Guinea-Bissau has experienced considerable political and military upheaval. In 1980, a military coup established authoritarian dictator Joao Bernardo 'Nino' VIEIRA as president. Despite setting a path to a market economy and multiparty system, VIEIRA's regime was characterized by the suppression of political opposition and the purging of political rivals. Several coup attempts through the 1980s and early 1990s failed to unseat him. In 1994 VIEIRA was elected president in the country's first free election. A military mutiny and resulting civil war in 1998 eventually led to VIEIRA's ouster in May 1999. In February 2000, a transitional government turned over power to opposition leader Kumba YALA after he was elected president in transparent polling. In September 2003, after only three years in office, YALA was overthrown in a bloodless military coup, and businessman Henrique ROSA was sworn in as interim president. In 2005, former President VIEIRA was reelected, pledging to pursue economic development and national reconciliation; he was assassinated in March 2009. Malam Bacai SANHA was elected in an emergency election held in June 2009, but he passed away in January 2012 from a long-term illness. A military coup in April 2012 prevented Guinea-Bissau's second-round presidential election - to determine SANHA's successor - from taking place. Following mediation by the Economic Community of Western African States, a civilian transitional government assumed power in 2012 and remained until Jose Mario VAZ won free and fair elections in 2014.

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 370,790 | females age 16-49: 372,171 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 205,460 | females age 16-49: 212,277 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

male: 17,639 | female: 17,865 (2010 est.)

Military branches

People's Revolutionary Armed Force (FARP): Army, Navy, National Air Force (Forca Aerea Nacional); Presidential Guard (2012)

Military expenditures

1.85% of GDP (2012) | 1.81% of GDP (2011) | 1.85% of GDP (2010) | country comparison to the world: 45

Military service age and obligation

18-25 years of age for selective compulsory military service (Air Force service is voluntary); 16 years of age or younger, with parental consent, for voluntary service (2013)

Age structure

0-14 years: 39.53% (male 340,575/female 341,747) | 15-24 years: 20.18% (male 172,787/female 175,511) | 25-54 years: 32.3% (male 277,820/female 279,762) | 55-64 years: 4.66% (male 30,010/female 50,354) | 65 years and over: 3.34% (male 21,671/female 35,933) (2015 est.)

Birth rate

33.38 births/1,000 population (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 31

Child labor - children ages 5-14

total number: 226,316 | percentage: 57% (2010 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

18.1% (2010) | country comparison to the world: 35

Contraceptive prevalence rate

14.2% (2010)

Death rate

14.33 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 4

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 78.4% | youth dependency ratio: 72.8% | elderly dependency ratio: 5.7% | potential support ratio: 17.7% (2015 est.)

Drinking water source

urban: 98.8% of population | rural: 60.3% of population | total: 79.3% of population | urban: 1.2% of population | rural: 39.7% of population | total: 20.7% of population (2015 est.)

Education expenditures

NA

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.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

3.69% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 17

HIV/AIDS - deaths

1,900 (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 57

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

42,000 (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 59

Health expenditures

5.5% of GDP (2013) | country comparison to the world: 116

Hospital bed density

1 beds/1,000 population (2009)

Infant mortality rate

total: 89.21 deaths/1,000 live births | male: 98.8 deaths/1,000 live births | female: 79.33 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 5

Languages

Crioulo 90.4%, Portuguese 27.1% (official), French 5.1%, English 2.9%, other 2.4% | note: shares sum to more than 100% because some respondents gave more than one answer on the census (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 50.23 years | male: 48.21 years | female: 52.31 years (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 223

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write | total population: 59.9% | male: 71.8% | female: 48.3% (2015 est.)

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk: very high | food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever | vectorborne diseases: malaria, dengue fever, and yellow fever | water contact disease: schistosomiasis | animal contact disease: rabies (2013)

Major urban areas - population

BISSAU (capital) 492,000 (2015)

Maternal mortality rate

549 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 7

Median age

total: 19.9 years | male: 19.4 years | female: 20.4 years (2015 est.)

Nationality

noun: Bissau-Guinean(s) | adjective: Bissau-Guinean

Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 94

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

6.3% (2014) | country comparison to the world: 159

Physicians density

0.1 physicians/1,000 population (2009)

Population

1,726,170 (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 153

Population growth rate

1.91% (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 56

Religions

Muslim 45.1%, Christian 22.1%, animist 14.9%, none 2%, unspecified 15.9% (2008 est.)

Sanitation facility access

urban: 33.5% of population | rural: 8.5% of population | total: 20.8% of population | urban: 66.5% of population | rural: 91.5% of population | total: 79.2% of population (2015 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 9 years | male: NA | female: NA (2006)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female | 0-14 years: 1 male(s)/female | 15-24 years: 0.98 male(s)/female | 25-54 years: 0.99 male(s)/female | 55-64 years: 0.6 male(s)/female | 65 years and over: 0.6 male(s)/female | total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2015 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.23 children born/woman (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 32

Urbanization

urban population: 49.3% of total population (2015) | rate of urbanization: 4.13% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Disputes - international

in 2006, political instability within Senegal's Casamance region resulted in thousands of Senegalese refugees, cross-border raids, and arms smuggling into Guinea-Bissau

Illicit drugs

increasingly important transit country for South American cocaine en route to Europe; enabling environment for trafficker operations due to pervasive corruption; archipelago-like geography near the capital facilitates drug smuggling

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin): 8,601 (Senegal) (2014)

Trafficking in persons

current situation: Guinea-Bissau is a source country for children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking; the scope of the problem of trafficking women or men for forced labor or forced prostitution is unknown; boys are forced into street vending in Guinea-Bissau and manual labor, agriculture, and mining in Senegal, while girls may be forced into street vending, domestic service, and, to a lesser extent, prostitution in Senegal and Guinea | tier rating: Tier 3 - Guinea-Bissau does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; anti-trafficking efforts have stalled under the transitional government; despite enacting an anti-trafficking law and adopting a national action plan in 2011, authorities still have not taken action against trafficking offenders, provided protection to identified victims, or conducted any prevention activities; no progress has been made in implementing the national action plan (2014)

Airports

8 (2013) | country comparison to the world: 160

Airports - with paved runways

total: 2 | over 3,047 m: 1 | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2013)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 6 | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 | 914 to 1,523 m: 2 | 3 (2013)

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s): Bissau, Buba, Cacheu, Farim

Roadways

total: 3,455 km | paved: 965 km | unpaved: 2,490 km (2002) | country comparison to the world: 162

Waterways

(rivers are partially navigable; many inlets and creeks provide shallow-water access to much of interior) (2012)