Guinea-Bissau

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

total: 2,383 (2020 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 0.1 (2020 est.)

Broadcast media

1 state-owned TV station, Televisao da Guine-Bissau (TGB) 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 (2019)

Internet country code

.gw

Internet users

total: 735,000 (2021 est.) percent of population: 35% (2021 est.)

Telecommunication systems

general assessment: small system including a combination of microwave radio relay, open-wire lines, radiotelephone, and mobile cellular communications; 2 mobile network operators; one of the poorest countries in the world and this is reflected in the country's telecommunications development; radio is the most important source of information for the public (2020) domestic: fixed-line teledensity less than 1 per 100 persons; mobile cellular teledensity is just over 109 per 100 persons (2021) international: country code - 245; ACE submarine cable connecting Guinea-Bissau with 20 landing points in Western and South Africa and Europe (2019)

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 4,800 (2009 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2009 est.) less than 1

Telephones - mobile cellular

total subscriptions: 2,236,511 (2021 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 109 (2021 est.)

Agricultural products

rice, cashew nuts, roots/tubers nes, oil palm fruit, plantains, cassava, groundnuts, vegetables, coconuts, fruit

Budget

revenues: $222 million (2019 est.) expenditures: $278 million (2019 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-1.3% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Current account balance

-$38.683 million (2020 est.) -$127.41 million (2019 est.) -$54.134 million (2018 est.)

Debt - external

$1.095 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $941.5 million (31 December 2000 est.)

Economic overview

extremely poor West African economy; ethnically diverse labor force; increasing government expenditures; slight inflation due to food supply disruptions; major cashew exporter; systemic banking instabilities and corruption; vulnerable to oil price shocks

Exchange rates

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 554.531 (2021 est.) 575.586 (2020 est.) 585.911 (2019 est.) 555.446 (2018 est.) 580.657 (2017 est.)

Exports

$232.536 million (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars $291.805 million (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars $380.428 million (2018 est.)

Exports - commodities

cashews, natural gas, mackerel, fish, scrap vessels (2021)

Exports - partners

India 50%, Belgium 28%, Cote d'Ivoire 8% (2019)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP (official exchange rate)

$1.339 billion (2019 est.)

GDP - composition, by end use

household consumption: 83.9% (2017 est.) government consumption: 12% (2017 est.) investment in fixed capital: 4.1% (2017 est.) investment in inventories: 0.2% (2017 est.) exports of goods and services: 26.4% (2017 est.) imports of goods and services: -26.5% (2017 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture: 50% (2017 est.) industry: 13.1% (2017 est.) services: 36.9% (2017 est.)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income

34.8 (2018 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

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

Imports

$439 million (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars $502 million (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars $459 million (2018 est.)

Imports - commodities

refined petroleum, rice, wheat products, soups/broths, malt extract (2019)

Imports - partners

Portugal 31%, Senegal 20%, China 10%, Netherlands 7%, Pakistan 7% (2019)

Industrial production growth rate

-0.7% (2020 est.)

Industries

agricultural products processing, beer, soft drinks

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

2.24% (2021 est.) 1.14% (2020 est.) 0.25% (2019 est.)

Labor force

867,500 (2021 est.)

Population below poverty line

67% (2015 est.)

Public debt

53.9% of GDP (2017 est.) 57.9% of GDP (2016 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

$3.774 billion (2021 est.) $3.636 billion (2020 est.) $3.725 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real GDP growth rate

3.8% (2021 est.) -2.4% (2020 est.) 4.5% (2019 est.)

Real GDP per capita

$1,800 (2021 est.) $1,800 (2020 est.) $1,900 (2019 est.) note: data are in 2017 dollars

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$356.4 million (31 December 2017 est.) $349.4 million (31 December 2016 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

9.46% (of GDP) (2019 est.)

Unemployment rate

6.76% (2021 est.) 6.74% (2020 est.) 6.04% (2019 est.) NA

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

total: 12.8% (2021 est.) male: 11.6% female: 14.2%

Carbon dioxide emissions

342,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.) from coal and metallurgical coke: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.) from petroleum and other liquids: 342,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.) from consumed natural gas: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

Coal

production: 0 metric tons (2020 est.) consumption: 0 metric tons (2020 est.) exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.) imports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.) proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)

Electricity

installed generating capacity: 28,000 kW (2020 est.) consumption: 76.458 million kWh (2019 est.) exports: 0 kWh (2019 est.) imports: 0 kWh (2019 est.) transmission/distribution losses: 6 million kWh (2019 est.)

Electricity access

population without electricity: 1 million (2020) electrification - total population: 35.7% (2021) electrification - urban areas: 60.5% (2021) electrification - rural areas: 15.8% (2021)

Electricity generation sources

fossil fuels: 97.6% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) solar: 2.4% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) wind: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) biomass and waste: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Energy consumption per capita

2.46 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Natural gas

production: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.) consumption: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.) exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.) imports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.) proven reserves: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

Petroleum

total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2021 est.) refined petroleum consumption: 2,200 bbl/day (2019 est.) crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.) crude oil and lease condensate imports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.) crude oil estimated reserves: 0 barrels (2021 est.)

Refined petroleum products - exports

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined petroleum products - imports

2,625 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined petroleum products - production

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Air pollutants

particulate matter emissions: 34.85 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.) carbon dioxide emissions: 0.29 megatons (2016 est.) methane emissions: 1.46 megatons (2020 est.)

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

Environment - current issues

deforestation (rampant felling of trees for timber and agricultural purposes); soil erosion; overgrazing; overfishing

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Land use

agricultural land: 44.8% (2018 est.) arable land: 8.2% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 6.9% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 29.7% (2018 est.) forest: 55.2% (2018 est.) other: 0% (2018 est.)

Major aquifers

Senegalo-Mauritanian Basin

Revenue from coal

0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Revenue from forest resources

9.24% of GDP (2018 est.)

Total renewable water resources

31.4 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Total water withdrawal

municipal: 30 million cubic meters (2020 est.) industrial: 10 million cubic meters (2020 est.) agricultural: 140 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

Urbanization

urban population: 45.5% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 3.22% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Waste and recycling

municipal solid waste generated annually: 289,514 tons (2015 est.)

Area

total: 36,125 sq km land: 28,120 sq km water: 8,005 sq km

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

highest point: Dongol Ronde 277 m lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 70 m

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

250 sq km (2012)

Land boundaries

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

Land use

agricultural land: 44.8% (2018 est.) arable land: 8.2% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 6.9% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 29.7% (2018 est.) forest: 55.2% (2018 est.) other: 0% (2018 est.)

Location

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

Major aquifers

Senegalo-Mauritanian Basin

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

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

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

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) etymology: the meaning of Bissau is uncertain, it might be an alternative name for the Papel people who live in the area of the city of Bissau

Citizenship

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

Constitution

history: promulgated 16 May 1984; note - constitution suspended following military coup April 2012, restored 2014; note - in May 2020, President EMBALO established a commission to draft a revised constitution amendments: proposed by the National People s Assembly if supported by at least one third of its members, by the Council of State (a presidential consultant body), or by the government; passage requires approval by at least two-thirds majority vote of the Assembly; constitutional articles on the republican and secular form of government and national sovereignty cannot be amended; amended 1991, 1993, 1996

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 etymology: 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," the name of the capital city, distinguishes the country from neighboring Guinea

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Mike RAYNOR (since 20 April 2022) mailing address: 2080 Bissau Place, Washington DC 20521-2080 email address and website: dakarACS@state.gov https://gw.usmission.gov/

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 Umaro Sissoko EMBALO (since 27 February 2020); note - President EMBALO was declared winner of the 29 December 2019 runoff presidential election by the electoral commission, in late February 2020, EMBALO inaugurated himself with only military leadership present, even though the Supreme Court of Justice had yet to rule on an electoral litigation appeal lodged by his political rival Domingos Simoes PEREIRA head of government: Prime Minister Rui Duarte DE BARROS (since 20 December 2023) note- on 4 December 2023 the president dissolved the parliament cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the prime minister, appointed by the president elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for up to 2 consecutive 5-year terms; election last held on 24 November 2019 with a runoff on 29 December 2019 (next to be held in 2024); prime minister appointed by the president after consultation with party leaders in the National People's Assembly; note - the president cannot apply for a third consecutive term election results: Umaro Sissoco EMBALO elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Domingos Simoes PEREIRA (PAIGC) 40.1%, Umaro Sissoco EMBALO (Madem G15) 27.7%, Nuno Gomez NABIAM (APU-PDGB) 13.2%, Jose Mario VAZ (independent) 12.4%, other 6.6%; percent of vote in second round - Umaro Sissoco EMBALO 53.6%, Domingos Simoes PEREIRA 46.5% (2019)

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

semi-presidential 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, 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, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch

highest court(s): Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal de 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 for life subordinate courts: Appeals Court; regional (first instance) courts; military court

Legal system

mixed legal system of civil law, which incorporated Portuguese law at independence and influenced by Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), African Francophone Public Law, and customary law

Legislative branch

description: unicameral National People's Assembly or Assembleia Nacional Popular (102 seats; 100 members directly elected in 27 multi-seat constituencies by closed party-list proportional representation vote and 2 elected in single-seat constituencies for citizens living abroad (Africa 1, Europe 1); all members serve 4-year terms) elections: last election held 4 June 2023 (next election on 30 June 2027) note: on 4 December 2023 the president dissolved the parliament with new elections held at a future date election results: percent of vote by party - PAIGC 39.4%, Madem G-15 21.1%, PRS 14.9%, other 12.5%; seats by party - PAIGC 54, Madem G-15 29, PRS- 12, other 7; composition - men 92, women 10, percent of women 9.8%

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 CABRAL, 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 and Cabo Verde or PAIGC [Domingos SIMOES PEREIRA] Democratic Convergence Party or PCD [Vicente FERNANDES] Movement for Democratic Alternation Group of 15 or MADEM-G15 [Braima CAMARA] National People s Assembly Democratic Party of Guinea Bissau or APU-PDGB [Nuno Gomes NABIAM] New Democracy Party or PND [Mamadu Iaia DJALO] Party for Social Renewal or PRS [Alberto NAMBEIA] Republican Party for Independence and Development or PRID [Aristides GOMES] Union for Change or UM [Agnelo REGALA]

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

For much of its history, Guinea-Bissau was under the control of the Mali Empire and the Kaabu Kingdom. In the 16th century, Portugal began establishing trading posts along Guinea-Bissau s shoreline. Initially, the Portuguese were restricted to the coastline and islands. However, the slave and gold trades were lucrative to local African leaders, and the Portuguese were slowly able to expand their power and influence inland. Starting in the 18th century, the Mali Empire and Kingdom of Kaabu slowly disintegrated into smaller local entities. By the 19th century, Portugal had fully incorporated Guinea-Bissau into its empire. Since gaining independence in 1974, Guinea-Bissau has experienced considerable political and military upheaval. In 1980, a military coup established General Joao Bernardo 'Nino' VIEIRA as president. VIEIRA's regime suppressed political opposition and purged political rivals. Several coup attempts through the 1980s and early 1990s failed to unseat him. In May 1999, a military mutiny and civil war led to VIEIRA's ouster. In February 2000, a transitional government turned over power to opposition leader Kumba YALA. In September 2003, a bloodless military coup overthrew YALA and installed businessman Henrique ROSA as interim president. In 2005, former President VIEIRA was reelected, pledging to pursue economic development and national reconciliation; he was assassinated in March 2009. In June 2009, Malam Bacai SANHA was elected president, but he passed away in January 2012 from a long-term illness. In April 2012, a military coup prevented the second-round of the presidential election from taking place. Following mediation from the Economic Community of Western African States, a civilian transitional government assumed power. In 2014, Jose Mario VAZ was elected president after a free and fair election. In June 2019, VAZ became the first president in Guinea-Bissau s history to complete a full presidential term. Umaro Sissoco EMBALO was elected president in December 2019, but he did not take office until February 2020 because of a prolonged challenge to the election results.

Military - note

the FARP is focused on external security, but also has some internal security duties, and it has been influential in the country s politics since independence was gained in 1974, having staged at least nine coups as well as several mutinies; FARP members were suspected of coup plotting as recently as 2021, and the military has been accused of involvement in narcotics trafficking; since the 2000s, the FARP has undergone various attempts at defense and security sector reforms with limited success under the auspices of the African Union, the EU, the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS), and the UN from 2012-2020, ECOWAS deployed a security force to Guinea-Bissau to manage the post-coup transition, including protecting key political figures and public buildings, restoring civil institutions, and re-establishing the rule of law; at the height of the deployment, the force, known as the ECOWAS Mission in Guinea-Bissau (ECOMIB), deployed nearly 700 military and police personnel from Burkina Faso, Nigeria, and Senegal (2023)

Military and security forces

People's Revolutionary Armed Force (FARP): Army, Navy, Air Force Ministry of Internal Administration: Guard Nacional (a gendarmerie force), Public Order Police, Border Police, Rapid Intervention Police, Maritime Police (2023) note: the Public Order Police is responsible for maintaining law and order, while the Judicial Police, under the Ministry of Justice, has primary responsibility for investigating drug trafficking, terrorism, and other transnational crimes

Military and security service personnel strengths

approximately 4,000 active troops, including a few hundred air and naval personnel (2023)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the FARP is armed mostly with Soviet-era equipment, much of which is reportedly unserviceable (2023)

Military expenditures

1.6% of GDP (2022 est.) 1.8% of GDP (2021 est.) 1.7% of GDP (2020 est.) 1.9% of GDP (2019 est.) 1.7% of GDP (2018 est.)

Military service age and obligation

18-25 years of age for selective compulsory military service for men and women (Air Force service is voluntary); 16 years of age or younger, with parental consent, for voluntary service (2023)

Age structure

0-14 years: 42.51% (male 444,214/female 439,517) 15-64 years: 54.38% (male 545,116/female 585,284) 65 years and over: 3.11% (2023 est.) (male 26,890/female 37,799)

Alcohol consumption per capita

total: 3.21 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) beer: 0.41 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) wine: 0.98 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) spirits: 0.54 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) other alcohols: 1.28 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Birth rate

36.3 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Child marriage

women married by age 15: 8.1% women married by age 18: 25.7% men married by age 18: 2.2% (2019 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

18.8% (2019)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

20.6% (2018/19)

Current health expenditure

8.4% of GDP (2020)

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

56.7% (2023 est.)

Death rate

7.3 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

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 as of 2020. 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.

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 76.6 youth dependency ratio: 71.6 elderly dependency ratio: 5 potential support ratio: 20.1 (2021 est.)

Drinking water source

improved: urban: 90.6% of population rural: 59.1% of population total: 73.1% of population unimproved: urban: 9.4% of population rural: 40.9% of population total: 26.9% of population (2020 est.)

Education expenditures

2.7% of GDP (2020 est.)

Ethnic groups

Balanta 30%, Fulani 30%, Manjaco 14%, Mandinga 13%, Papel 7%, unspecified smaller ethnic groups 6% (2015 est.)

Gross reproduction rate

2.29 (2023 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 47.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.) male: 53.4 deaths/1,000 live births female: 41.8 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

Portuguese-based Creole, Portuguese (official; largely used as a second or third language), Pular (a Fula language), Mandingo

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 64.1 years (2023 est.) male: 61.8 years female: 66.4 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 52.9% male: 67% female: 39.9% (2021)

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk: very high (2023) food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and dengue fever water contact diseases: schistosomiasis animal contact diseases: rabies

Major urban areas - population

664,000 BISSAU (capital) (2023)

Maternal mortality ratio

725 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Median age

total: 18.3 years (2023 est.) male: 17.7 years female: 18.9 years

Nationality

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

Net migration rate

-3.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

9.5% (2016)

Physicians density

0.2 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

Population

2,078,820 (2023 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

Population growth rate

2.54% (2023 est.)

Religions

Muslim 46.1%, folk religions 30.6%, Christian 18.9%, other or unaffiliated 4.4% (2020 est.)

Sanitation facility access

improved: urban: 62.4% of population rural: 7.6% of population total: 31.8% of population unimproved: urban: 37.6% of population rural: 92.4% of population total: 68.2% of population (2020 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Tobacco use

total: 9% (2020 est.) male: 17% (2020 est.) female: 0.9% (2020 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.65 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Urbanization

urban population: 45.5% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 3.22% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Disputes - international

Guinea-Bissau - Senegal: there are no border disputes and the frontier is relatively stable although some rebels conducting a longstanding low-grade insurgency in the southern Casamance region of Senegal have used Guinea-Bissau as a safe haven

Illicit drugs

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): 7,757 (Senegal) (2022)

Trafficking in persons

tier rating: Tier 3 Guinea-Bissau does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so, therefore Guinea-Bissau remained on Tier 3; despite the lack of efforts, the government took some steps to address trafficking, including investigating cases, identifying potential victims, launching a national referral mechanism, and convening its anti-trafficking committee; however, Guinea-Bissau has never convicted a trafficker and failed to prosecute alleged traffickers for the third consecutive year; the government continued to lack adequate victim identification and services, and has lacked sufficient resources and political will to comprehensively combat trafficking (2022) trafficking profile: human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims in Guinea-Bissau and Bissau-Guineans abroad; forced child begging is the most prevalent form of trafficking; boys reportedly were transported to southern Senegal for forced manual and agricultural labor; girls may be subjected to forced domestic service and child prostitution in Guinea, Senegal and the Gambia; women are recruited and exploited in domestic servitude abroad; girls, and to a lesser extent boys, are exploited in child sex tourism in the Bijagos, an archipelago off the coast of Guinea-Bissau that is largely devoid of government and law enforcement presence; Cuban nationals in Guinea-Bissau may have been forced to work by the Cuban government (2022)

Airports

8 (2021)

Airports - with paved runways

2 note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the typical length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

6 note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

J5

Merchant marine

total: 8 (2022) by type: general cargo 5, other 3

Ports and terminals

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

Roadways

total: 4,400 km (2018) paved: 453 km (2018) unpaved: 3,947 km (2018)

Waterways

1,367 km (2022) major rivers Geba- 550km, Corubal 560 km, Cacheu 257 km (rivers are partially navigable; many inlets and creeks provide shallow-water access to much of interior)