Population:
759,451 (July 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 165
[see also: Population country ranks ]

Nationality:
noun: Equatorial Guinean(s) or Equatoguinean(s)
adjective: Equatorial Guinean or Equatoguinean

Ethnic groups:
Fang 85.7%, Bubi 6.5%, Mdowe 3.6%, Annobon 1.6%, Bujeba 1.1%, other 1.4% (1994 census)

Languages:
Spanish (official) 67.6%, other (includes French (official), Fang, Bubi) 32.4% (1994 census)

Religions:
nominally Christian and predominantly Roman Catholic, pagan practices

Demographic profile:
Equatorial Guinea is one of the smallest and least populated countries in continental Africa and is the only independent African country where Spanish is an official language. Despite a boom in oil production in the 1990s, authoritarianism, corruption, and resource mismanagement have concentrated the benefits among a small elite. These practices have perpetuated income inequality and unbalanced development, such as low public spending on education and health care. Unemployment remains problematic because the oil-dominated economy employs a small labor force dependent on skilled foreign workers. The agricultural sector, Equatorial Guinea’s main employer, continues to deteriorate because of a lack of investment and the migration of rural workers to urban areas. About three-quarters of the population lives below the poverty line. Equatorial Guinea’s large and growing youth population – about 60% are under the age of 25 – is particularly affected because job creation in the non-oil sectors is limited, and young people often do not have the skills needed in the labor market. Equatorial Guinean children frequently enter school late, have poor attendance, and have high dropout rates. Thousands of Equatorial Guineans fled across the border to Gabon in the 1970s to escape the dictatorship of MACIAS NGUEMA; smaller numbers have followed in the decades since. Continued inequitable economic growth and high youth unemployment increases the likelihood of ethnic and regional violence.

Age structure:
0-14 years: 40.15% (male 154,896/female 150,010)
[see also: Age structure 0-14 years country ranks ]
15-24 years: 19.63% (male 75,914/female 73,194)
[see also: Age structure 15-24 years country ranks ]
25-54 years: 31.94% (male 120,999/female 121,587)
[see also: Age structure 25-54 years country ranks ]
55-64 years: 4.3% (male 14,052/female 18,583)
[see also: Age structure 55-64 years country ranks ]
65 years and over: 3.98% (male 12,627/female 17,589) (2016 est.)
[see also: Age structure 65 years and over country ranks ]
population pyramid:
A population pyramid illustrates the age and sex structure of a country's population and may provide insights about political and social stability, as well as economic development. The population is distributed along the horizontal axis, with males shown on the left and females on the right. The male and female populations are broken down into 5-year age groups represented as horizontal bars along the vertical axis, with the youngest age groups at the bottom and the oldest at the top. The shape of the population pyramid gradually evolves over time based on fertility, mortality, and international migration trends.

For additional information, please see the entry for Population pyramid on the Definitions and Notes page under the References tab.

Dependency ratios:
total dependency ratio: 72.9%
[see also: Dependency ratios - total dependency ratio country ranks ]
youth dependency ratio: 67.9%
[see also: Dependency ratios - youth dependency ratio country ranks ]
elderly dependency ratio: 5%
[see also: Dependency ratios - elderly dependency ratio country ranks ]
potential support ratio: 20% (2015 est.)
[see also: Dependency ratios - potential support ratio country ranks ]

Median age:
total: 19.6 years
[see also: Median age - total country ranks ]
male: 19.1 years
[see also: Median age - male country ranks ]
female: 20.1 years (2016 est.)
[see also: Median age - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 196

Population growth rate:
2.48% (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 22
[see also: Population growth rate country ranks ]

Birth rate:
32.8 births/1,000 population (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 32
[see also: Birth rate country ranks ]

Death rate:
8 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 96
[see also: Death rate country ranks ]

Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 81
[see also: Net migration rate country ranks ]

Urbanization:
urban population: 39.9% of total population (2015)
[see also: Urbanization - urban population country ranks ]
rate of urbanization: 3.12% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
[see also: Urbanization - rate of urbanization country ranks ]

Major urban areas - population:
MALABO (capital) 145,000 (2014)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - at birth country ranks ]
0-14 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 0-14 years country ranks ]
15-24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 15-24 years country ranks ]
25-54 years: 1 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 25-54 years country ranks ]
55-64 years: 0.76 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 55-64 years country ranks ]
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 65 years and over country ranks ]
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

Maternal mortality rate:
342 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 47
[see also: Maternal mortality rate country ranks ]

Infant mortality rate:
total: 67.2 deaths/1,000 live births
[see also: Infant mortality rate - total country ranks ]
male: 68.2 deaths/1,000 live births
[see also: Infant mortality rate - male country ranks ]
female: 66.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.)
[see also: Infant mortality rate - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 14

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 64.2 years
[see also: Life expectancy at birth - total country ranks ]
male: 63.1 years
[see also: Life expectancy at birth - male country ranks ]
female: 65.4 years (2016 est.)
[see also: Life expectancy at birth - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 183

Total fertility rate:
4.48 children born/woman (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 24
[see also: Total fertility rate country ranks ]

Contraceptive prevalence rate:
12.6% (2011)
[see also: Contraceptive prevalence rate country ranks ]

Health expenditures:
3.8% of GDP (2014)
country comparison to the world: 149
[see also: Health expenditures country ranks ]

Hospital bed density:
2.1 beds/1,000 population (2010)
[see also: Hospital bed density country ranks ]

Drinking water source:
improved: urban: 72.5% of population rural: 31.5% of population total: 47.9% of population
[see also: Drinking water source - Improved - total country ranks ]
unimproved: urban: 27.5% of population rural: 68.5% of population total: 52.1% of population (2015 est.)
[see also: Drinking water source - Unimproved - total country ranks ]

Sanitation facility access:
improved: urban: 79.9% of population rural: 71% of population total: 74.5% of population
[see also: Sanitation facility access - Total Improved country ranks ]
unimproved: urban: 20.1% of population rural: 29% of population total: 25.5% of population (2015 est.)
[see also: Sanitation facility access - Total UnImproved country ranks ]

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
4.88% (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 11
[see also: HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate country ranks ]

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
27,400 (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 70
[see also: HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS country ranks ]

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
1,100 (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 71
[see also: HIV/AIDS - deaths country ranks ]

Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria and dengue fever
animal contact disease: rabies (2016)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate:
16.2% (2014)
country comparison to the world: 129
[see also: Obesity - adult prevalence rate country ranks ]

Children under the age of 5 years underweight:
5.6% (2010)
country comparison to the world: 87
[see also: Children under the age of 5 years underweight country ranks ]

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 95.3%
[see also: Literacy - total country ranks ]
male: 97.4%
[see also: Literacy - male country ranks ]
female: 93% (2015 est.)