Population:
1,759,159 (July 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 152
[see also: Population country ranks ]

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:
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.)

Religions:
Muslim 45.1%, Christian 22.1%, animist 14.9%, none 2%, unspecified 15.9% (2008 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. 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.

Age structure:
0-14 years: 39.28% (male 344,976/female 346,102)
[see also: Age structure 0-14 years country ranks ]
15-24 years: 20.17% (male 176,050/female 178,842)
[see also: Age structure 15-24 years country ranks ]
25-54 years: 32.53% (male 285,258/female 286,955)
[see also: Age structure 25-54 years country ranks ]
55-64 years: 4.62% (male 31,030/female 50,215)
[see also: Age structure 55-64 years country ranks ]
65 years and over: 3.4% (male 22,121/female 37,610) (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: 78.4%
[see also: Dependency ratios - total dependency ratio country ranks ]
youth dependency ratio: 72.8%
[see also: Dependency ratios - youth dependency ratio country ranks ]
elderly dependency ratio: 5.7%
[see also: Dependency ratios - elderly dependency ratio country ranks ]
potential support ratio: 17.7% (2015 est.)
[see also: Dependency ratios - potential support ratio country ranks ]

Median age:
total: 20 years
[see also: Median age - total country ranks ]
male: 19.5 years
[see also: Median age - male country ranks ]
female: 20.5 years (2016 est.)
[see also: Median age - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 190

Population growth rate:
1.88% (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 55
[see also: Population growth rate country ranks ]

Birth rate:
32.9 births/1,000 population (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 31
[see also: Birth rate country ranks ]

Death rate:
14.1 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 6
[see also: Death rate country ranks ]

Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 94
[see also: Net migration rate country ranks ]

Urbanization:
urban population: 49.3% of total population (2015)
[see also: Urbanization - urban population country ranks ]
rate of urbanization: 4.13% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
[see also: Urbanization - rate of urbanization country ranks ]

Major urban areas - population:
BISSAU (capital) 492,000 (2015)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - at birth country ranks ]
0-14 years: 1 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 0-14 years country ranks ]
15-24 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 15-24 years country ranks ]
25-54 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 25-54 years country ranks ]
55-64 years: 0.62 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 55-64 years country ranks ]
65 years and over: 0.6 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 65 years and over country ranks ]
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

Maternal mortality rate:
549 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 7
[see also: Maternal mortality rate country ranks ]

Infant mortality rate:
total: 87.5 deaths/1,000 live births
[see also: Infant mortality rate - total country ranks ]
male: 96.9 deaths/1,000 live births
[see also: Infant mortality rate - male country ranks ]
female: 77.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.)
[see also: Infant mortality rate - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 5

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 50.6 years
[see also: Life expectancy at birth - total country ranks ]
male: 48.6 years
[see also: Life expectancy at birth - male country ranks ]
female: 52.7 years (2016 est.)
[see also: Life expectancy at birth - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 223

Total fertility rate:
4.16 children born/woman (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 33
[see also: Total fertility rate country ranks ]

Contraceptive prevalence rate:
14.2% (2010)
[see also: Contraceptive prevalence rate country ranks ]

Health expenditures:
5.6% of GDP (2014)
country comparison to the world: 116
[see also: Health expenditures country ranks ]

Physicians density:
0.1 physicians/1,000 population (2009)
[see also: Physicians density country ranks ]

Hospital bed density:
1 beds/1,000 population (2009)
[see also: Hospital bed density country ranks ]

Drinking water source:
improved: urban: 98.8% of population rural: 60.3% of population total: 79.3% of population
[see also: Drinking water source - Improved - total country ranks ]
unimproved: urban: 1.2% of population rural: 39.7% of population total: 20.7% of population (2015 est.)
[see also: Drinking water source - Unimproved - total country ranks ]

Sanitation facility access:
improved: urban: 33.5% of population rural: 8.5% of population total: 20.8% of population
[see also: Sanitation facility access - Total Improved country ranks ]
unimproved: urban: 66.5% of population rural: 91.5% of population total: 79.2% of population (2015 est.)
[see also: Sanitation facility access - Total UnImproved country ranks ]

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
3.69% (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 17
[see also: HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate country ranks ]

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
42,000 (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 59
[see also: HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS country ranks ]

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
1,900 (2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 57
[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 diseases: malaria, dengue fever, and yellow fever
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
animal contact disease: rabies (2016)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate:
6.3% (2014)
country comparison to the world: 159
[see also: Obesity - adult prevalence rate country ranks ]

Children under the age of 5 years underweight:
17% (2014)
country comparison to the world: 35
[see also: Children under the age of 5 years underweight country ranks ]

Education expenditures:
2.2% of GDP (2013)
[see also: Education expenditures - percent of GDP country ranks ]

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 59.9%
[see also: Literacy - total country ranks ]
male: 71.8%
[see also: Literacy - male country ranks ]
female: 48.3% (2015 est.)
[see also: Literacy - female country ranks ]

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 9 years
[see also: School life expectancy - total country ranks ]
male: NA
[see also: School life expectancy - male country ranks ]
female: NA (2006)
[see also: School life expectancy - female country ranks ]

Child labor - children ages 5-14:
total number: 226,316
[see also: Child labor - children ages 5-14 - total number country ranks ]
percentage: 57% (2010 est.)