Population:
14,320,055 (July 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 73
[see also: Population country ranks ]

Nationality:
noun: Senegalese (singular and plural)
adjective: Senegalese

Ethnic groups:
Wolof 38.7%, Pular 26.5%, Serer 15%, Mandinka 4.2%, Jola 4%, Soninke 2.3%, other 9.3% (includes Europeans and persons of Lebanese descent) (2010-11 est.)

Languages:
French (official), Wolof, Pulaar, Jola, Mandinka

Religions:
Muslim 95.4% (most adhere to one of the four main Sufi brotherhoods), Christian 4.2% (mostly Roman Catholic), animist 0.4% (2010-11 est.)

Demographic profile:
Senegal has a large and growing youth population but has not been successful in developing its potential human capital. Senegal’s high total fertility rate of almost 4.5 children per woman continues to bolster the country’s large youth cohort – more than 60% of the population is under the age of 25. Fertility remains high because of the continued desire for large families, the low use of family planning, and early childbearing. Because of the country’s high illiteracy rate (more than 40%), high unemployment (even among university graduates), and widespread poverty, Senegalese youths face dim prospects; women are especially disadvantaged. Senegal historically was a destination country for economic migrants, but in recent years West African migrants more often use Senegal as a transit point to North Africa – and sometimes illegally onward to Europe. The country also has been host to several thousand black Mauritanian refugees since they were expelled from their homeland during its 1989 border conflict with Senegal. The country’s economic crisis in the 1970s stimulated emigration; departures accelerated in the 1990s. Destinations shifted from neighboring countries, which were experiencing economic decline, civil wars, and increasing xenophobia, to Libya and Mauritania because of their booming oil industries and to developed countries (most notably former colonial ruler France, as well as Italy and Spain). The latter became attractive in the 1990s because of job opportunities and their periodic regularization programs (legalizing the status of illegal migrants). Additionally, about 16,000 Senegalese refugees still remain in The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau as a result of more than 30 years of fighting between government forces and rebel separatists in southern Senegal’s Casamance region.

Age structure:
0-14 years: 41.85% (male 3,011,233/female 2,981,128)
[see also: Age structure 0-14 years country ranks ]
15-24 years: 20.36% (male 1,452,415/female 1,462,989)
[see also: Age structure 15-24 years country ranks ]
25-54 years: 30.93% (male 2,031,035/female 2,398,788)
[see also: Age structure 25-54 years country ranks ]
55-64 years: 3.91% (male 242,429/female 317,439)
[see also: Age structure 55-64 years country ranks ]
65 years and over: 2.95% (male 189,201/female 233,398) (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: 87.6%
[see also: Dependency ratios - total dependency ratio country ranks ]
youth dependency ratio: 82.1%
[see also: Dependency ratios - youth dependency ratio country ranks ]
elderly dependency ratio: 5.5%
[see also: Dependency ratios - elderly dependency ratio country ranks ]
potential support ratio: 18.2% (2015 est.)
[see also: Dependency ratios - potential support ratio country ranks ]

Median age:
total: 18.7 years
[see also: Median age - total country ranks ]
male: 17.8 years
[see also: Median age - male country ranks ]
female: 19.6 years (2016 est.)
[see also: Median age - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 206

Population growth rate:
2.42% (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 27
[see also: Population growth rate country ranks ]

Birth rate:
34 births/1,000 population (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 25
[see also: Birth rate country ranks ]

Death rate:
8.3 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 83
[see also: Death rate country ranks ]

Net migration rate:
-1.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 154
[see also: Net migration rate country ranks ]

Urbanization:
urban population: 43.7% of total population (2015)
[see also: Urbanization - urban population country ranks ]
rate of urbanization: 3.59% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
[see also: Urbanization - rate of urbanization country ranks ]

Major urban areas - population:
DAKAR (capital) 3.52 million (2015)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - at birth country ranks ]
0-14 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 0-14 years country ranks ]
15-24 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 15-24 years country ranks ]
25-54 years: 0.85 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: 0.82 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 65 years and over country ranks ]
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

Mother's mean age at first birth:
21.4
note: median age at first birth among women 25-29 (2014 est.)
[see also: Mother's mean age at first birth country ranks ]

Maternal mortality rate:
315 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 28
[see also: Maternal mortality rate country ranks ]

Infant mortality rate:
total: 50.3 deaths/1,000 live births
[see also: Infant mortality rate - total country ranks ]
male: 56.3 deaths/1,000 live births
[see also: Infant mortality rate - male country ranks ]
female: 44.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.)
[see also: Infant mortality rate - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 34

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 61.7 years
[see also: Life expectancy at birth - total country ranks ]
male: 59.7 years
[see also: Life expectancy at birth - male country ranks ]
female: 63.8 years (2016 est.)
[see also: Life expectancy at birth - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 196

Total fertility rate:
4.36 children born/woman (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 30
[see also: Total fertility rate country ranks ]

Contraceptive prevalence rate:
17.8% (2012/13)
[see also: Contraceptive prevalence rate country ranks ]

Health expenditures:
4.7% of GDP (2014)
country comparison to the world: 141
[see also: Health expenditures country ranks ]

Physicians density:
0.06 physicians/1,000 population (2008)
[see also: Physicians density country ranks ]

Hospital bed density:
0.3 beds/1,000 population (2008)
[see also: Hospital bed density country ranks ]

Drinking water source:
improved: urban: 92.9% of population rural: 67.3% of population total: 78.5% of population
[see also: Drinking water source - Improved - total country ranks ]
unimproved: urban: 7.1% of population rural: 32.7% of population total: 21.5% of population (2015 est.)
[see also: Drinking water source - Unimproved - total country ranks ]

Sanitation facility access:
improved: urban: 65.4% of population rural: 33.8% of population total: 47.6% of population
[see also: Sanitation facility access - Total Improved country ranks ]
unimproved: urban: 34.6% of population rural: 66.2% of population total: 52.4% of population (2015 est.)
[see also: Sanitation facility access - Total UnImproved country ranks ]

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.52% (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 66
[see also: HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate country ranks ]

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
45,800 (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 58
[see also: HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS country ranks ]

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
2,200 (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 52
[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 and dengue fever
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
animal contact disease: rabies (2016)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate:
8.3% (2014)
country comparison to the world: 145
[see also: Obesity - adult prevalence rate country ranks ]

Children under the age of 5 years underweight:
12.8% (2014)
country comparison to the world: 40
[see also: Children under the age of 5 years underweight country ranks ]

Education expenditures:
7.2% of GDP (2014)
country comparison to the world: 53
[see also: Education expenditures - percent of GDP country ranks ]

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 57.7%
[see also: Literacy - total country ranks ]
male: 69.7%
[see also: Literacy - male country ranks ]
female: 46.6% (2015 est.)
[see also: Literacy - female country ranks ]

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 8 years
[see also: School life expectancy - total country ranks ]
male: 8 years
[see also: School life expectancy - male country ranks ]
female: 8 years (2010)
[see also: School life expectancy - female country ranks ]

Child labor - children ages 5-14:
total number: 657,216
[see also: Child labor - children ages 5-14 - total number country ranks ]
percentage: 22% (2005 est.)
[see also: Child labor - children ages 5-14 - percentage country ranks ]

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24
total: 12.7%
[see also: Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 - total country ranks ]
male: 8.3%
[see also: Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 - male country ranks ]
female: 19% (2011 est.)
[see also: Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 77