Population:
7,756,937
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 100
[see also: Population country ranks ]

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

Ethnic groups:
African (37 tribes; largest and most important are Ewe, Mina, and Kabre) 99%, European and Syrian-Lebanese less than 1%

Languages:
French (official, the language of commerce), Ewe and Mina (the two major African languages in the south), Kabye (sometimes spelled Kabiye) and Dagomba (the two major African languages in the north)

Religions:
Christian 29%, Muslim 20%, indigenous beliefs 51%

Demographic profile:
Togo’s population is estimated to have grown to four times its size between 1960 and 2010. With nearly 60% of its populace under the age of 25 and a high annual growth rate attributed largely to high fertility, Togo’s population is likely to continue to expand for the foreseeable future. Reducing fertility, boosting job creation, and improving education will be essential to reducing the country’s high poverty rate. In 2008, Togo eliminated primary school enrollment fees, leading to higher enrollment but increased pressure on limited classroom space, teachers, and materials. Togo has a good chance of achieving universal primary education, but educational quality, the underrepresentation of girls, and the low rate of enrollment in secondary and tertiary schools remain concerns. Togo is both a country of emigration and asylum. In the early 1990s, southern Togo suffered from the economic decline of the phosphate sector and ethnic and political repression at the hands of dictator Gnassingbe EYADEMA and his northern, Kabye-dominated administration. The turmoil led 300,000 to 350,000 predominantly southern Togolese to flee to Benin and Ghana, with most not returning home until relative stability was restored in 1997. In 2005, another outflow of 40,000 Togolese to Benin and Ghana occurred when violence broke out between the opposition and security forces over the disputed election of EYADEMA’s son Faure GNASSINGBE to the presidency. About half of the refugees reluctantly returned home in 2006, many still fearing for their safety. Despite ethnic tensions and periods of political unrest, Togo in 2016 was home to more than 18,000 refugees from Ghana.

Age structure:
0-14 years: 40.44% (male 1,573,363/female 1,563,267)
[see also: Age structure 0-14 years country ranks ]
15-24 years: 19.34% (male 749,002/female 751,571)
[see also: Age structure 15-24 years country ranks ]
25-54 years: 32.58% (male 1,255,524/female 1,271,804)
[see also: Age structure 25-54 years country ranks ]
55-64 years: 4.27% (male 156,249/female 175,089)
[see also: Age structure 55-64 years country ranks ]
65 years and over: 3.37% (male 112,845/female 148,223) (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: 81.8%
[see also: Dependency ratios - total dependency ratio country ranks ]
youth dependency ratio: 76.8%
[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: 19.9% (2015 est.)
[see also: Dependency ratios - potential support ratio country ranks ]

Median age:
total: 19.7 years
[see also: Median age - total country ranks ]
male: 19.4 years
[see also: Median age - male country ranks ]
female: 20 years (2016 est.)
[see also: Median age - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 193

Population growth rate:
2.66% (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 15
[see also: Population growth rate country ranks ]

Birth rate:
33.7 births/1,000 population (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 28
[see also: Birth rate country ranks ]

Death rate:
7.1 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 131
[see also: Death rate country ranks ]

Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 98
[see also: Net migration rate country ranks ]

Urbanization:
urban population: 40% of total population (2015)
[see also: Urbanization - urban population country ranks ]
rate of urbanization: 3.83% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
[see also: Urbanization - rate of urbanization country ranks ]

Major urban areas - population:
LOME (capital) 956,000 (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: 1 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: 0.89 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 55-64 years country ranks ]
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 65 years and over country ranks ]
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

Mother's mean age at first birth:
21
note: median age at first birth among women 25-29 (2013/14 est.)
[see also: Mother's mean age at first birth country ranks ]

Maternal mortality rate:
368 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 40
[see also: Maternal mortality rate country ranks ]

Infant mortality rate:
total: 43.7 deaths/1,000 live births
[see also: Infant mortality rate - total country ranks ]
male: 50.1 deaths/1,000 live births
[see also: Infant mortality rate - male country ranks ]
female: 37 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.)
[see also: Infant mortality rate - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 45

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 65 years
[see also: Life expectancy at birth - total country ranks ]
male: 62.3 years
[see also: Life expectancy at birth - male country ranks ]
female: 67.7 years (2016 est.)
[see also: Life expectancy at birth - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 177

Total fertility rate:
4.43 children born/woman (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 27
[see also: Total fertility rate country ranks ]

Contraceptive prevalence rate:
15.2% (2010)
[see also: Contraceptive prevalence rate country ranks ]

Health expenditures:
5.2% of GDP (2014)
country comparison to the world: 45
[see also: Health expenditures country ranks ]

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

Hospital bed density:
0.7 beds/1,000 population (2011)
[see also: Hospital bed density country ranks ]

Drinking water source:
improved: urban: 91.4% of population rural: 44.2% of population total: 63.1% of population
[see also: Drinking water source - Improved - total country ranks ]
unimproved: urban: 8.6% of population rural: 55.8% of population total: 36.9% of population (2015 est.)
[see also: Drinking water source - Unimproved - total country ranks ]

Sanitation facility access:
improved: urban: 24.7% of population rural: 2.9% of population total: 11.6% of population
[see also: Sanitation facility access - Total Improved country ranks ]
unimproved: urban: 75.3% of population rural: 97.1% of population total: 88.4% of population (2015 est.)
[see also: Sanitation facility access - Total UnImproved country ranks ]

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
2.4% (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 26
[see also: HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate country ranks ]

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
106,300 (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 41
[see also: HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS country ranks ]

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
5,100 (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 35
[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
respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
animal contact disease: rabies (2016)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate:
6.4% (2014)
country comparison to the world: 169
[see also: Obesity - adult prevalence rate country ranks ]

Children under the age of 5 years underweight:
16.2% (2014)
country comparison to the world: 41
[see also: Children under the age of 5 years underweight country ranks ]

Education expenditures:
5.3% of GDP (2015)
country comparison to the world: 91
[see also: Education expenditures - percent of GDP country ranks ]

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 66.5%
[see also: Literacy - total country ranks ]
male: 78.3%
[see also: Literacy - male country ranks ]
female: 55.3% (2015 est.)
[see also: Literacy - female country ranks ]

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 12 years
[see also: School life expectancy - total country ranks ]
male: NA
[see also: School life expectancy - male country ranks ]
female: NA (2011)
[see also: School life expectancy - female country ranks ]

Child labor - children ages 5-14:
total number: 774,801
[see also: Child labor - children ages 5-14 - total number country ranks ]
percentage: 47% (2010 est.)