2,078,820 (2023 est.)
noun: Bissau-Guinean(s)
adjective: Bissau-Guinean
Balanta 30%, Fulani 30%, Manjaco 14%, Mandinga 13%, Papel 7%, unspecified smaller ethnic groups 6% (2015 est.)
Portuguese-based Creole, Portuguese (official; largely used as a second or third language), Pular (a Fula language), Mandingo
Muslim 46.1%, folk religions 30.6%, Christian 18.9%, other or unaffiliated 4.4% (2020 est.)
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.
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)
2023 population pyramid: 
total dependency ratio: 76.6
youth dependency ratio: 71.6
elderly dependency ratio: 5
potential support ratio: 20.1 (2021 est.)
total: 18.3 years (2023 est.)
male: 17.7 years
female: 18.9 years
2.54% (2023 est.)
36.3 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
7.3 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
-3.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
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 
urban population: 45.5% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 3.22% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
664,000 BISSAU (capital) (2023)
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.)
725 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
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
total population: 64.1 years (2023 est.)
male: 61.8 years
female: 66.4 years
4.65 children born/woman (2023 est.)
2.29 (2023 est.)
20.6% (2018/19)
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.)
8.4% of GDP (2020)
0.2 physicians/1,000 population (2020)
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.)
degree of risk: very high (2023)
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria, dengue fever, and sexually transmitted diseases: hepatitis B (2024)
water contact diseases: schistosomiasis
animal contact diseases: rabies
9.5% (2016)
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.)
total: 9% (2020 est.)
male: 17% (2020 est.)
female: 0.9% (2020 est.)
18.8% (2019)
56.7% (2023 est.)
women married by age 15: 8.1%
women married by age 18: 25.7%
men married by age 18: 2.2% (2019 est.)
2.7% of GDP (2020 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 52.9%
male: 67%
female: 39.9% (2021)
NOTE: The information regarding Guinea Bissau on this page is re-published from the 2024 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Guinea Bissau 2024 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Guinea Bissau 2024 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.
This page was last modified 04 May 24, Copyright © 2024 ITA all rights reserved.
