Map of Guinea-Bissau | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: Since independence from Portugal in 1974, Guinea-Bissau has experienced considerable political and military upheaval. In 1980, a military coup established authoritarian General Joao Bernardo 'Nino' VIEIRA as president. Despite eventually setting a path to a market economy and multiparty system, VIEIRA's regime was characterized by the suppression of political opposition and the purging of political rivals. Several coup attempts through the 1980s and early 1990s failed to unseat him. In 1994 VIEIRA was elected president in the country's first free, multiparty election. A military mutiny and resulting civil war in 1998 eventually led to VIEIRA's ouster in May 1999. In February 2000, a transitional government turned over power to opposition leader Kumba YALA after he was elected president in transparent polling. In September 2003, after only three years in office, YALA was overthrown in a bloodless military coup, and businessman Henrique ROSA was sworn in as interim president. In 2005, former President VIEIRA was reelected, pledging to pursue economic development and national reconciliation; he was assassinated in March 2009. Malam Bacai SANHA was elected in an emergency election held in June 2009, but he passed away in January 2012 from a long-term illness. A military coup in April 2012 prevented Guinea-Bissau's second-round presidential election - to determine SANHA's successor - from taking place. Following mediation by the Economic Community of Western African States, a civilian transitional government assumed power in 2012 and remained until Jose Mario VAZ won a free and fair election in 2014. Beginning in 2015, a political dispute between factions in the ruling PAIGC party brought government gridlock. It was not until April 2018 that a consensus prime minister could be appointed, the national legislature reopened (having been closed for two years), and a new government formed under Prime Minister Aristides GOMES. In March 2019, the government held legislative elections, voting in the PAIGC as the ruling party; however, President VAZ continues to perpetuate a political stalemate by refusing to name PAICG President Domingos SIMOES PEREIRA Prime Minister.


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Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Senegal

Geographic coordinates: 12 00 N, 15 00 W

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 36,125 km²
Land: 28,120 km²
Water: 8,005 km²
Rank: 137
Comparative: slightly less than three times the size of Connecticut

Land boundaries
Total: 762 km
Border countries: (2) Guinea 421 km; , Senegal 341 km

Coastline: 350 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate: tropical; generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds

Terrain: mostly low-lying coastal plain with a deeply indented estuarine coastline rising to savanna in east; numerous off-shore islands including the Arquipelago Dos Bijagos consisting of 18 main islands and many small islets

Elevation
Mean elevation: 70 m
Lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Highest point: unnamed elevation in the eastern part of the country 300 m

Natural resources: fish, timber, phosphates, bauxite, clay, granite, limestone, unexploited deposits of petroleum

Land use
Agricultural land: 44.8% (2011 est.)
Forest: 55.2% (2011 est.)
Other: 0% (2011 est.)

Irrigated land: 250 km² (2012)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season; brush fires

Geography
Note: this small country is swampy along its western coast and low-lying inland


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Population
Distribution rank: population distribution map: 1,927,104 (July 2020 est.)
Rank: 151
Growth rate: 2.51% (2020 est.)
Growth rate rank: 23
Below poverty line: 67% (2015 est.)

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 (lingua franca), Portuguese (official; largely used as a second or third language), Pular (a Fula language), Mandingo

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: 43.17% (male 417,810/female 414,105)
15-24 years: 20.38% (male 192,451/female 200,370)
25-54 years: 30.24% (male 275,416/female 307,387)
55-64 years: 3.12% (male 29,549/female 30,661)
65 years and over: 3.08% (male 25,291/female 34,064) (2020 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 81.2
Youth dependency ratio: 76
Elderly dependency ratio: 5.2
Potential support ratio: 19.1 (202 est.)

Median age
Total: 18 years
Male: 17.4 years
Female: 18.6 years (2020 est.)
Rank: 214

Population growth rate: 2.51% (2020 est.)
Rank: 23

Birth rate: 36.9 births/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 14

Death rate: 7.9 deaths/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 94

Net migration rate: -3.8 migrant(s)/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 185

Population distribution
Rank: population distribution map

Urbanization
Urban population: 44.2% of total population
Note: (2015-20 est.)
Rate of urbanization: 3.41% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: 600,000 BISSAU (capital) (2020)

Environment
Current issues: deforestation (rampant felling of trees for timber and agricultural purposes); soil erosion; overgrazing; overfishing
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.9 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 51.9 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 57.9 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 45.7 deaths/1000 live births (2020 est.)
Rank: 22

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 62.8 years
Male: 60.6 years
Female: 65.1 years (2020 est.)
Rank: 206

Total fertility rate: 4.75 children born/woman (2020 est.)
Rank: 17

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 16% (2014)

Drinking water source
Urban: 8.5% of population
Rural: 39.7% of population
Total: 26.5% of population (2017 est.)

Current health expenditure: 7.2% (2017)

Physicians density: 0.13 physicians/1000 population (2016)

Hospital bed density: 1 beds/1000 population (2009)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 33.5% of population
Rural: 86.6% of population
Total: 63.8% of population (2017 est.)

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 3.4% (2019 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 16
People living with hivaids: 40,000 (2019 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 67
Deaths: 1500 (2019 est.)
Deaths rank: 50

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: very high (2020)
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: malaria, dengue fever, and yellow fever
Water contact diseases: schistosomiasis
Animal contact diseases: rabies

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 9.5% (2016)
Rank: 144

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 17% (2014)
Rank: 33

Education expenditures: 2.1% of GDP (2013)
Rank: 159

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 59.9%
Male: 71.8%
Female: 48.3% (2015)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Guinea-Bissau
Conventional short form: Guinea-Bissau
Local long form: Republica da Guine-Bissau
Local short form: Guine-Bissau
Former: Portuguese Guinea
Etymology: the country is named after the Guinea region of West Africa that lies along the Gulf of Guinea and stretches north to the Sahel; Bissau, the name of the capital city, distinguishes the country from neighboring Guinea

Government type: semi-presidential republic

Capital
Name: Bissau
Geographic coordinates: 11 51 N, 15 35 W
Time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time): etymology: the meaning of Bissau is uncertain, it might be an alternative name for the Papel people who live in the area of the city of Bissau

Administrative divisions: 9 regions (regioes, singular - regiao); Bafata, Biombo, Bissau, Bolama/Bijagos, Cacheu, Gabu, Oio, Quinara, Tombali

Dependent areas

Independence: 24 September 1973 (declared); 10 September 1974 (from Portugal)

National holiday: Independence Day, 24 September (1973)

Constitution
History: promulgated 16 May 1984; note - constitution suspended following military coup in April 2012 and restored in 2014
Amendments: proposed by the National People’s Assembly if supported by at least one third of its members, by the Council of State (a presidential consultant body), or by the government; passage requires approval by at least two-thirds majority vote of the Assembly; constitutional articles on the republican and secular form of government and national sovereignty cannot be amended; amended 1991, 1993, 1996

Legal system: mixed legal system of civil law, which incorporated Portuguese law at independence and influenced by Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), African Francophone Public Law, and customary law

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; non-party state to the ICCt

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: yes
Citizenship by descent only: yes
Dual citizenship recognized: no
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state:  President Umaro Cissoko EMBALO (since 27 February 2020); note - President EMBALO was declared winner of the 29 December 2019 runoff presidential election by the electoral commission; however, on 28 February 2020, Cipriano CASSAMA was appointed as interim president by the parliament until the Supreme Court rules on the legitimacy of the elections due to alleged irregularities in voting; CASSAMA resigned the following day stating he had received death threats 
Head of government: Prime Minister Nuno NABIAM (since 27 February 2020)
Cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the prime minister, appointed by the president
Electionsappointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term; election last held on 24 November 2019 with a runoff on 29 December 2019 (next to be held in 2024); prime minister appointed by the president after consultation with party leaders in the National Peoples Assembly; note - the president cannot apply for a third consecutive term, nor during the 5 years following the end of the second term
Election results: Umaro Sissoco EMBALO elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Domingos Simoes PEREIRA (PAIGC) 40.1%, Umaro Sissoco EMBALO (Madem G15) 27.7%, Nuno Gomez NABIAM (APU-PDGB) 13.2%, Jose Mario VAZ (independent) 12.4%, other 6.6%; percent of vote in second round - Umaro Sissoco EMBALO 53.6%, Domingos Simoes PEREIRA 46.5%

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral National Peoples Assembly or Assembleia Nacional Popular (102 seats; 100 members directly elected in 27 multi-seat constituencies by closed party-list proportional representation vote and 2 elected in single-seat constituencies for citizens living abroad (1 for Africa, 1 for Europe); all members serve 4-year terms)
Elections: last held on 10 March 2019 (next to be held in March 2023)
Election results: percent of vote by party - PAIGC 35.2%, Madem G-15 21.1%, PRS 21.1%, other 22.6%; seats by party - PAIGC 47, Madem G-15 27, PRS 21, other 7; composition - men 88, women 14, percent of women 13.7%

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal de Justica (consists of 9 judges and organized into Civil, Criminal, and Social and Administrative Disputes Chambers); note - the Supreme Court has both appellate and constitutional jurisdiction
Judge selection and term of office: judges nominated by the Higher Council of the Magistrate, a major government organ responsible for judge appointments, dismissals, and judiciary discipline; judges appointed by the president for life
Subordinate courts: Appeals Court; regional (first instance) courts; military court

Political parties and leaders: African Party for the Independence of Guinea-Bissau and Cabo Verde or PAIGC [Domingos SIMOES PEREIRA]Democratic Convergence Party or PCD [Vicente FERNANDES]Movement for Democratic Alternation Group of 15 or MADEM-G15 [Braima CAMARA]National People’s Assembly - Democratic Party of Guinea Bissau or APU-PDGB [Nuno Gomes NABIAM]New Democracy Party or PND [Mamadu Iaia DJALO]Party for Social Renewal or PRS [Alberto NAMBEIA]Republican Party for Independence and Development or PRID [Aristides GOMES]Union for Change or UM [Agnelo REGALA]

International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, AOSIS, AU, CPLP, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINUSMA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us: none; note - Guinea-Bissau does not have official representation in Washington, DC
From the us: the US Embassy suspended operations on 14 June 1998; the US Ambassador to Senegal is accredited to Guinea-Bissau

Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and green with a vertical red band on the hoist side; there is a black five-pointed star centered in the red band; yellow symbolizes the sun; green denotes hope; red represents blood shed during the struggle for independence; the black star stands for African unity
Note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia; the flag design was heavily influenced by the Ghanaian flag

National symbols: black star; national colors: red, yellow, green, black

National anthem
Name: Esta e a Nossa Patria Bem Amada (This Is Our Beloved Country)
Lyricsmusic: Amilcar Lopes CABRAL/XIAO He
Note: adopted 1974; a delegation from then Portuguese Guinea visited China in 1963 and heard music by XIAO He; Amilcar Lopes CABRAL, the leader of Guinea-Bissau's independence movement, asked the composer to create a piece that would inspire his people to struggle for independence

National heritage


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Economy overview

Real gdp purchasing power parity
Real:
Real note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 31

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars
Rank: 219

Gross national saving:
Rank: 168

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 83.9% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 12% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 4.1% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0.2% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 26.4% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -26.5% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 50% (2017 est.)
Industry: 13.1% (2017 est.)
Services: 36.9% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: rice, corn, beans, cassava (manioc, tapioca), cashew nuts, peanuts, palm kernels, cotton; timber; fish

Industries: agricultural products processing, beer, soft drinks

Industrial production growth rate: 2.5% (2017 est.)
Rank: 117

Labor force: 731,300 (2013 est.)
Rank: 148
By occupation agriculture: 82%
By occupation industry and services: 18% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate: NA

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 67% (2015 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 2.9%
Highest 10: 28% (2002)

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: 246.2 million (2017 est.)
Expenditures: 263.5 million (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -1.3% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 86

Taxes and other revenues: 18.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Rank: 162

Public debt:
Rank: 87

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 29

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance:
Rank: 75

Exports:
Rank: 192
Partners: India 67.1%, Vietnam 21.1% (2017)
Commodities: fish, shrimp; cashews, peanuts, palm kernels, raw and sawn lumber

Imports:
Rank: 202
Commodities: foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products
Partners: Portugal 47.8%, Senegal 12.1%, China 10.4%, Netherlands 8.1%, Pakistan 5.4% (2017)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 163

Debt external:
Rank: 163

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access population without electricity: 1 million (2019)
Access electrification total population: 28% (2019)
Access electrification urban areas: 56% (2019)
Access electrification rural areas: 7% (2019)
Production: 39 million kWh (2016 est.)
Production rank: 208
Consumption: 36.27 million kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption rank: 208
Exports: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Exports rank: 145
Imports: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Imports rank: 157
Installed generating capacity: 28,300 kW (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 199
Generation sources fossil fuels: 99% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 23
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 104
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 176
Generation sources other renewable sources: 1% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 154

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 146
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 134
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 138
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2018 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 142

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products production rank: 154
Products consumption: 2,700 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Products consumption rank: 190
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports rank: 163
Products imports: 2,625 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports rank: 186

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Production rank: 143
Consumption: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption rank: 156
Exports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Exports rank: 118
Imports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Imports rank: 136
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2014 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 144

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 397,900 Mt (2017 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 188

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 0 (2018 est.)
Fixed lines rank: 224
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 1,555,961
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 82.79 (2019 est.)
Mobile cellular rank: 157

Telephone system

Broadcast media: 1 state-owned TV station, Televisao da Guine-Bissau (TGB) and a second station, Radio e Televisao de Portugal (RTP) Africa, is operated by Portuguese public broadcaster (RTP); 1 state-owned radio station, several private radio stations, and some community radio stations; multiple international broadcasters are available (2019)

Internet
Country code: .gw
Users total: 72,047
Users percent of population: 3.93% (July 2018 est.)
Users rank: 186

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 1204 (2018 est.)
Rank: 195


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Military expenditures:
Rank: 86

Military and security forces: People's Revolutionary Armed Force (FARP): Army, Navy, National Air Force (Forca Aerea Nacional); Guard Nacional (Ministry of Internal Administration) (2020)

Military service age and obligation: 18-25 years of age for selective compulsory military service (Air Force service is voluntary); 16 years of age or younger, with parental consent, for voluntary service (2013)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: J5 (2016)

Airports: 8 (2013)
Rank: 159
With paved runways total: 2 (2019)
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways total: 6 (2013)
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1 (2013)
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2 (2013)
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 3 (2013)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Total: 4,400 km (2018)
Paved: 453 km (2018)
Unpaved: 3,947 km (2018)
Rank: 150

Waterways
Note: (rivers are partially navigable; many inlets and creeks provide shallow-water access to much of interior) (2012)

Merchant marine
Total: 8
By type: general cargo 5, other 3 (2019)
Rank: 160

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Bissau, Buba, Cacheu, Farim


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Disputes international: a longstanding low-grade conflict continues in parts of

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees: 7,696 (Senegal) (2020)

Illicit drugs: increasingly important transit country for South American cocaine en route to Europe; enabling environment for trafficker operations due to pervasive corruption; archipelago-like geography near the capital facilitates drug smuggling