Map of Senegal | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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Background:


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Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania

Geographic coordinates: 14 00 N, 14 00 W

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 196,722 km²
Land: 192,530 km²
Water: 4,192 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than South Dakota; slightly larger than twice the size of Indiana

Land boundaries
Total: 2,684 km
Border countries: (5) The Gambia 749 km; Guinea 363 km; Guinea-Bissau 341 km; Mali 489 km; Mauritania 742 km

Coastline: 531 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate: tropical; hot, humid; rainy season (May to November) has strong southeast winds; dry season (December to April) dominated by hot, dry, harmattan wind

Terrain: generally low, rolling, plains rising to foothills in southeast

Elevation
Highest point: unnamed elevation 2.8 km southeast of Nepen Diaka 648 m
Lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Mean elevation: 69 m

Natural resources: fish, phosphates, iron ore

Land use
Agricultural land: 46.8% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 17.4% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 0.3% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 29.1% (2018 est.)
Forest: 43.8% (2018 est.)
Other: 9.4% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 1,200 km² (2012)

Major rivers
By length in km:

Major watersheds area km²: Atlantic Ocean drainage: Senegal (456,397 km²)

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 260 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial: 58 million cubic meters (2017 est.)
Agricultural: 2.76 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 38.97 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Natural hazards: lowlands seasonally flooded; periodic droughts

Geography
Note: westernmost country on the African continent; The Gambia is almost an enclave within Senegal


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Population
Distribution: the population is concentrated in the west, with Dakar anchoring a well-defined core area; approximately 70% of the population is rural as shown in this: 18,384,660 (2023 est.)
Growth rate: 2.52% (2023 est.)
Below poverty line: 46.7% (2011 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Senegalese (singular and plural)
Adjective: Senegalese

Ethnic groups: Wolof 39.7%, Pulaar 27.5%, Sereer 16%, Mandinka 4.9%, Jola 4.2%, Soninke 2.4%, other 5.4% (includes Europeans and persons of Lebanese descent) (2019 est.)

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

Religions: Muslim 97.2% (most adhere to one of the four main Sufi brotherhoods), Christian 2.7% (mostly Roman Catholic) (2019 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.

Age structure
0-14 years: 41.19% (male 3,858,937/female 3,714,062)
15-64 years: 55.46% (male 4,925,324/female 5,271,627)
65 years and over: 3.34% (2023 est.) (male 266,485/female 348,225)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 81.5
Youth dependency ratio: 75.8
Elderly dependency ratio: 5.7
Potential support ratio: 17.4 (2021 est.)

Median age
Total: 19 years (2023 est.)
Male: 18.2 years
Female: 19.8 years

Population growth rate: 2.52% (2023 est.)

Birth rate: 30.8 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution: the population is concentrated in the west, with Dakar anchoring a well-defined core area; approximately 70% of the population is rural as shown in this

Urbanization
Urban population: 49.6% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 3.59% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 3.340 million DAKAR (capital) (2023)

Environment
Current issues: deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; periodic droughts; seasonal flooding; overfishing; weak environmental protective laws; wildlife populations threatened by poaching
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
International agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 38.21 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 10.9 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 11.74 megatons (2020 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 21.9 years (2019 est.)
Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49

Maternal mortality ratio: 261 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 31.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Male: 35.1 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 28.3 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 70.3 years (2023 est.)
Male: 68.5 years
Female: 72.1 years

Total fertility rate: 4.17 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 26.9% (2019)

Drinking water source
Improved urban: 95.9% of population
Improved rural: 79.3% of population
Improved total: 87.3% of population
Unimproved urban: 4.1% of population
Unimproved rural: 20.7% of population
Unimproved total: 12.7% of population (2020 est.)

Current health expenditure: 5.2% of GDP (2020)

Physicians density: 0.09 physicians/1,000 population (2019)

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access
Improved urban:
Unimproved urban:

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: very high (2023)
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: malaria and dengue fever
Water contact diseases: schistosomiasis
Animal contact diseases: rabies
Respiratory diseases: meningococcal meningitis

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 8.8% (2016)

Alcohol consumption
Per capita total: 0.25 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita beer: 0.21 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita wine: 0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita spirits: 0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Tobacco use
Total: 6.9% (2020 est.)
Male: 13.1% (2020 est.)
Female: 0.7% (2020 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 14.4% (2019)

Education expenditures: 5.5% of GDP (2020 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 56.3%
Male: 68.4%
Female: 45.4% (2021)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 9 years
Male: 8 years
Female: 10 years (2021)

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 5% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 3.5%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 7.5%


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Senegal
Conventional short form: Senegal
Local long form: Republique du Sénégal 
Local short form: Sénégal
Former: Senegambia (along with The Gambia), Mali Federation
Etymology: named for the Senegal River that forms the northern border of the country; many theories exist for the origin of the river name; perhaps the most widely cited derives the name from "Azenegue," the Portuguese appellation for the Berber Zenaga people who lived north of the river

Government type: presidential republic

Capital
Name: Dakar
Geographic coordinates: 14 44 N, 17 38 W
Time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, D.C., during Standard Time)
Etymology: the Atlantic coast trading settlement of Ndakaaru came to be called "Dakar" by French colonialists

Administrative divisions: 14 regions (regions, singular - region); Dakar, Diourbel, Fatick, Kaffrine, Kaolack, Kéedougou, Kolda, Louga, Matam, Saint-Louis, Sedhiou, Tambacounda, Thies, Ziguinchor

Dependent areas

Independence: 4 April 1960 (from France); note - complete independence achieved upon dissolution of federation with Mali on 20 August 1960

National holiday: Independence Day, 4 April (1960)

Constitution
History: previous 1959 (pre-independence), 1963; latest adopted by referendum 7 January 2001, promulgated 22 January 2001
Amendments: proposed by the president of the republic or by the National Assembly; passage requires Assembly approval and approval in a referendum; the president can bypass a referendum and submit an amendment directly to the Assembly, which requires at least three-fifths majority vote; the republican form of government is not amendable; amended several times, last in 2019

Legal system: civil law system based on French law; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Council

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Senegal
Dual citizenship recognized: no, but Senegalese citizens do not automatically lose their citizenship if they acquire citizenship in another state
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Macky SALL (since 2 April 2012)
Head of government: Prime Minister Amadou BA (since 17 September 2022)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
Elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a single, renewable 5-year term; election last held on 24 February 2019 (next to be held in February 2024)
Election results: 2019: Macky SALL elected president in first round; percent of vote - Macky SALL (APR) 58.3%, Idrissa SECK (Rewmi) 20.5%, Ousmane SONKO (PASTEF) 15.7%, other 5.5% 2012: Macky SALL elected president in second round; percent of vote - Macky SALL 65.8%, Abdoulaye WADE (PDS) 34.2% 

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblée Nationale (165 seats; 112 members including 15 representing Senegalese diaspora directly elected by plurality vote in single- and multi-seat constituencies and 53 members directly elected by proportional representation vote in a single nationwide constituency; member term is 5-years)
Elections: National Assembly - last held on 31 July 2022 (next scheduled to be held in July 2,027)
Election results: National Assembly results - percent of vote by party/coalition - BBY 46.6%, YAW 32.9%, WS 14.5%, other 6%; seats by party/coalition - BBY 82, YAW 42, WS 24, other 17; composition - men 92, women 73, percent of women 44%

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court or Cour Suprême (consists of the court president and 12 judges and organized into civil and commercial, criminal, administrative, and social chambers); Constitutional Council or Conseil Constitutionnel  (consists of 7 members, including the court president, vice president, and 5 judges)
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges appointed by the president of the republic upon recommendation of the Superior Council of the Magistrates, a body chaired by the president and minister of justice; judge tenure varies, with mandatory retirement either at 65 or 68 years; Constitutional Council members appointed - 5 by the president and 2 by the National Assembly speaker; judges serve 6-year terms, with renewal of 2 members every 2 years
Subordinate courts: High Court of Justice (for crimes of high treason by the president); Courts of Appeal; Court of Auditors; assize courts; regional and district courts; Labor Court

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, AU, CD, CPLP (associate), ECOWAS, EITI (candidate country), FAO, FZ, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MONUSCO, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Mansour Elimane KANE (since 6 January 2020)
In the us chancery: 2,215 M ST NW, Washington, D.C. 20,037
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 234-0540
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 332-6,315; [1] (202) 629-2,961
In the us email address and website:
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Michael RAYNOR (since 10 March 2022); note - also accredited to Guinea-Bissau
From the us embassy: Route des Almadies, Dakar
From the us mailing address: 2,130 Dakar Place, Washington D.C. 20,521-2,130
From the us telephone: [221] 33-879-4,000
From the us email address and website:

Flag description: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), yellow, and red with a small green five-pointed star centered in the yellow band; green represents Islam, progress, and hope; yellow signifies natural wealth and progress; red symbolizes sacrifice and determination; the star denotes unity and hope
Note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia; the colors from left to right are the same as those of neighboring Mali and the reverse of those on the flag of neighboring Guinea

National symbols: lion; national colors: green, yellow, red

National anthem
Name: "Pincez Tous vos Koras, Frappez les Balafons" (Pluck Your Koras, Strike the Balafons)
Lyrics/music: Leopold Sedar SENGHOR/Herbert PEPPER
Note: adopted 1960; lyrics written by Leopold Sedar SENGHOR, Senegal's first president; the anthem sometimes played incorporating the Koras (harp-like stringed instruments) and Balafons (types of xylophones) mentioned in the title

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 7 (5 cultural, 2 natural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales:


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Economy overview: lower middle-income, services-driven West African economy; key mining, construction, agriculture, and fishing industries; tourism and exports hit hard by COVID-19; large informal economy; developing offshore oil and gas fields; systemic corruption

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

Real gdp growth rate:

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

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 71.9% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 15.2% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 25.1% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 3.4% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 27% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -42.8% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 16.9% (2017 est.)
Industry: 24.3% (2017 est.)
Services: 58.8% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: groundnuts, watermelons, rice, sugar cane, cassava, millet, maize, onions, sorghum, vegetables

Industries: agricultural and fish processing, phosphate mining, fertilizer production, petroleum refining, zircon, and gold mining, construction materials, ship construction and repair

Industrial production growth rate: 10.91% (2021 est.)

Labor force: 4.377 million (2021 est.)

Unemployment rate:

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 5% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 3.5%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 7.5%

Population below poverty line: 46.7% (2011 est.)

Gini index
Coefficient distribution of family income: 38.1 (2018 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10%: 2.5%
Highest 10%: 31.1% (2011)

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $4.76 billion (2019 est.)
Expenditures: $5.662 billion (2019 est.)
Surplus  or deficit: -3.6% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues: 16.38% (of GDP) (2018 est.)

Public debt:

Revenue
From forest resources: 1.46% of GDP (2018 est.)
From coal: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:

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:

Exports:
Partners: Mali 22%, Switzerland 14%, India 9%, China 7% (2019)
Commodities: gold, refined petroleum, phosphoric acid, fish, ground nuts (2019)

Imports:
Partners: China 17%, France 11%, Belgium 7%, Russia 7%, Netherlands 7% (2019)
Commodities: refined petroleum, crude petroleum, rice, cars, malt extract, clothing and apparel (2019)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

Debt external:

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access population without electricity: 5 million (2020)
Access electrification-total population: 67.9% (2021)
Access electrification-urban areas: 93.9% (2021)
Access electrification-rural areas: 43.4% (2021)
Installed generating capacity: 1.312 million kW (2020 est.)
Consumption: 4,735,980,000 kWh (2019 est.)
Exports: 0 kWh (2019 est.)
Imports: 324 million kWh (2019 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 764 million kWh (2019 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 84.8% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources solar: 6% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources wind: 0.5% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 6.3% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 2.4% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Coal
Production: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Consumption: 894,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Imports: 894,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 57,500 bbl/day (2019 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate imports: 20,500 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 0 barrels (2021 est.)

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 17,590 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports: 4,063 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports: 32,050 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 60.003 million cubic meters (2019 est.)
Consumption: 60.003 million cubic meters (2019 est.)
Exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Imports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 10.696 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 1.955 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 8.64 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 101,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 9.221 million Btu/person (2019 est.)


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 297,046 (2022 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 2 (2022 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 20,854,830 (2022 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 120 (2022 est.)

Telephone system

Broadcast media: Senegal’s media environment includes over 25 private television stations, hundreds of radio stations, and more than 45 newspapers.  State-run Radiodiffusion Television Senegalaise (RTS) broadcasts from five cities in Senegal and a wide range of independent TV programming is available via satellite; transmissions of several international broadcasters are accessible on FM in Dakar

Internet
Country code: .sn
Users total: 9.86 million (2021 est.)
Users percent of population: 58% (2021 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 153,813 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1 (2020 est.)


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Military expenditures:

Military and security forces: Senegalese Armed Forces (les Senegal - Transportation 2023