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

top of page


Background: From the 11th to the 16th centuries, various ethnic groups settled the Togo region. From the 16th to the 18th centuries, the coastal region became a major trading center for enslaved people, and the surrounding region took on the name of "The Slave Coast." In 1884, Germany declared a region, which included present-day Togo, as a protectorate called Togoland. After World War I, colonial rule over Togo was transferred to France. French Togoland became Togo upon independence in 1960. Gen. Gnassingbe EYADEMA, installed as military ruler in 1967, ruled Togo with a heavy hand for almost four decades. Despite the facade of multi-party elections instituted in the early 1990s, the government was largely dominated by President EYADEMA, whose Rally of the Togolese People (RPT) party has been in power almost continually since 1967 and its successor, the Union for the Republic, maintains a majority of seats in today's legislature. Upon EYADEMA's death in February 2005, the military installed the president's son, Faure GNASSINGBE, and then engineered his formal election two months later. Togo held its first relatively free and fair legislative elections in October 2007. Since then, President GNASSINGBE has started the country along a gradual path to democratic reform. Togo has held multiple presidential and legislative elections, and in 2019 held its first local elections in 32 years. Despite those positive moves, political reconciliation has moved slowly, and the country experiences periodic outbursts of protests by frustrated citizens that have led to violence between security forces and protesters. Constitutional changes in 2019 to institute a runoff system in presidential elections and to establish term limits has done little to reduce the resentment many Togolese feel after more than 50 years of one-family rule. GNASSINGBE became eligible for his current fourth term and one additional fifth term under the new rules. The next presidential election will be in 2025. 


top of page


Location: Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Benin and Ghana

Geographic coordinates: 8 00 N, 1 10 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 56,785 km²
Land: 54,385 km²
Water: 2,400 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than West Virginia

Land boundaries
Total: 1,880 km
Border countries: (3) Benin 651 km; Burkina Faso 131 km; Ghana 1,098 km

Coastline: 56 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 30 nm; note: the US does not recognize this claim
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate: tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north

Terrain: gently rolling savanna in north; central hills; southern plateau; low coastal plain with extensive lagoons and marshes

Elevation
Highest point: Mont Agou 986 m
Lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Mean elevation: 236 m

Natural resources: phosphates, limestone, marble, arable land

Land use
Agricultural land: 67.4% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 45.2% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 3.8% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 18.4% (2018 est.)
Forest: 4.9% (2018 est.)
Other: 27.7% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 70 km² (2012)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²: Atlantic Ocean drainage: Volta (410,991 km²)

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 140 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial: 10 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Agricultural: 80 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 14.7 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Natural hazards: hot, dry harmattan wind can reduce visibility in north during winter; periodic droughts

Geography
Note: the country's length allows it to stretch through six distinct geographic regions; climate varies from tropical to savanna


top of page


Population
Distribution: one of the more densely populated African nations with most of the population residing in rural communities, density is highest in the south on or near the Atlantic coast as shown in this [link]: 8,703,961 (2023 est.)
Growth rate: 2.45% (2023 est.)
Below poverty line: 55.1% (2015 est.)

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

Ethnic groups: Adja-Ewe/Mina 42.4%, Kabye/Tem 25.9%, Para-Gourma/Akan 17.1%, Akposso/Akebu 4.1%, Ana-Ife 3.2%, other Togolese 1.7%, foreigners 5.2%, no response 0.4% (2013-14 est.)
Note: Togo has an estimated 37 ethnic groups

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 42.3%, folk religion 36.9%, Muslim 14%, Hindu <1%, Buddhist <1%, Jewish <1%, other <1%, none 6.2% (2020 est.)

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.

Age structure
0-14 years: 38.98% (male 1,720,743/female 1,672,286)
15-64 years: 56.76% (male 2,413,709/female 2,526,816)
65 years and over: 4.26% (2023 est.) (male 153,461/female 216,946)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 76.5
Youth dependency ratio: 71
Elderly dependency ratio: 5.5
Potential support ratio: 18.3 (2021 est.)

Median age
Total: 20.5 years (2023 est.)
Male: 19.8 years
Female: 21.3 years

Population growth rate: 2.45% (2023 est.)

Birth rate: 31.4 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate: 5.2 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution: one of the more densely populated African nations with most of the population residing in rural communities, density is highest in the south on or near the Atlantic coast as shown in this [link]

Urbanization
Urban population: 44.5% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 3.6% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 1.982 million LOME (capital) (2023)

Environment
Current issues: deforestation attributable to slash-and-burn agriculture and the use of wood for fuel; very little rain forest still present and what remains is highly degraded; desertification; water pollution presents health hazards and hinders the fishing industry; air pollution increasing in urban areas
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, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling
International agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 35.66 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 3 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 3.06 megatons (2020 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 25 years (2017 est.)
Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-29

Maternal mortality ratio: 399 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 39.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Male: 44.4 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 35 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 71.7 years (2023 est.)
Male: 69.1 years
Female: 74.4 years

Total fertility rate: 4.18 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 23.9% (2017)

Drinking water source
Improved urban: 93.8% of population
Improved rural: 60.3% of population
Improved total: 74.6% of population
Unimproved urban: 6.2% of population
Unimproved rural: 39.7% of population
Unimproved total: 25.4% of population (2020 est.)

Current health expenditure: 6% of GDP (2020)

Physicians density: 0.08 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

Hospital bed density: 0.7 beds/1,000 population (2011)

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
Note: on 31 August 2023, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Travel Alert for polio in Africa; Togo is currently considered a high risk to travelers for circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPV); vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) is a strain of the weakened poliovirus that was initially included in oral polio vaccine (OPV) and that has changed over time and behaves more like the wild or naturally occurring virus; this means it can be spread more easily to people who are unvaccinated against polio and who come in contact with the stool or respiratory secretions, such as from a sneeze, of an “infected” person who received oral polio vaccine; the CDC recommends that before any international travel, anyone unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or with an unknown polio vaccination status should complete the routine polio vaccine series; before travel to any high-risk destination, the CDC recommends that adults who previously completed the full, routine polio vaccine series receive a single, lifetime booster dose of polio vaccine

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 8.4% (2016)

Alcohol consumption
Per capita total: 1.4 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita beer: 0.78 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita wine: 0.09 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita spirits: 0.2 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita other alcohols: 0.33 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Tobacco use
Total: 6.8% (2020 est.)
Male: 12.3% (2020 est.)
Female: 1.2% (2020 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 15.2% (2017)

Education expenditures: 4% of GDP (2020 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 66.5%
Male: 80%
Female: 55.1% (2019)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 13 years
Male: 14 years
Female: 12 years (2017)

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 9.7% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 12.3%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 7.7%


top of page


Country name
Conventional long form: Togolese Republic
Conventional short form: Togo
Local long form: Republique Togolaise
Local short form: none
Former: French Togoland
Etymology: derived from the Ewe words "to" (river) and "godo" (on the other side) to give the sense of "on the other side of the river"; originally, this designation applied to the town of Togodo (now Togoville) on the northern shore of Lake Togo, but the name was eventually extended to the entire nation

Government type: presidential republic

Capital
Name: Lome
Geographic coordinates: 6 07 N, 1 13 E
Time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Etymology: Lome comes from "alotime" which in the native Ewe language means "among the alo plants"; alo trees dominated the city's original founding site

Administrative divisions: 5 regions (regions, singular - region); Centrale, Kara, Maritime, Plateaux, Savanes

Dependent areas

Independence: 27 April 1960 (from French-administered UN trusteeship)

National holiday: Independence Day, 27 April (1960)

Constitution
History: several previous; latest adopted 27 September 1992, effective 14 October 1992
Amendments: proposed by the president of the republic or supported by at least one fifth of the National Assembly membership; passage requires four-fifths majority vote by the Assembly; a referendum is required if approved by only two-thirds majority of the Assembly or if requested by the president; constitutional articles on the republican and secular form of government cannot be amended; amended 2002, 2007, last in 2019 when the National Assembly unanimously approved a package of amendments, including setting presidential term limits of two 5-year mandates

Legal system: customary law system

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

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Togo
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Faure GNASSINGBE (since 4 May 2005)
Head of government: Prime Minister Victoire Tomegah DOGBE (since 28 September 2020)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister
Elections/appointments: president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 5-year term (no term limits); election last held on 22 February 2020 (next to be held in 2025); prime minister appointed by the president
Election results:

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (91 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by closed, party-list proportional representation vote to serve 5-year terms); party lists are required to contain equal numbers of men and women
Elections: last held on 20 December 2018 (next to be held on 31 December 2023)
Election results: percent of vote by coalition/party - NA; seats by party - UNIR 59, UFC 7, NET 3, MPDD 2, MRC 1, PDP 1, independent 18; composition - men 76, women 15, percent of women 16.5%

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court or Cour Supreme (organized into criminal and administrative chambers, each with a chamber president and advisors); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 judges, including the court president)
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court president appointed by decree of the president of the republic upon the proposal of the Supreme Council of the Magistracy, a 9-member judicial, advisory, and disciplinary body; other judicial appointments and judge tenure NA; Constitutional Court judges appointed by the National Assembly; judge tenure NA
Subordinate courts: Court of Assizes (sessions court); Appeal Court; tribunals of first instance (divided into civil, commercial, and correctional chambers; Court of State Security; military tribunal

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, EITI (compliant country), Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINURSO, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Frederic Edem HEGBE (since 24 April 2017)
In the us chancery: 2,208 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 234-4,212
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 232-3,190
In the us email address and website:
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Elizabeth FITZSIMMONS (since 26 April 2022)
From the us embassy: Boulevard Eyadema, B.P. 852, Lome
From the us mailing address: 2,300 Lome Place, Washington, DC 20,521-2,300
From the us telephone: [228] 2,261-5,470
From the us FAX: [228] 2,261-5,501
From the us email address and website:

Flag description: five equal horizontal bands of green (top and bottom) alternating with yellow; a white five-pointed star on a red square is in the upper hoist-side corner; the five horizontal stripes stand for the five different regions of the country; the red square is meant to express the loyalty and patriotism of the people, green symbolizes hope, fertility, and agriculture, while yellow represents mineral wealth and faith that hard work and strength will bring prosperity; the star symbolizes life, purity, peace, dignity, and Togo's independence
Note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia

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

National anthem
Name: "Salut a toi, pays de nos aieux" (Hail to Thee, Land of Our Forefathers)
Lyrics/music: Alex CASIMIR-DOSSEH
Note: adopted 1960, restored 1992; this anthem was replaced by another during one-party rule between 1979 and 1992

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 1 (cultural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales:


top of page


Economy overview: low-income West African economy; primarily agrarian economy; has a deep-water port; growing international shipping locale; improving privatization and public budgeting transparency; key phosphate mining industry; extremely high rural poverty

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: 84.5% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 11.4% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 23.4% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: -1.4% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 43.1% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -61% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 28.8% (2017 est.)
Industry: 21.8% (2017 est.)
Services: 49.8% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: cassava, maize, yams, sorghum, beans, oil palm fruit, rice, vegetables, cotton, groundnuts

Industries: phosphate mining, agricultural processing, cement, handicrafts, textiles, beverages

Industrial production growth rate: 5.32% (2020 est.)

Labor force: 2.965 million (2021 est.)

Unemployment rate:

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 9.7% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 12.3%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 7.7%

Population below poverty line: 55.1% (2015 est.)

Gini index
Coefficient distribution of family income: 42.4 (2018 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10%: 3.3%
Highest 10%: 27.1% (2006)

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $1.275 billion (2019 est.)
Expenditures: $1.158 billion (2019 est.)
Surplus  or deficit: -3.8% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues: 13.16% (of GDP) (2019 est.)

Public debt:

Revenue
From forest resources: 3.96% 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: India 16%, Benin 15%, Burkina Faso 6%, France 6%, Morocco 5% (2019)
Commodities: refined petroleum, crude petroleum, electricity, calcium phosphates, cotton (2019)

Imports:
Partners: China 18%, South Korea 13%, India 11%, Belgium 10%, Netherlands 8%, United States 5% (2019)
Commodities: refined petroleum, motorcycles, crude petroleum, rice, broadcasting equipment (2019)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

Debt external:

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


top of page


Electricity
Access population without electricity: (2020) 5 million
Access electrification-total population: 55.7% (2021)
Access electrification-urban areas: 96.3% (2021)
Access electrification-rural areas: 24.6% (2021)
Installed generating capacity: 210,000 kW (2020 est.)
Consumption: 1,180,140,000 kWh (2019 est.)
Exports: 118 million kWh (2019 est.)
Imports: 963 million kWh (2019 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 210 million kWh (2019 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 82.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources solar: 0.6% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources wind: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 17.2% 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: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Coal
Production: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Consumption: 46,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Imports: 46,000 metric tons (2020 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 10,000 bbl/day (2019 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate imports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 0 barrels (2021 est.)

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports: 13,100 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Consumption: 0 cubic meters (2020 est.)
Exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Imports: 44.797 million cubic meters (2019 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 2.244 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 706,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 1.451 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 87,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 4.113 million Btu/person (2019 est.)


top of page


Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 65,613 (2022 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1 (2022 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 6,564,132 (2022 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 74 (2022 est.)

Telephone system

Broadcast media: 1 state-owned TV station with multiple transmission sites; five private TV stations broadcast locally; cable TV service is available; state-owned radio network with two stations (in Lome and Kara); several dozen private radio stations and a few community radio stations; transmissions of multiple international broadcasters available (2019)

Internet
Country code: .tg
Users total: 3.01 million (2021 est.)
Users percent of population: 35% (2021 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 52,706 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 0.6 (2020 est.)


top of page


Military expenditures:

Military and security forces:
Note: the Police Directorate and GNT are responsible for law enforcement and maintenance of order within the country; the GNT is also responsible for migration and border enforcement; the GNT falls under the Ministry of the Armed Forces but also reports to the Ministry of Security and Civil Protection on many matters involving law enforcement and internal security; in 2022, the Ministry of the Armed Forces was made part of the Office of the Presidency

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for military service for men and women; 24-month service obligation; no conscription (2023)
Note: as of 2022, about 7% of the military's personnel were women

Space program

Terrorist groups
Terrorist groups: Jama’at Nusrat al Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM)
Note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in terrorist organizations


top of page


National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 1 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 8
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 566,295 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 10.89 million (2018) mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: 5V

Airports: 8 (2021)
With paved runways: 2
With paved runways note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
With unpaved runways: 6
With unpaved runways note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control

Heliports

Pipelines: 62 km gas

Railways
Total: 568 km (2014)
Narrow gauge: 568 km (2014) 1.000-m gauge

Roadways
Total: 9,951 km (2018)
Paved: 1,794 km (2018)
Unpaved: 8,157 km (2018)
Urban: 1,783 km (2018)

Waterways: 50 km (2011) (seasonally navigable by small craft on the Mono River depending on rainfall)

Merchant marine
Total: 403 (2022)
By type: bulk carrier 1, container ship 10, general cargo 254, oil tanker 57, other 81

Ports and terminals
Major seaports: Kpeme, Lome
Container ports teus: Lome (1,962,304) (2021)


top of page


Disputes international: Togo-Benin: in 2001, Benin claimed Togo moved boundary monuments - joint commission continues to resurvey the boundary; Benin’s and Togo’s Adjrala hydroelectric dam project on the Mona River, proposed in the 1990s, commenced in 2017 with funding from a Chinese bank

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees country of origin: 9,846 (Burkina Faso), 8,436 (Ghana) (2023)

Illicit drugs: transit hub for Nigerian heroin and cocaine traffickers; money laundering not a significant problem