Map of Togo | 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 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
Country comparison total: 1,880 km
Country comparison border countries: (3) Benin 651 km; Burkina Faso 131 km; Ghana 1,098 km

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.)
Agricultural land forest: 4.9% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land 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 m³ (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


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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 population distribution map
Total: 8,917,994
Male: 4,395,271
Female: 4,522,723 (2024 est.)
Growth rate: 2.41% (2024 est.)
Below poverty line: 45.5% (2018 est.)
Below poverty line note: % of population with income below national poverty line

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, language of commerce), Ewe and Mina (in the south), Kabye (sometimes spelled Kabiye) and Dagomba (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

Age structure
0-14 years: 38.7% (male 1,749,533/female 1,699,084)
15-64 years: 57% (male 2,486,142/female 2,597,914)
65 years and over: 4.3% (2024 est.) (male 159,596/female 225,725)

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: 20.7 years (2024 est.)
Male: 19.9 years
Female: 21.4 years

Population growth rate: 2.41% (2024 est.)

Birth rate: 30.9 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Death rate: 5.1 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 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 population distribution map

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 (2024 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: 38.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 43 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 33.7 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 72.1 years (2024 est.)
Male: 69.5 years
Female: 74.7 years

Total fertility rate: 4.13 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 23.9% (2017)

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

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

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

Sanitation facility access
Improved urban: 81.9% of population
Improved rural: 18.3% of population
Improved total: 45.5% of population
Unimproved urban: 18.1% of population
Unimproved rural: 81.7% of population
Unimproved total: 54.5% of population (2020 est.)

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

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: 3.3% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 4.1% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 female: 2.6% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Togolese Republic
Conventional short form: Togo
Local long form: République 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; revised 6 May 2024
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 2024 (reported as a revision)

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 Dogbé (since 25 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
Note: - on 21 May 2024 the Prime Minister and her cabinet resigned. The President requested they continue serving during the government transition.
Election results: 2020: Faure GNASSINGBE reelected president; percent of vote - Faure GNASSINGBE (UNIR) 70.8%, Agbeyome KODJO (MPDD) 19.5%, Jean-Pierre FABRE (ANC) 4.7%, other 5%; 2015: Faure GNASSINGBE reelected president; percent of vote - Faure GNASSINGBE (UNIR) 58.8%, Jean-Pierre FABRE (ANC) 35.2%, Tchaboure GOGUE (ADDI) 4%, other 2%

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (113 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by closed, party-list proportional representation vote to serve 5-year terms)
Elections: last held on 29 April 2024 (next election April 2,029)
Elections results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UNIR 108, ADDI 2, ANC 1, DMP 1, FDR 1 composition - men 92, women 21, percentage of women elected 18.6%
Note: party lists are required to contain equal numbers of men and women

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: Action Committee for Renewal or CAR , Alliance of Democrats for Integral Development or ADDI , Democratic Convention of African Peoples or CDPA , Democratic Forces for the Republic or FDR , National Alliance for Change or ANC , New Togolese Commitment , Pan-African National Party or PNP , Pan-African Patriotic Convergence or CPP , Patriotic Movement for Democracy and Development or MPDD , Socialist Pact for Renewal or PSR , The Togolese Party , Union of Forces for Change or UFC , Union for the Republic or UNIR

International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, AIIB, 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 Frédéric 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: embassyoftogo@hotmail.com; [link]
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: consularLome@state.gov; [link]

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:


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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: $25.75 billion (2023 est.); $24.199 billion (2022 est.); $22.881 billion (2021 est.)
Note: data in 2021 dollars

Real gdp growth rate: 6.41% (2023 est.); 5.76% (2022 est.); 5.99% (2021 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real gdp per capita: $2,800 (2023 est.); $2,700 (2022 est.); $2,600 (2021 est.)
Note: data in 2021 dollars

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 78.1% (2023 est.)
Government consumption: 12.6% (2023 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 23% (2023 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 23.9% (2023 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -37.5% (2023 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 18.1% (2023 est.)
Industry: 20.2% (2023 est.)
Services: 51.7% (2023 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

Agriculture products: cassava, yams, maize, oil palm fruit, sorghum, soybeans, beans, rice, vegetables, cotton (2022)
Note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

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

Industrial production growth rate: 6.74% (2023 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

Labor force: 3.166 million (2023 est.)
Note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

Unemployment rate: 2.05% (2023 est.); 2.07% (2022 est.); 2.29% (2021 est.)
Note: % of labor force seeking employment

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 3.3% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 4.1% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 female: 2.6% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

Population below poverty line: 45.5% (2018 est.)
Note: % of population with income below national poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $1.434 billion (2022 est.)
Expenditures: $1.32 billion (2022 est.)
Note: central government revenues and expenses (excluding grants/extrabudgetary units/social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

Taxes and other revenues: 14.19% (of GDP) (2022 est.)
Note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

Public debt: 75.7% of GDP (2017 est.)

Revenue
From forest resources: 3.96% of GDP (2018 est.)
From coal: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 7.97% (2022 est.); 4.19% (2021 est.); 1.7% (2020 est.)
Note: annual % change based on 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: -$20.738 million (2020 est.); -$55.444 million (2019 est.); -$184.852 million (2018 est.)
Note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars

Exports: $1.722 billion (2020 est.); $1.665 billion (2019 est.); $1.703 billion (2018 est.)
Note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Partners: UAE 26%, India 11%, Cote d'Ivoire 11%, South Africa 6%, Burkina Faso 6% (2022)
Partners note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
Commodities: gold, refined petroleum, phosphates, soybeans, plastic products (2022)
Commodities note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Imports: $2.389 billion (2020 est.); $2.261 billion (2019 est.); $2.329 billion (2018 est.)
Note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Partners: India 30%, China 16%, South Korea 13%, Nigeria 4%, Taiwan 4% (2022)
Partners note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
Commodities: refined petroleum, crude petroleum, motorcycles and cycles, garments, rice (2022)
Commodities note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $77.8 million (31 December 2017 est.); $42.6 million (31 December 2016 est.)

Debt external: $1.462 billion (2022 est.)
Note: present value of external debt in current US dollars

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access electrification total population: 57.2% (2022 est.)
Access electrification urban areas: 96.5%
Access electrification rural areas: 25%
Installed generating capacity: 309,000 kW (2022 est.)
Consumption: 1.562 billion kWh (2022 est.)
Imports: 796.563 million kWh (2022 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 121.682 million kWh (2022 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 74.4% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Generation sources solar: 6.8% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 18.4% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 0.4% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

Coal
Consumption: 108,000 metric tons (2022 est.)
Imports: 108,000 metric tons (2022 est.)

Petroleum
Refined petroleum consumption: 12,000 bbl/day (2022 est.)

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Consumption: 131.373 million m³ (2022 est.)
Imports: 131.373 million m³ (2022 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 2.306 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 257,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 1.793 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 256,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 4.077 million Btu/person (2022 est.)


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 66,000 (2022 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2022 est.) less than 1
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 6.564 million (2022 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 74 (2022 est.)

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures: 2.2% of GDP (2023 est.); 2.1% of GDP (2022 est.); 1.9% of GDP (2021 est.); 2% of GDP (2020 est.); 2.6% of GDP (2019 est.)

Military and security forces: Togolese Armed Forces (Forces Armees Togolaise, FAT): Togolese Army (l'Armee de Terre), Togolese Navy (Forces Naval Togolaises), Togolese Air Force (Armee de l’Air), National Gendarmerie (Gendarmerie Nationale Togolaise or GNT); Ministry of Security and Civil Protection: National Police Directorate (Direction de la Police Nationale) (2024)
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: 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 the Terrorism reference guide


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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: 7 (2024)

Heliports

Pipelines: 62 km gas

Railways

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

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

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international

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