Communications
Broadband - fixed subscriptions [time series]
total: 52,706 (2020 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 0.6 (2020 est.)
Broadcast media [time series]
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 [time series]
.tg
Internet users [time series]
total: 3.01 million (2021 est.) percent of population: 35% (2021 est.)
Telecommunication systems [time series]
general assessment: include radio, television, fixed and mobile telephones, and the Internet (2022) domestic: fixed-line less than 1 per 100 and mobile-cellular is 72 telephones per 100 persons (2021) international: country code - 228; landing point for the WACS submarine cable, linking countries along the west coast of Africa with each other and with Portugal; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Symphonie (2020)
Telephones - fixed lines [time series]
total subscriptions: 54,000 (2021 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2021 est.) less than 1
Telephones - mobile cellular [time series]
total subscriptions: 6.3 million (2021 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 72 (2021 est.)
Economy
Agricultural products [time series]
cassava, maize, yams, sorghum, beans, oil palm fruit, rice, vegetables, cotton, groundnuts
Budget [time series]
revenues: $1.275 billion (2019 est.) expenditures: $1.158 billion (2019 est.)
Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) [time series]
-3.8% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Credit ratings [time series]
Moody's rating: B3 (2019) Standard & Poors rating: B (2019) note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.
Current account balance [time series]
-$20.738 million (2020 est.) -$55.444 million (2019 est.) -$184.852 million (2018 est.)
Debt - external [time series]
$1.442 billion (31 December 2017 est.) $1.22 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
Economic overview [time series]
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
Exchange rates [time series]
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 554.531 (2021 est.) 575.586 (2020 est.) 585.911 (2019 est.) 555.446 (2018 est.) 580.657 (2017 est.)
Exports [time series]
$1.722 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars $1.665 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars $1.703 billion (2018 est.)
Exports - commodities [time series]
refined petroleum, crude petroleum, electricity, calcium phosphates, cotton (2019)
Exports - partners [time series]
India 16%, Benin 15%, Burkina Faso 6%, France 6%, Morocco 5% (2019)
Fiscal year [time series]
calendar year
GDP (official exchange rate) [time series]
$5.232 billion (2018 est.)
GDP - composition, by end use [time series]
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 [time series]
agriculture: 28.8% (2017 est.) industry: 21.8% (2017 est.) services: 49.8% (2017 est.)
Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income [time series]
42.4 (2018 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share [time series]
lowest 10%: 3.3% highest 10%: 27.1% (2006)
Imports [time series]
$2.389 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars $2.261 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars $2.329 billion (2018 est.)
Imports - commodities [time series]
refined petroleum, motorcycles, crude petroleum, rice, broadcasting equipment (2019)
Imports - partners [time series]
China 18%, South Korea 13%, India 11%, Belgium 10%, Netherlands 8%, United States 5% (2019)
Industrial production growth rate [time series]
5.32% (2020 est.)
Industries [time series]
phosphate mining, agricultural processing, cement, handicrafts, textiles, beverages
Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]
1.83% (2020 est.) 0.69% (2019 est.) 0.93% (2018 est.)
Labor force [time series]
2.965 million (2021 est.)
Population below poverty line [time series]
55.1% (2015 est.)
Public debt [time series]
75.7% of GDP (2017 est.) 81.6% of GDP (2016 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) [time series]
$18.369 billion (2021 est.) $17.451 billion (2020 est.) $17.15 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in 2017 dollars
Real GDP growth rate [time series]
5.26% (2021 est.) 1.75% (2020 est.) 5.46% (2019 est.)
Real GDP per capita [time series]
$2,100 (2021 est.) $2,100 (2020 est.) $2,100 (2019 est.) note: data are in 2017 dollars
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold [time series]
$77.8 million (31 December 2017 est.) $42.6 million (31 December 2016 est.)
Taxes and other revenues [time series]
13.16% (of GDP) (2019 est.)
Unemployment rate [time series]
4% (2021 est.) 3.94% (2020 est.) 3.72% (2019 est.)
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24) [time series]
total: 9.7% (2021 est.) male: 12.3% female: 7.7%
Energy
Carbon dioxide emissions [time series]
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.)
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.)
Electricity [time series]
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.)
Electricity access [time series]
population without electricity: 5 million (2020) electrification - total population: 55.7% (2021) electrification - urban areas: 96.3% (2021) electrification - rural areas: 24.6% (2021)
Electricity generation sources [time series]
fossil fuels: 82.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) solar: 0.6% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) wind: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) hydroelectricity: 17.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) biomass and waste: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Energy consumption per capita [time series]
4.113 million Btu/person (2019 est.)
Natural gas [time series]
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.)
Petroleum [time series]
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.)
Refined petroleum products - exports [time series]
0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Refined petroleum products - imports [time series]
13,100 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Refined petroleum products - production [time series]
0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Environment
Air pollutants [time series]
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.)
Climate [time series]
tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north
Environment - current issues [time series]
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 environmental agreements (Environment - international agreements) [time series]
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 signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Land use [time series]
agricultural land: 67.4% (2018 est.) arable land: 45.2% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 3.8% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 18.4% (2018 est.) forest: 4.9% (2018 est.) other: 27.7% (2018 est.)
Major watersheds (area sq km) [time series]
Atlantic Ocean drainage: Volta (410,991 sq km)
Revenue from coal [time series]
0% of GDP (2018 est.)
Revenue from forest resources [time series]
3.96% of GDP (2018 est.)
Total renewable water resources [time series]
14.7 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Total water withdrawal [time series]
municipal: 140 million cubic meters (2020 est.) industrial: 10 million cubic meters (2020 est.) agricultural: 80 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Urbanization [time series]
urban population: 44.5% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 3.6% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Waste and recycling [time series]
municipal solid waste generated annually: 1,109,030 tons (2014 est.) municipal solid waste recycled annually: 22,181 tons (2012 est.) percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 2% (2012 est.)
Geography
total: 56,785 sq km land: 54,385 sq km water: 2,400 sq km
Area - comparative [time series]
slightly smaller than West Virginia
Climate [time series]
tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north
Coastline [time series]
56 km
Elevation [time series]
highest point: Mont Agou 986 m lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 236 m
Geographic coordinates [time series]
8 00 N, 1 10 E
Geography - note [time series]
the country's length allows it to stretch through six distinct geographic regions; climate varies from tropical to savanna
Irrigated land [time series]
70 sq km (2012)
Land boundaries [time series]
total: 1,880 km border countries (3): Benin 651 km; Burkina Faso 131 km; Ghana 1,098 km
Land use [time series]
agricultural land: 67.4% (2018 est.) arable land: 45.2% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 3.8% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 18.4% (2018 est.) forest: 4.9% (2018 est.) other: 27.7% (2018 est.)
Location [time series]
Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Benin and Ghana
Major watersheds (area sq km) [time series]
Atlantic Ocean drainage: Volta (410,991 sq km)
Map references [time series]
Africa
Maritime claims [time series]
territorial sea: 30 nm; note: the US does not recognize this claim exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Natural hazards [time series]
hot, dry harmattan wind can reduce visibility in north during winter; periodic droughts
Natural resources [time series]
phosphates, limestone, marble, arable land
Population distribution [time series]
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
Terrain [time series]
gently rolling savanna in north; central hills; southern plateau; low coastal plain with extensive lagoons and marshes
Government
Administrative divisions [time series]
5 regions (regions, singular - region); Centrale, Kara, Maritime, Plateaux, Savanes
Capital [time series]
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
Citizenship [time series]
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
Constitution [time series]
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
Country name [time series]
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
Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]
chief of mission: Ambassador Elizabeth FITZSIMMONS (since 26 April 2022) embassy: Boulevard Eyadema, B.P. 852, Lome mailing address: 2300 Lome Place, Washington, DC 20521-2300 telephone: [228] 2261-5470 FAX: [228] 2261-5501 email address and website: consularLome@state.gov https://tg.usembassy.gov/
Diplomatic representation in the US [time series]
chief of mission: Ambassador Frederic Edem HEGBE (since 24 April 2017) chancery: 2208 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 234-4212 FAX: [1] (202) 232-3190 email address and website: embassyoftogo@hotmail.com https://embassyoftogousa.com/
Executive branch [time series]
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: 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%
Flag (Flag description) [time series]
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
Government type [time series]
presidential republic
Independence [time series]
27 April 1960 (from French-administered UN trusteeship)
International law organization participation [time series]
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; non-party state to the ICCt
International organization participation [time series]
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
Judicial branch [time series]
highest court(s): 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
Legal system [time series]
customary law system
Legislative branch [time series]
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%
National anthem(s) (National anthem) [time series]
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 [time series]
total World Heritage Sites: 1 (cultural) selected World Heritage Site locales: Koutammakou; the Land of the Batammariba
National holiday [time series]
Independence Day, 27 April (1960)
National symbol(s) [time series]
lion; national colors: green, yellow, red, white
Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]
Action Committee for Renewal or CAR [Dodji APEVON] Alliance of Democrats for Integral Development or ADDI [Tchaboure GOGUE] Democratic Convention of African Peoples or CDPA [L opold GNININVI] Democratic Forces for the Republic or FDR [Dodji APEVON] National Alliance for Change or ANC [Jean-Pierre FABRE] New Togolese Commitment [Gerry TAAMA] Pan-African National Party or PNP [Tikpi ATCHADAM] Pan-African Patriotic Convergence or CPP (vacant) Patriotic Movement for Democracy and Development or MPDD [Agbeyome KODJO] Socialist Pact for Renewal or PSR [Abi TCHESSA] The Togolese Party [Nathaniel OLYMPIO] Union of Forces for Change or UFC [Jean-Pierre FABRE] Union for the Republic or UNIR [Faure GNASSINGBE]
Suffrage [time series]
18 years of age; universal
Introduction
Background [time series]
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.
Military and Security
Military - note [time series]
since its creation in 1963, the Togolese military has had a history of interfering in the country s politics with assassinations, coups, influence, and a large military crackdown in 2005 that killed hundreds; over the past decade, however, it has made some efforts to reform and professionalize, as well as increase its role in UN peacekeeping activities; Togo maintains a regional peacekeeping training center for military and police in Lome; the military participates in multinational exercises and has received training from foreign partners, including France and the US the FAT s current focuses are primarily terrorism and maritime security; in recent years, it has increased operations in the northern border region of the country to boost border security and prevent terrorist infiltrations from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), a coalition of al-Qa'ida-affiliated militant groups based in Mali that also operates in neighboring Burkina Faso; in 2022, the Togolese Government declared a state of emergency in the north due to the threat from JNIM following an attack on a Togolese military post that killed several soldiers; the Navy and Air Force have increased focus on combating piracy and smuggling in the Gulf of Guinea the Army has a mixed force of small, lightly-armed combined arms, infantry, and commando regiments, as well as a rapid reaction force; the Gendarmerie includes mobile, regionally-based, and maritime units; the Navy operates a few patrol boats while the Air Force has a small inventory of training, light attack-capable, and transport aircraft, as well as combat helicopters and a few armed UAVs acquired from Turkey in 2022 (2023)
Military and security forces [time series]
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) (2023) 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 and security service personnel strengths [time series]
estimated 15,000 active-duty personnel, including approximately 3,000 Gendarmerie (2023) note: in January 2022, the Togolese Government announced its intent to boost the size of the FAT to more than 20,000 by 2025
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions [time series]
the FAT has a small, mixed inventory of mostly older equipment from a variety of countries; in recent years, it has received limited amounts of equipment from several suppliers, including France, Russia, and the US (2023)
Military expenditures [time series]
2.1% of GDP (2022 est.) 1.9% of GDP (2021 est.) 2% of GDP (2020 est.) 2.6% of GDP (2019 est.) 1.9% of GDP (2018 est.)
Military service age and obligation [time series]
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
People and Society
Age structure [time series]
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)
Alcohol consumption per capita [time series]
total: 1.4 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) beer: 0.78 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) wine: 0.09 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) spirits: 0.2 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) other alcohols: 0.33 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Birth rate [time series]
31.4 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Child marriage [time series]
women married by age 15: 6.4% women married by age 18: 24.8% men married by age 18: 2.6% (2017 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight [time series]
15.2% (2017)
Contraceptive prevalence rate [time series]
23.9% (2017)
Current health expenditure [time series]
6% of GDP (2020)
Currently married women (ages 15-49) [time series]
62% (2023 est.)
Death rate [time series]
5.2 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Demographic profile [time series]
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. Togo is both a country of emigration and asylum. In the early 1990s, southern Togo suffered from the economic decline of the phosphate sector and ethnic and political repression at the hands of dictator Gnassingbe EYADEMA and his northern, Kabye-dominated administration. The turmoil led 300,000 to 350,000 predominantly southern Togolese to flee to Benin and Ghana, with most not returning home until relative stability was restored in 1997. In 2005, another outflow of 40,000 Togolese to Benin and Ghana occurred when violence broke out between the opposition and security forces over the disputed election of EYADEMA s son Faure GNASSINGBE to the presidency. About half of the refugees reluctantly returned home in 2006, many still fearing for their safety. Despite ethnic tensions and periods of political unrest, Togo in December 2022 was home to almost 8,400 refugees from Ghana.
Dependency ratios [time series]
total dependency ratio: 76.5 youth dependency ratio: 71 elderly dependency ratio: 5.5 potential support ratio: 18.3 (2021 est.)
Drinking water source [time series]
improved: urban: 93.8% of population rural: 60.3% of population total: 74.6% of population unimproved: urban: 6.2% of population rural: 39.7% of population total: 25.4% of population (2020 est.)
Education expenditure (Education expenditures) [time series]
4% of GDP (2020 est.)
Ethnic groups [time series]
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
Gross reproduction rate [time series]
2.06 (2023 est.)
Hospital bed density [time series]
0.7 beds/1,000 population (2011)
Infant mortality rate [time series]
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
Languages [time series]
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)
Life expectancy at birth [time series]
total population: 71.7 years (2023 est.) male: 69.1 years female: 74.4 years
Literacy [time series]
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 66.5% male: 80% female: 55.1% (2019)
Major infectious diseases [time series]
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
Major urban areas - population [time series]
1.982 million LOME (capital) (2023)
Maternal mortality ratio [time series]
399 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
Median age [time series]
total: 20.5 years (2023 est.) male: 19.8 years female: 21.3 years
Mother's mean age at first birth [time series]
25 years (2017 est.) note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-29
Nationality [time series]
noun: Togolese (singular and plural) adjective: Togolese
Net migration rate [time series]
-1.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate [time series]
8.4% (2016)
Physician density (Physicians density) [time series]
0.08 physicians/1,000 population (2020)
Population [time series]
8,703,961 (2023 est.)
Population distribution [time series]
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
Population growth rate [time series]
2.45% (2023 est.)
Religions [time series]
Christian 42.3%, folk religion 36.9%, Muslim 14%, Hindu 1%, Buddhist 1%, Jewish 1%, other 1%, none 6.2% (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility access [time series]
improved: urban: 81.9% of population rural: 18.3% of population total: 45.5% of population unimproved: urban: 18.1% of population rural: 81.7% of population total: 54.5% of population (2020 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) [time series]
total: 13 years male: 14 years female: 12 years (2017)
Sex ratio [time series]
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.)
Tobacco use [time series]
total: 6.8% (2020 est.) male: 12.3% (2020 est.) female: 1.2% (2020 est.)
Total fertility rate [time series]
4.18 children born/woman (2023 est.)
Urbanization [time series]
urban population: 44.5% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 3.6% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Terrorism
Terrorist group(s) [time series]
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 Appendix-T
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international [time series]
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 Togo-Burkina Faso : none identified Togo-Ghana : none identified
Illicit drugs [time series]
transit hub for Nigerian heroin and cocaine traffickers; money laundering not a significant problem
Refugees and internally displaced persons [time series]
refugees (country of origin): 9,846 (Burkina Faso), 8,436 (Ghana) (2023)
Transportation
Airports [time series]
8 (2021)
Airports - with paved runways [time series]
2 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.)
Airports - with unpaved runways [time series]
6 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
Civil aircraft registration country code prefix [time series]
5V
Merchant marine [time series]
total: 403 (2022) by type: bulk carrier 1, container ship 10, general cargo 254, oil tanker 57, other 81
National air transport system [time series]
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
Pipelines [time series]
62 km gas
Ports (Ports and terminals) [time series]
major seaport(s): Kpeme, Lome container port(s) (TEUs): Lome (1,962,304) (2021)
Railways [time series]
total: 568 km (2014) narrow gauge: 568 km (2014) 1.000-m gauge
Roadways [time series]
total: 9,951 km (2018) paved: 1,794 km (2018) unpaved: 8,157 km (2018) urban: 1,783 km (2018)
Waterways [time series]
50 km (2011) (seasonally navigable by small craft on the Mono River depending on rainfall)