Guinea-Bissau

total: 2,383 (2020 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 0.1 (2020 est.)

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

.gw

total: 735,000 (2021 est.) percent of population: 35% (2021 est.)

general assessment: small system including a combination of microwave radio relay, open-wire lines, radiotelephone, and mobile cellular communications; 2 mobile network operators; one of the poorest countries in the world and this is reflected in the country's telecommunications development; radio is the most important source of information for the public (2020) domestic: fixed-line teledensity less than 1 per 100 persons; mobile cellular teledensity is just over 109 per 100 persons (2021) international: country code - 245; ACE submarine cable connecting Guinea-Bissau with 20 landing points in Western and South Africa and Europe (2019)

total subscriptions: 4,800 (2009 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2018 est.) less than 1

total subscriptions: 2.652 million (2022 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 126 (2022 est.)

rice, groundnuts, cashews, root vegetables, oil palm fruit, plantains, cassava, vegetables, sweet potatoes, coconuts (2022) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

revenues: $220.219 million (2019 est.) expenditures: $210.858 million (2019 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

-$146.64 million (2022 est.) -$14.128 million (2021 est.) -$38.683 million (2020 est.) note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars

$808.187 million (2022 est.) note: present value of external debt in current US dollars

extremely poor West African economy; ethnically diverse labor force; increasing government expenditures; slight inflation due to food supply disruptions; major cashew exporter; systemic banking instabilities and corruption; vulnerable to oil price shocks

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 606.57 (2023 est.) 623.76 (2022 est.) 554.531 (2021 est.) 575.586 (2020 est.) 585.911 (2019 est.)

$280.065 million (2022 est.) $334.904 million (2021 est.) $232.536 million (2020 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

coconuts/Brazil nuts/cashews, fish, fish oil, palm oil, dried fruits (2022) note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

India 92%, Cote d'Ivoire 2%, Togo 2%, Netherlands 1%, South Korea 1% (2022) note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

$1.966 billion (2023 est.) note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate

household consumption: 66.6% (2023 est.) government consumption: 19% (2023 est.) investment in fixed capital: 23.8% (2023 est.) investment in inventories: 0.2% (2023 est.) exports of goods and services: 17.9% (2023 est.) imports of goods and services: -28.3% (2023 est.) note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

agriculture: 33.7% (2023 est.) industry: 16.1% (2023 est.) services: 45.1% (2023 est.) note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

33.4 (2021 est.) note: index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality

lowest 10%: 3.4% (2021 est.) highest 10%: 26.1% (2021 est.) note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

$577.899 million (2022 est.) $518.162 million (2021 est.) $439.386 million (2020 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

refined petroleum, steel, rice, flavored water, beer (2022) note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Portugal 34%, Senegal 22%, China 14%, Netherlands 6%, Spain 3% (2022) note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

4% (2023 est.) note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

agricultural products processing, beer, soft drinks

9.39% (2022 est.) 2.24% (2021 est.) 1.14% (2020 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

726,000 (2023 est.) note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

47.7% (2018 est.) note: % of population with income below national poverty line

53.9% of GDP (2017 est.)

$5.099 billion (2023 est.) $4.892 billion (2022 est.) $4.694 billion (2021 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

4.25% (2023 est.) 4.2% (2022 est.) 6.4% (2021 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

$2,400 (2023 est.) $2,300 (2022 est.) $2,300 (2021 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

9.38% of GDP (2023 est.) 12.02% of GDP (2022 est.) 11.95% of GDP (2021 est.) note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities

$356.4 million (31 December 2017 est.) $349.4 million (31 December 2016 est.)

9.16% (of GDP) (2019 est.) note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

3.18% (2023 est.) 3.2% (2022 est.) 3.63% (2021 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

total: 4% (2023 est.) male: 3.9% (2023 est.) female: 4.2% (2023 est.) note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

362,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.) from petroleum and other liquids: 362,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

installed generating capacity: 28,000 kW (2022 est.) consumption: 78.87 million kWh (2022 est.) transmission/distribution losses: 6 million kWh (2022 est.)

electrification - total population: 37.4% (2022 est.) electrification - urban areas: 61% electrification - rural areas: 15.8%

fossil fuels: 97.6% of total installed capacity (2022 est.) solar: 2.4% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

2.372 million Btu/person (2022 est.)

refined petroleum consumption: 2,000 bbl/day (2022 est.)

particulate matter emissions: 34.85 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.) carbon dioxide emissions: 0.29 megatons (2016 est.) methane emissions: 1.46 megatons (2020 est.)

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

deforestation (rampant felling of trees for timber and agricultural purposes); soil erosion; overgrazing; overfishing

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, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

agricultural land: 44.8% (2018 est.) arable land: 8.2% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 6.9% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 29.7% (2018 est.) forest: 55.2% (2018 est.) other: 0% (2018 est.)

Senegalo-Mauritanian Basin

0% of GDP (2018 est.)

9.24% of GDP (2018 est.)

31.4 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

municipal: 30 million cubic meters (2020 est.) industrial: 10 million cubic meters (2020 est.) agricultural: 140 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

urban population: 45.5% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 3.22% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually: 289,514 tons (2015 est.)

total : 36,125 sq km land: 28,120 sq km water: 8,005 sq km

slightly less than three times the size of Connecticut

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

350 km

highest point: Dongol Ronde 277 m lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 70 m

12 00 N, 15 00 W

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

250 sq km (2012)

total: 762 km border countries (2): Guinea 421 km; Senegal 341 km

agricultural land: 44.8% (2018 est.) arable land: 8.2% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 6.9% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 29.7% (2018 est.) forest: 55.2% (2018 est.) other: 0% (2018 est.)

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

Senegalo-Mauritanian Basin

Africa

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

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

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

approximately one-fifth of the population lives in the capital city of Bissau along the Atlantic coast; the remainder is distributed among the eight other, mainly rural, regions as shown in this population distribution map

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

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

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

citizenship by birth: yes citizenship by descent only: yes dual citizenship recognized: no residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

history: promulgated 16 May 1984; note - constitution suspended following military coup April 2012, restored 2014; note - in May 2020, President EMBALO established a commission to draft a revised constitution amendments: proposed by the National People s Assembly if supported by at least one third of its members, by the Council of State (a presidential consultant body), or by the government; passage requires approval by at least two-thirds majority vote of the Assembly; constitutional articles on the republican and secular form of government and national sovereignty cannot be amended; amended 1991, 1993, 1996

conventional long form: Republic of Guinea-Bissau conventional short form: Guinea-Bissau local long form: Republica da Guine-Bissau local short form: Guine-Bissau former: Portuguese Guinea etymology: the country is named after the Guinea region of West Africa that lies along the Gulf of Guinea and stretches north to the Sahel; "Bissau," the name of the capital city, distinguishes the country from neighboring Guinea

chief of mission: Ambassador Michael RAYNOR (since 20 April 2022) mailing address: 2080 Bissau Place, Washington DC 20521-2080 email address and website: dakarACS@state.gov https://gw.usmission.gov/

chief of mission: Ambassador Maria Da Concei o NOBRE CABRAL (since 18 September 2024) chancery: 918 16th Street, NW (Mezzanine Suite) Washington DC 20006 telephone: [1] (202) 872-4222 FAX: [1] (202) 872-4226

chief of state: President Umaro Sissoco EMBALO (since 27 February 2020) head of government: Prime Minister Rui Duarte DE BARROS (since 20 December 2023) cabinet: Cabinet nominated by the prime minister, appointed by the president elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for up to 2 consecutive 5-year terms; election last held on 24 November 2019 with a runoff on 29 December 2019 (next to be held in 2024); prime minister appointed by the president after consultation with party leaders in the National People's Assembly; note - the president cannot apply for a third consecutive term; note - President EMBALO was declared winner of the 29 December 2019 runoff presidential election by the electoral commission; in late February 2020, EMBALO inaugurated himself with only military leadership present, even though the Supreme Court of Justice had yet to rule on an electoral litigation appeal lodged by his political rival Domingos Simoes PEREIRA election results: 2019: Umaro Sissoco EMBALO elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Domingos Simoes PEREIRA (PAIGC) 40.1%, Umaro Sissoco EMBALO (Madem G15) 27.7%, Nuno Gomez NABIAM (APU-PDGB) 13.2%, Jose Mario VAZ (independent) 12.4%, other 6.6%; percent of vote in second round - Umaro Sissoco EMBALO 53.6%, Domingos Simoes PEREIRA 46.5% 2014: Jose Mario VAZ elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Jose Mario VAZ (PAIGC) 41%, Nuno Gomez NABIAM (independent) 25.1%, other 33.9%; percent of vote in second round - Jose Mario VAZ 61.9%, Nuno Gomez NABIAM 38.1% (2019)

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

semi-presidential republic

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

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; non-party state to the ICCt

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

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

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

description: unicameral National People's Assembly or Assembleia Nacional Popular (102 seats; 100 members directly elected in 27 multi-seat constituencies by closed party-list proportional representation vote and 2 elected in single-seat constituencies for citizens living abroad (Africa 1, Europe 1); all members serve 4-year terms) elections: last held on 4 June 2023 (next to be held on 30 June 2027); note - on 4 December 2023 the president dissolved the parliament with new elections to be held at a future date election results: percent of vote by party - PAIGC 39.4%, Madem G-15 21.1%, PRS 14.9%, other 12.5%; seats by party - PAIGC 54, Madem G-15 29, PRS- 12, other 7; composition - men 92, women 10, percentage women 9.8%

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

Independence Day, 24 September (1973)

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

African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cabo Verde or PAIGC Democratic Convergence Party or PCD Movement for Democratic Alternation Group of 15 or MADEM-G15 National People s Assembly Democratic Party of Guinea Bissau or APU-PDGB New Democracy Party or PND Party for Social Renewal or PRS Republican Party for Independence and Development or PRID Union for Change or UM

18 years of age; universal

For much of its history, Guinea-Bissau was under the control of the Mali Empire and the Kaabu Kingdom. In the 16th century, Portugal began establishing trading posts along Guinea-Bissau s shoreline. Initially, the Portuguese were restricted to the coastline and islands. However, the slave and gold trades were lucrative to local African leaders, and the Portuguese were slowly able to expand their power and influence inland. Starting in the 18th century, the Mali Empire and Kingdom of Kaabu slowly disintegrated into smaller local entities. By the 19th century, Portugal had fully incorporated Guinea-Bissau into its empire. Since gaining independence in 1974, Guinea-Bissau has experienced considerable political and military upheaval. In 1980, a military coup established General Joao Bernardo 'Nino' VIEIRA as president. VIEIRA's regime suppressed political opposition and purged political rivals. Several coup attempts through the 1980s and early 1990s failed to unseat him, but a military mutiny and civil war in 1999 led to VIEIRA's ouster. In 2000, a transitional government turned over power to opposition leader Kumba YALA. In 2003, a bloodless military coup overthrew YALA and installed businessman Henrique ROSA as interim president. In 2005, VIEIRA was reelected, pledging to pursue economic development and national reconciliation; he was assassinated in 2009. Malam Bacai SANHA was then elected president, but he passed away in 2012 from a long-term illness. A military coup blocked the second round of the election to replace him, but after mediation from the Economic Community of Western African States, a civilian transitional government assumed power. In 2014, Jose Mario VAZ was elected president in a free and fair election, and in 2019, he became the first president in Guinea-Bissau s history to complete a full term. Umaro Sissoco EMBALO was elected president in 2019, but he did not take office until 2020 because of a prolonged challenge to the election results.

the FARP is focused on external security, but also has some internal security duties, and it has been influential in the country s politics since independence was gained in 1974, having staged at least nine coup attempts as well as several mutinies; FARP members were suspected of coup plotting as recently as 2021, and it put down an attempted coup in 2022, while the National Guard attempted a coup in December 2023; since the 2000s, the FARP has undergone various attempts at defense and security sector reforms with limited success under the auspices of the African Union, the EU, the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS), and the UN from 2012-2020, ECOWAS deployed a security force to Guinea-Bissau to manage the post-coup transition, including protecting key political figures and public buildings, restoring civil institutions, and re-establishing the rule of law; at the height of the deployment, the force, known as the ECOWAS Mission in Guinea-Bissau (ECOMIB), deployed nearly 700 military and police personnel from Burkina Faso, Nigeria, and Senegal; as of 2024, ECOMIB remained in Guinea-Bissau (2024)

People's Revolutionary Armed Force (Forcas Armadas Revolucionarias do Povo or FARP): Army, Navy, Air Force Ministry of Internal Administration: National Guard (a gendarmerie force), Public Order Police, Border Police, Rapid Intervention Police, Maritime Police (2024) note: the Public Order Police is responsible for maintaining law and order, while the Judicial Police, under the Ministry of Justice, has primary responsibility for investigating drug trafficking, terrorism, and other transnational crimes

approximately 4,000 active troops, including a few hundred air and naval personnel (2023)

the FARP is outfitted mostly with Soviet-era weapons and equipment, along with a handful of secondhand items from France and Spain (2024)

1.4% of GDP (2023 est.) 1.6% of GDP (2022 est.) 1.8% of GDP (2021 est.) 1.7% of GDP (2020 est.) 1.9% of GDP (2019 est.)

18-25 years of age for selective compulsory military service for men and women (Air Force service is voluntary); 16 years of age or younger, with parental consent, for voluntary service (2023)

0-14 years: 42.3% (male 453,513/female 448,514) 15-64 years: 54.6% (male 561,868/female 602,280) 65 years and over: 3.1% (2024 est.) (male 27,529/female 38,621)

total: 3.21 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) beer: 0.41 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) wine: 0.98 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) spirits: 0.54 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) other alcohols: 1.28 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

36 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

women married by age 15: 8.1% women married by age 18: 25.7% men married by age 18: 2.2% (2019 est.)

18.8% (2019)

20.6% (2018/19)

8.4% of GDP (2020)

56.7% (2023 est.)

7.2 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Guinea-Bissau s young and growing population is sustained by high fertility; approximately 60% of the population is under the age of 25 as of 2020. Its large reproductive-age population and total fertility rate of more than 4 children per woman offsets the country s high infant and maternal mortality rates. The latter is among the world s highest because of the prevalence of early childbearing, a lack of birth spacing, the high percentage of births outside of health care facilities, and a shortage of medicines and supplies. Guinea-Bissau s history of political instability, a civil war, and several coups (the latest in 2012) have resulted in a fragile state with a weak economy, high unemployment, rampant corruption, widespread poverty, and thriving drug and child trafficking. With the country lacking educational infrastructure, school funding and materials, and qualified teachers, and with the cultural emphasis placed on religious education, parents frequently send boys to study in residential Koranic schools (daaras) in Senegal and The Gambia. They often are extremely deprived and are forced into street begging or agricultural work by marabouts (Muslim religious teachers), who enrich themselves at the expense of the children. Boys who leave their marabouts often end up on the streets of Dakar or other large Senegalese towns and are vulnerable to even worse abuse. Some young men lacking in education and job prospects become involved in the flourishing international drug trade. Local drug use and associated violent crime are growing.

total dependency ratio: 76.6 youth dependency ratio: 71.6 elderly dependency ratio: 5 potential support ratio: 20.1 (2021 est.)

improved: urban: 90.6% of population rural: 59.1% of population total: 73.1% of population unimproved: urban: 9.4% of population rural: 40.9% of population total: 26.9% of population (2020 est.)

2.7% of GDP (2020 est.)

Balanta 30%, Fulani 30%, Manjaco 14%, Mandinga 13%, Papel 7%, unspecified smaller ethnic groups 6% (2015 est.)

2.28 (2024 est.)

total: 46.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.) male: 52 deaths/1,000 live births female: 40.6 deaths/1,000 live births

Portuguese-based Creole, Portuguese (official; largely used as a second or third language), Pular (a Fula language), Mandingo

total population: 64.5 years (2024 est.) male: 62.2 years female: 66.8 years

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 52.9% male: 67% female: 39.9% (2021)

664,000 BISSAU (capital) (2023)

725 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

total: 18.4 years (2024 est.) male: 17.8 years female: 18.9 years

noun: Bissau-Guinean(s) adjective: Bissau-Guinean

-3.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)

9.5% (2016)

0.2 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

total: 2,132,325 male: 1,042,910 female: 1,089,415 (2024 est.)

approximately one-fifth of the population lives in the capital city of Bissau along the Atlantic coast; the remainder is distributed among the eight other, mainly rural, regions as shown in this population distribution map

2.54% (2024 est.)

Muslim 46.1%, folk religions 30.6%, Christian 18.9%, other or unaffiliated 4.4% (2020 est.)

improved: urban: 62.4% of population rural: 7.6% of population total: 31.8% of population unimproved: urban: 37.6% of population rural: 92.4% of population total: 68.2% of population (2020 est.)

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

total: 9% (2020 est.) male: 17% (2020 est.) female: 0.9% (2020 est.)

4.62 children born/woman (2024 est.)

urban population: 45.5% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 3.22% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

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

refugees (country of origin): 7,757 (Senegal) (2022)

tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List The Government of Guinea-Bissau does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so, therefore Guinea-Bissau was upgraded to Tier 2 Watch List; for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2024-trafficking-in-persons-report/guinea-bissau/

7 (2024)

J5

total: 20 (2023) by type: bulk carrier 3, general cargo 12, other 5

total ports: 2 (2024) large: 0 medium: 0 small: 0 very small: 2 ports with oil terminals: 1 key ports: Bissau, Rio Cacheu

total: 4,400 km paved: 453 km unpaved: 3,947 km (2016)

1,367 km (2022) major rivers Geba- 550km, Corubal 560 km, Cacheu 257 km (rivers are partially navigable; many inlets and creeks provide shallow-water access to much of interior)