Equatorial Guinea: People & Society#
| Population | 759,451 (July 2016 est.) |
|---|---|
| Nationality | noun: Equatorial Guinean(s) or Equatoguinean(s) adjective: Equatorial Guinean or Equatoguinean |
| Ethnic groups | Fang 85.7%, Bubi 6.5%, Mdowe 3.6%, Annobon 1.6%, Bujeba 1.1%, other 1.4% (1994 census) |
| Languages | Spanish (official) 67.6%, other (includes French (official), Fang, Bubi) 32.4% (1994 census) |
| Religions | nominally Christian and predominantly Roman Catholic, pagan practices |
| Demographic profile | Equatorial Guinea is one of the smallest and least populated countries in continental Africa and is the only independent African country where Spanish is an official language. Despite a boom in oil production in the 1990s, authoritarianism, corruption, and resource mismanagement have concentrated the benefits among a small elite. These practices have perpetuated income inequality and unbalanced development, such as low public spending on education and health care. Unemployment remains problematic because the oil-dominated economy employs a small labor force dependent on skilled foreign workers. The agricultural sector, Equatorial Guinea’s main employer, continues to deteriorate because of a lack of investment and the migration of rural workers to urban areas. About three-quarters of the population lives below the poverty line. Equatorial Guinea’s large and growing youth population – about 60% are under the age of 25 – is particularly affected because job creation in the non-oil sectors is limited, and young people often do not have the skills needed in the labor market. Equatorial Guinean children frequently enter school late, have poor attendance, and have high dropout rates. Thousands of Equatorial Guineans fled across the border to Gabon in the 1970s to escape the dictatorship of MACIAS NGUEMA; smaller numbers have followed in the decades since. Continued inequitable economic growth and high youth unemployment increases the likelihood of ethnic and regional violence. |
| Age structure | 0-14 years: 40.15% (male 154,896/female 150,010) 15-24 years: 19.63% (male 75,914/female 73,194) 25-54 years: 31.94% (male 120,999/female 121,587) 55-64 years: 4.3% (male 14,052/female 18,583) 65 years and over: 3.98% (male 12,627/female 17,589) (2016 est.) |
| Dependency ratios | total dependency ratio: 72.9% youth dependency ratio: 67.9% elderly dependency ratio: 5% potential support ratio: 20% (2015 est.) |
| Median age | total: 19.6 years male: 19.1 years female: 20.1 years (2016 est.) |
| Population growth rate | 2.48% (2016 est.) |
| Birth rate | 32.8 births/1,000 population (2016 est.) |
| Death rate | 8 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.) |
| Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.) |
| Urbanization | urban population: 39.9% of total population (2015) rate of urbanization: 3.12% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.) |
| Major urban areas - population | MALABO (capital) 145,000 (2014) |
| Sex ratio | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 25-54 years: 1 male(s)/female 55-64 years: 0.76 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2016 est.) |
| Maternal mortality rate | 342 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate | total: 67.2 deaths/1,000 live births male: 68.2 deaths/1,000 live births female: 66.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population: 64.2 years male: 63.1 years female: 65.4 years (2016 est.) |
| Total fertility rate | 4.48 children born/woman (2016 est.) |
| Contraceptive prevalence rate | 12.6% (2011) |
| Health expenditures | 3.8% of GDP (2014) |
| Hospital bed density | 2.1 beds/1,000 population (2010) |
| Drinking water source | improved: urban: 72.5% of population rural: 31.5% of population total: 47.9% of population unimproved: urban: 27.5% of population rural: 68.5% of population total: 52.1% of population (2015 est.) |
| Sanitation facility access | improved: urban: 79.9% of population rural: 71% of population total: 74.5% of population unimproved: urban: 20.1% of population rural: 29% of population total: 25.5% of population (2015 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate | 4.88% (2015 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | 27,400 (2015 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths | 1,100 (2015 est.) |
| Major infectious diseases | degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and dengue fever animal contact disease: rabies (2016) |
| Obesity - adult prevalence rate | 16.2% (2014) |
| Children under the age of 5 years underweight | 5.6% (2010) |
| Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 95.3% male: 97.4% female: 93% (2015 est.) |