Guinea: People & Society#
| Population | 12,093,349 (July 2016 est.) |
|---|---|
| Nationality | noun: Guinean(s) adjective: Guinean |
| Ethnic groups | Fulani (Peul) 33.9%, Malinke 31.1%, Soussou 19.1%, Guerze 6%, Kissi 4.7%, Toma 2.6%, other/no answer 2.7% (2012 est.) |
| Languages | French (official) note: each ethnic group has its own language |
| Religions | Muslim 86.7%, Christian 8.9%, animist/other/none 4.4% (2012 est.) |
| Demographic profile | Guinea’s strong population growth is a result of declining mortality rates and sustained elevated fertility. The population growth rate was somewhat tempered in the 2000s because of a period of net outmigration. Although life expectancy and mortality rates have improved over the last two decades, the nearly universal practice of female genital cutting continues to contribute to high infant and maternal mortality rates. Guinea’s total fertility remains high at about 5 children per woman because of the ongoing preference for larger families, low contraceptive usage and availability, a lack of educational attainment and empowerment among women, and poverty. A lack of literacy and vocational training programs limit job prospects for youths, but even those with university degrees often have no option but to work in the informal sector. About 60% of the country’s large youth population is unemployed. Tensions and refugees have spilled over Guinea’s borders with Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Cote d’Ivoire. During the 1990s Guinea harbored as many as half a million refugees from Sierra Leone and Liberia, more refugees than any other African country for much of that decade. About half sought refuge in the volatile "Parrot’s Beak" region of southwest Guinea, a wedge of land jutting into Sierra Leone near the Liberian border. Many were relocated within Guinea in the early 2000s because the area suffered repeated cross-border attacks from various government and rebel forces, as well as anti-refugee violence. As of 2016, Guinea sheltered more than 7,000 Ivoirians. |
| Age structure | 0-14 years: 41.7% (male 2,547,037/female 2,495,495) 15-24 years: 19.67% (male 1,200,618/female 1,177,633) 25-54 years: 30.52% (male 1,851,200/female 1,839,952) 55-64 years: 4.46% (male 258,455/female 281,497) 65 years and over: 3.65% (male 195,054/female 246,408) (2016 est.) |
| Dependency ratios | total dependency ratio: 83.8% youth dependency ratio: 78.2% elderly dependency ratio: 5.6% potential support ratio: 17.8% (2015 est.) |
| Median age | total: 18.8 years male: 18.6 years female: 19.1 years (2016 est.) |
| Population growth rate | 2.62% (2016 est.) |
| Birth rate | 35.4 births/1,000 population (2016 est.) |
| Death rate | 9.2 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.) |
| Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.) |
| Urbanization | urban population: 37.2% of total population (2015) rate of urbanization: 3.82% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.) |
| Major urban areas - population | CONAKRY (capital) 1.936 million (2015) |
| Sex ratio | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-24 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 25-54 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 55-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2016 est.) |
| Mother's mean age at first birth | 18.9 note: median age at first birth among women 25-29 (2012 est.) |
| Maternal mortality rate | 679 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate | total: 51.7 deaths/1,000 live births male: 54.4 deaths/1,000 live births female: 48.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population: 60.6 years male: 59 years female: 62.2 years (2016 est.) |
| Total fertility rate | 4.82 children born/woman (2016 est.) |
| Contraceptive prevalence rate | 5.6% (2012) |
| Health expenditures | 5.6% of GDP (2014) |
| Physicians density | 0.1 physicians/1,000 population (2005) |
| Hospital bed density | 0.3 beds/1,000 population (2011) |
| Drinking water source | improved: urban: 92.7% of population rural: 67.4% of population total: 76.8% of population unimproved: urban: 7.3% of population rural: 32.6% of population total: 23.2% of population (2015 est.) |
| Sanitation facility access | improved: urban: 34.1% of population rural: 11.8% of population total: 20.1% of population unimproved: urban: 65.9% of population rural: 88.2% of population total: 79.9% of population (2015 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate | 1.56% (2015 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | 116,800 (2015 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths | 4,600 (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, dengue fever, and yellow fever water contact disease: schistosomiasis aerosolized dust or soil contact disease: Lassa fever animal contact disease: rabies (2016) |
| Obesity - adult prevalence rate | 5.9% (2014) |
| Children under the age of 5 years underweight | 18.7% (2012) |
| Education expenditures | 3.2% of GDP (2014) |
| Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 30.4% male: 38.1% female: 22.8% (2015 est.) |
| School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) | total: 9 years male: 10 years female: 8 years (2014) |
| Child labor - children ages 5-14 | total number: 571,774 percentage: 25% (2003 est.) |
| Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 | total: 1% male: 1.5% female: 0.6% (2012 est.) |