Guinea-Bissau - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Guinea-Bissau. This small country is swampy along its western coast and low-lying inland. Mother's mean age at first birth is (), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 725 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of Guinea-Bissau
Location Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Senegal
Geographic coordinates 12 00 N, 15 00 W
Map references Africa
Tarrain 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
Natural Resources fish, timber, phosphates, bauxite, clay, granite, limestone, unexploited deposits of petroleum
Natural Hazards hot, dry, dusty harmattan haze may reduce visibility during dry season; brush fires
Irrigated Land 250 sq km (2012)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Major aquifers Senegalo-Mauritanian Basin
Land Boundaries 762 km
Border Countries Guinea 421 km; Senegal 341 km
Coastline 350 km
Climate tropical; generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds
Area
Total Area
Land Area 28,120 sq km
Water Area 8,005 sq km
comparative Area slightly less than three times the size of Connecticut
Maritime Claims
Territorial sea 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone 200 nm
Elevations
Highest point Dongol Ronde 277 m
Lowest point Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Mean elevation 70 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 44.8% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 8.2% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 6.9% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 29.7% (2018 est.)
Forest 55.2% (2018 est.)
Other 0% (2018 est.)
Population Distribution

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

People and Society

In Guinea-Bissau, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Balanta 30%, Fulani 30%, Manjaco 14%, Mandinga 13%, Papel 7%, unspecified smaller ethnic groups 6% (2015 est.)

Population
Pop growth rate 2.54% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 36 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 7.2 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 8.4% of GDP (2020)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density
Total fertility rate 4.62 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 2.28 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate 20.6% (2018/19)
Est married women (ages 15-49) 56.7% (2023 est.)
Literacy age 15 and over can read and write
Education expenditures 2.7% of GDP (2020 est.)
Net Migration rate -3.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Bissau-Guinean | Bissau-Guinean(s)
Languages Portuguese-based Creole, Portuguese (official; largely used as a second or third language), Pular (a Fula language), Mandingo
Religions Muslim 46.1%, folk religions 30.6%, Christian 18.9%, other or unaffiliated 4.4% (2020 est.)
Age Structure
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)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 76.6
Youth dependency ratio 71.6
Elderly dependency ratio 5
Potential support ratio 20.1 (2021 est.)
Median Age
Total 18.4 years (2024 est.)
Male 17.8 years
Female 18.9 years
Urbanization
Urban population 45.5% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 3.22% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 664,000 BISSAU (capital) (2023).
Sex Ratio
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.)
Infant Motality
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
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 64.5 years (2024 est.)
Male 62.2 years
Female 66.8 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: 90.6% of population
Improved: rural rural: 59.1% of population
Improved: total total: 73.1% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 9.4% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 40.9% of population
Unimproved: total total: 26.9% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: 62.4% of population
Improved: rural rural: 7.6% of population
Improved: total total: 31.8% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 37.6% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 92.4% of population
Unimproved: total total: 68.2% of population (2020 est.)
Major Infectious diseases
Degree of risk very high (2023)
Food or waterborne diseases bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases malaria, dengue fever, and sexually transmitted diseases: hepatitis B (2024)
Water contact diseases schistosomiasis
Animal contact diseases rabies
Alcohol consumption per capita
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.)
Tobacco use
Total 9% (2020 est.)
Male 17% (2020 est.)
Female 0.9% (2020 est.)
Child marriage
Women married by age 15 8.1%
Women married by age 18 25.7%
Men married by age 18 2.2% (2019 est.)
Demographic profile

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.

All Important Facts about Guinea-Bissau

Want to know more about Guinea-Bissau? Check all different factbooks for Guinea-Bissau below.

Guinea-Bissau is found in Western Africa