Guinea-Bissau: Facts & Stats

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

News •

A Small West African Country Has Big Artistic Dreams • May 10, 2025, 10:05 AM ET (New York Times)

UN food agency reports 24 pct surge in food insecurity in Guinea-Bissau due to flooding • Apr. 30, 2025, 11:11 PM ET (The Star)

Facts

Also Known As	Republic of Guinea-Bissau • República da Guiné-Bissau • Portuguese Guinea
Head Of Government	Prime Minister: Rui Duarte de Barros
Capital	Bissau
Population	(2025 est.) 1,853,000
Head Of State	President: Umaro Sissoco Embaló³
Form Of Government	republic¹ with one legislative house (National People’s Assembly [102²])
Official Language	Portuguese
Official Religion	none
Official Name	Républica da Guiné-Bissau (Republic of Guinea-Bissau)
Total Area (Sq Km)	36,125
Total Area (Sq Mi)	13,948
Monetary Unit	CFA franc (CFAF)
Urban-Rural Population	Urban: (2024) 45.3% • Rural: (2024) 54.7%
Life Expectancy At Birth	Male: (2022) 61.5 years • Female: (2022) 66 years
Literacy: Percentage Of Population Age 15 And Over Literate	Male: (2022) 68% • Female: (2022) 41%
Gni Per Capita (U.S.$)	(2023) 940
¹A transitional government was designated on May 11, 2012, in the aftermath of a military coup on April 12, 2012; power was transferred to a democratically elected government on June 23, 2014. ²Includes two seats reserved for citizens of Guinea-Bissau residing abroad.³Umaro Sissoco Embaló was declared the winner of the presidential runoff election held on December 29, 2019, but the legality of his inauguration on February 27, 2020, was disputed by the losing candidate, Domingos Simões Pereira and his party, the PAIGC, because of a petition still pending before the Supreme Court regarding the validity of the results of the election. The Supreme Court dismissed the PAIGC’s petition and upheld the results of the election in September 2020; the PAIGC accepted the ruling.