Demographics of Togo

This article is about the demographic features of the population of Togo, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

Togo's population of 5.86 million people (2008 est.) is composed of about 21 ethnic groups. The two major groups are the Ewe in the South and the Kabye in the North. Other groups include the Akposso on the Central Plateau, the Bassar in the Center-West, the Cotocoli, the Tchamba and the Komkombas around Sokodé, the Lambas in the Kante region, the Haoussas and the Mossis farther in the North. Among the others groups can be found the Tamberma, the Guin, the Losso, the Ouachi and the Gourma.

Population distribution is very uneven due to soil and terrain variations. The population is generally concentrated in the south and along the major north-south highway connecting the coast to the Sahel. Age distribution also is uneven; nearly one-half of the Togolese are less than 15 years of age. The ethnic groups of the coastal region, particularly the Ewes (about 21% of the population), constitute the bulk of the civil servants, professionals, and merchants, due in part to the former colonial administrations which provided greater infrastructure development in the south. The Kabye (12% of the population) live on marginal land and traditionally have emigrated south from their home area in the Kara region to seek employment. Their historical means of social advancement has been through the military and law enforcement forces, and they continue to dominate these services.

Most of the southern peoples use the Ewe or Mina languages, which are closely related and spoken in commercial sectors throughout Togo. French, the official language, is used in administration and documentation. The public primary schools combine French with Ewe or Kabye as languages of instruction, depending on the region. English is spoken in neighboring Ghana and is taught in Togolese secondary schools. As a result, many Togolese, especially in the south and along the Ghana border, speak some English.

CIA World Factbook demographic statistics

The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.

Demographics of Togo, Data of FAO, year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands.

Population

5,018,502
note: Estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2000 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 46% (male 1,161,610; female 1,153,877)
15-64 years: 51% (male 1,254,437; female 1,327,306)
65 years and over: 3% (male 53,101; female 68,171) (2000 est.)

Population growth rate

2.71% (2008 est.)

Birth rate

36.66 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate

9.48 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate

0.16 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Infant mortality rate

57.66 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 54.69 years
male: 52.75 years
female: 56.7 years (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate

4.85 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV Prevalence

Adult infection rate 4.2% (2003)

People living with HIV/Aids 110,000 (2003)

Death rate 10,000 (2003)

Nationality

noun: Togolese (singular and plural)
adjective: Togolese

Ethnic groups

native African (37 tribes; largest and most important are Ewe, Mina/Gen, and Kabre) 99%, European and Lebanese less than 1%

Religions

According to the CIA Factbook, approximately 29% of the population is Christian, 20% are Muslim, and 51% have indigenous beliefs.^[1]

Languages

French (official and the language of commerce), Ewe and Gen (the two major African languages in the south), Kabye (sometimes spelled Kabiye) and Dagomba (the two major African languages in the north)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 51.7%
male: 67%
female: 37% (1995 est.)

References

1. ^ https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/to.html#People