Population and Demographics

Togo's population is composed a number of 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.

Other groups include the Tamberma, the Guin, the Losso, the Ouachi and the Gourma.

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.

A majority of the Togolese population (51%) adhere to indigenous animist beliefs . Christianity is the second largest religious group, to which 29% of the country's population belong. The remaining 20% of Togolese follow Islam.

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, with nearly one-half of the Togolese less than 15 years of age.

Facts and Figures

• Population: 5,548,702
• Age Structure:
  • 0-14 years: 42.3% (male 1,177,141/female 1,169,321)
  • 15-64 years: 55.1% (male 1,485,621/female 1,570,117)
  • 65 years and over: 2.6% (male 59,870/female 86,632)
• Median Age:
  • Total: 18.3 years
  • Male: 17.8 years
  • Female: 18.7 years
• Population Growth Rate: 2.72%
• Birth Rate: 37.01 births/1,000 population
• Death Rate: 9.83 deaths/1,000 population
• Net Migration Rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population
• 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: 0.69 male(s)/female
  • Total population: 0.96 male(s)/female
• Infant Mortality Rate:
  • Total: 60.63 deaths/1,000 live births
  • Male: 68.17 deaths/1,000 live births
  • Female: 52.87 deaths/1,000 live births
• Life Expectancy at Birth:
  • Total population: 57.42 years
  • Male: 55.41 years
  • Female: 59.49 years
• Total Fertility Rate: 4.96 children born/woman
• HIV/AIDS:
  • Adult prevalence rate: 4.1%
  • People living with HIV/AIDS: 110,000
• Ethnic Groups:
  • African (37 tribes; largest and most important are Ewe, Mina, and Kabre) 99%,
  • European and Syrian-Lebanese less than 1%
  • Religions:
  • Indigenous beliefs 51%
  • Christian 29%
  • Muslim 20%
• Languages:
  • French (official and the language of commerce)
  • Ewe and Mina (the two major African languages in the south)
  • Kabye (sometimes spelled Kabiye)
  • Dagomba (the two major African languages in the north)
• Literacy:
  • Total population: 60.9%
  • Male: 75.4%
  • Female: 46.9%