{ "Introduction": { "Background": { "text": "
Equatorial Guinea consists of a continental territory and five inhabited islands; it is one of the smallest countries by area and population in Africa. The mainland region was most likely predominantly inhabited by Pygmy ethnic groups prior to the migration of various Bantu-speaking ethnic groups around the second millennium BC. The island of Bioko, the largest of Equatorial Guinea’s five inhabited islands and the location of the country’s capital of Malabo, has been occupied since at least 1000 B.C. In the early 1470s, Portuguese explorers landed on Bioko Island, and Portugal soon after established control of the island and other areas of modern Equatorial Guinea. In 1778, Portugal ceded its colonial hold over present-day Equatorial Guinea to Spain in the Treaty of El Pardo. The borders of modern-day Equatorial Guinea would evolve between 1778 and 1968 as the area remained under European colonial rule.
In 1968, Equatorial Guinea was granted independence from Spain and elected Francisco MACIAS NGUEMA as its first president. MACIAS consolidated power soon after his election and ruled brutally for over a decade. Under his regime, Equatorial Guinea experienced mass suppression, purges, and killings. Some estimates indicate that a third of the population either went into exile or was killed under MACIAS’ rule. In 1979, present-day President OBIANG Nguema Mbasogo, then a senior military officer, deposed MACIAS in a violent coup. OBIANG has ruled since and has been elected in non-competitive contests several times, most recently in 2022. The president exerts near-total control over the political system.
Equatorial Guinea experienced rapid economic growth in the early years of the 21st century due to the discovery of large offshore oil reserves in 1996. Production peaked in 2004 and has declined since. The country's economic windfall from oil production resulted in massive increases in government revenue, a significant portion of which was earmarked for infrastructure development. Systemic corruption, however, has hindered socio-economic development, and the population has seen only limited improvements to living standards. Equatorial Guinea continues to seek to diversify its economy, increase foreign investment, and assume a greater role in regional and international affairs.
" } }, "Geography": { "Location": { "text": "Central Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Cameroon and Gabon" }, "Geographic coordinates": { "text": "2 00 N, 10 00 E" }, "Map references": { "text": "Africa" }, "Area": { "total ": { "text": "28,051 sq km" }, "land": { "text": "28,051 sq km" }, "water": { "text": "0 sq km" } }, "Area - comparative": { "text": "slightly smaller than Maryland" }, "Land boundaries": { "total": { "text": "528 km" }, "border countries": { "text": "Cameroon 183 km; Gabon 345 km" } }, "Coastline": { "text": "296 km" }, "Maritime claims": { "territorial sea": { "text": "12 nm" }, "exclusive economic zone": { "text": "200 nm" } }, "Climate": { "text": "tropical; always hot, humid" }, "Terrain": { "text": "coastal plains rise to interior hills; islands are volcanic" }, "Elevation": { "highest point": { "text": "Pico Basile 3,008 m" }, "lowest point": { "text": "Atlantic Ocean 0 m" }, "mean elevation": { "text": "577 m" } }, "Natural resources": { "text": "petroleum, natural gas, timber, gold, bauxite, diamonds, tantalum, sand and gravel, clay" }, "Land use": { "agricultural land": { "text": "10.1% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: arable land": { "text": "arable land: 4.3% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: permanent crops": { "text": "permanent crops: 2.1% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: permanent pasture": { "text": "permanent pasture: 3.7% (2018 est.)" }, "forest": { "text": "57.5% (2018 est.)" }, "other": { "text": "32.4% (2018 est.)" } }, "Irrigated land": { "text": "NA" }, "Population distribution": { "text": "only two large cities over 30,000 people (Bata on the mainland, and the capital Malabo on the island of Bioko); small communities are scattered throughout the mainland and the five inhabited islands as shown in this population distribution map" }, "Natural hazards": { "text": "
violent windstorms; flash floods
volcanism: Santa Isabel (3,007 m), which last erupted in 1923, is the country's only historically active volcano; Santa Isabel, along with two dormant volcanoes, form Bioko Island in the Gulf of Guinea
" }, "Geography - note": { "text": "insular and continental regions widely separated; despite its name, no part of the Equator passes through Equatorial Guinea; the mainland part of the country is located just north of the Equator" } }, "People and Society": { "Population": { "total": { "text": "1,795,834" }, "male": { "text": "962,385" }, "female": { "text": "833,449 (2024 est.)" } }, "Nationality": { "noun": { "text": "Equatorial Guinean(s) or Equatoguinean(s)" }, "adjective": { "text": "Equatorial Guinean or Equatoguinean" } }, "Ethnic groups": { "text": "Fang 78.1%, Bubi 9.4%, Ndowe 2.8%, Nanguedambo 2.7%, Bisio 0.9%, foreigner 5.3%, other 0.7%, unspecified 0.2% (2011 est.)" }, "Languages": { "Languages": { "text": "Spanish (official) 67.6%, other (includes Fang, Bubi, Portuguese (official), French (official), Fa d'Ambo spoken in Annobon) 32.4% (1994 est.)" }, "major-language sample(s)": { "text": "Equatorial Guinea is one of the smallest and least populated countries in continental Africa and is the only independent African country where Spanish is an official language. Despite a boom in oil production in the 1990s, authoritarianism, corruption, and resource mismanagement have concentrated the benefits among a small elite. These practices have perpetuated income inequality and unbalanced development, such as low public spending on education and health care. Unemployment remains problematic because the oil-dominated economy employs a small labor force dependent on skilled foreign workers. The agricultural sector, Equatorial Guinea’s main employer, continues to deteriorate because of a lack of investment and the migration of rural workers to urban areas. About two-thirds of the population lives below the poverty line as of 2020.
Equatorial Guinea’s large and growing youth population – about 60% are under the age of 25 as of 2022 – is particularly affected because job creation in the non-oil sectors is limited, and young people often do not have the skills needed in the labor market. Equatorial Guinean children frequently enter school late, have poor attendance, and have high dropout rates. Thousands of Equatorial Guineans fled across the border to Gabon in the 1970s to escape the dictatorship of Francisco MACIAS NGUEMA; smaller numbers have followed in the decades since. Continued inequitable economic growth and high youth unemployment increases the likelihood of ethnic and regional violence.
" }, "Age structure": { "0-14 years": { "text": "35.6% (male 330,636/female 309,528)" }, "15-64 years": { "text": "59.4% (male 585,139/female 481,121)" }, "65 years and over": { "text": "5% (2024 est.) (male 46,610/female 42,800)" } }, "Dependency ratios": { "total dependency ratio": { "text": "72.2" }, "youth dependency ratio": { "text": "66.7" }, "elderly dependency ratio": { "text": "5.4" }, "potential support ratio": { "text": "18.5 (2021 est.)" } }, "Median age": { "total": { "text": "22.1 years (2024 est.)" }, "male": { "text": "22.7 years" }, "female": { "text": "21.5 years" } }, "Population growth rate": { "text": "3.23% (2024 est.)" }, "Birth rate": { "text": "29 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)" }, "Death rate": { "text": "8.9 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)" }, "Net migration rate": { "text": "12.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)" }, "Population distribution": { "text": "only two large cities over 30,000 people (Bata on the mainland, and the capital Malabo on the island of Bioko); small communities are scattered throughout the mainland and the five inhabited islands as shown in this population distribution map" }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { "text": "74.4% of total population (2023)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "3.62% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" } }, "Major urban areas - population": { "text": "297,000 MALABO (capital) (2018)" }, "Sex ratio": { "at birth": { "text": "1.03 male(s)/female" }, "0-14 years": { "text": "1.07 male(s)/female" }, "15-64 years": { "text": "1.22 male(s)/female" }, "65 years and over": { "text": "1.09 male(s)/female" }, "total population": { "text": "1.16 male(s)/female (2024 est.)" } }, "Maternal mortality ratio": { "text": "212 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)" }, "Infant mortality rate": { "total": { "text": "77.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)" }, "male": { "text": "83.3 deaths/1,000 live births" }, "female": { "text": "71.3 deaths/1,000 live births" } }, "Life expectancy at birth": { "total population": { "text": "63.9 years (2024 est.)" }, "male": { "text": "61.6 years" }, "female": { "text": "66.2 years" } }, "Total fertility rate": { "text": "4.12 children born/woman (2024 est.)" }, "Gross reproduction rate": { "text": "2.03 (2024 est.)" }, "Contraceptive prevalence rate": { "text": "NA" }, "Drinking water source": { "improved: urban": { "text": "urban: 81.7% of population" }, "improved: rural": { "text": "rural: 32.1% of population" }, "improved: total": { "text": "total: 67.6% of population" }, "unimproved: urban": { "text": "urban: 18.3% of population" }, "unimproved: rural": { "text": "rural: 67.9% of population" }, "unimproved: total": { "text": "total: 32.4% of population (2017 est.)" } }, "Current health expenditure": { "text": "3.8% of GDP (2020)" }, "Physician density": { "text": "0.4 physicians/1,000 population (2017)" }, "Sanitation facility access": { "improved: urban": { "text": "urban: 81.2% of population" }, "improved: rural": { "text": "rural: 63.4% of population" }, "improved: total": { "text": "total: 76.2% of population" }, "unimproved: urban": { "text": "urban: 18.8% of population" }, "unimproved: rural": { "text": "rural: 36.6% of population" }, "unimproved: total": { "text": "total: 23.8% of population (2020 est.)" } }, "Obesity - adult prevalence rate": { "text": "8% (2016)" }, "Alcohol consumption per capita": { "total": { "text": "6.11 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)" }, "beer": { "text": "3.83 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)" }, "wine": { "text": "1.24 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)" }, "spirits": { "text": "0.99 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)" }, "other alcohols": { "text": "0.05 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)" } }, "Currently married women (ages 15-49)": { "text": "60.2% (2023 est.)" }, "Education expenditures": { "text": "NA" }, "Literacy": { "definition": { "text": "age 15 and over can read and write" }, "total population": { "text": "95.3%" }, "male": { "text": "97.4%" }, "female": { "text": "93% (2015)" } } }, "Environment": { "Environment - current issues": { "text": "deforestation (forests are threatened by agricultural expansion, fires, and grazing); desertification; water pollution (tap water is non-potable); wildlife preservation" }, "Environment - international agreements": { "party to": { "text": "Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands" }, "signed, but not ratified": { "text": "Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban" } }, "Climate": { "text": "tropical; always hot, humid" }, "Land use": { "agricultural land": { "text": "10.1% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: arable land": { "text": "arable land: 4.3% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: permanent crops": { "text": "permanent crops: 2.1% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: permanent pasture": { "text": "permanent pasture: 3.7% (2018 est.)" }, "forest": { "text": "57.5% (2018 est.)" }, "other": { "text": "32.4% (2018 est.)" } }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { "text": "74.4% of total population (2023)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "3.62% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" } }, "Revenue from forest resources": { "text": "1.52% of GDP (2018 est.)" }, "Revenue from coal": { "text": "0% of GDP (2018 est.)" }, "Air pollutants": { "particulate matter emissions": { "text": "25.67 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)" }, "carbon dioxide emissions": { "text": "5.65 megatons (2016 est.)" }, "methane emissions": { "text": "11.21 megatons (2020 est.)" } }, "Waste and recycling": { "municipal solid waste generated annually": { "text": "198,443 tons (2016 est.)" } }, "Total water withdrawal": { "municipal": { "text": "20 million cubic meters (2020 est.)" }, "industrial": { "text": "3 million cubic meters (2017 est.)" }, "agricultural": { "text": "1 million cubic meters (2017 est.)" } }, "Total renewable water resources": { "text": "26 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)" } }, "Government": { "Country name": { "conventional long form": { "text": "Republic of Equatorial Guinea" }, "conventional short form": { "text": "Equatorial Guinea" }, "local long form": { "text": "Republica de Guinea Ecuatorial (Spanish)/ République de Guinée équatoriale (French)" }, "local short form": { "text": "Guinea Ecuatorial (Spanish)/Guinée équatoriale (French)" }, "former": { "text": "Spanish Guinea" }, "etymology": { "text": "the country is named for the Guinea region of West Africa that lies along the Gulf of Guinea and stretches north to the Sahel; the \"equatorial\" refers to the fact that the country lies just north of the Equator" } }, "Government type": { "text": "presidential republic" }, "Capital": { "name": { "text": "Malabo; note - Malabo is on the island of Bioko; some months of the year, the government operates out of Bata on the mainland region." }, "geographic coordinates": { "text": "3 45 N, 8 47 E" }, "time difference": { "text": "UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)" }, "etymology": { "text": "named after King MALABO (Malabo Lopelo Melaka) (1837–1937), the last king of the Bubi, the ethnic group indigenous to the island of Bioko" } }, "Administrative divisions": { "text": "8 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Annobon, Bioko Norte, Bioko Sur, Centro Sur, Djibloho, Kie-Ntem, Litoral, Wele-Nzas" }, "Independence": { "text": "12 October 1968 (from Spain)" }, "National holiday": { "text": "Independence Day, 12 October (1968)" }, "Legal system": { "text": "mixed system of civil and customary law" }, "Constitution": { "history": { "text": "previous 1968, 1973, 1982; approved by referendum 17 November 1991" }, "amendments": { "text": "proposed by the president of the republic or supported by three fourths of the membership in either house of the National Assembly; passage requires three-fourths majority vote by both houses of the Assembly and approval in a referendum if requested by the president; amended several times, last in 2012" } }, "International law organization participation": { "text": "accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; accepts ICCt jurisdiction" }, "Citizenship": { "citizenship by birth": { "text": "no" }, "citizenship by descent only": { "text": "at least one parent must be a citizen of Equatorial Guinea" }, "dual citizenship recognized": { "text": "no" }, "residency requirement for naturalization": { "text": "10 years" } }, "Suffrage": { "text": "18 years of age; universal" }, "Executive branch": { "chief of state": { "text": "President OBIANG Nguema Mbasogo (since 3 August 1979)" }, "head of government": { "text": "Prime Minister Manuela ROKA Botey (since 1 February 2023)" }, "cabinet": { "text": "Council of Ministers appointed by the president and overseen by the prime minister" }, "elections/appointments": { "text": "president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 7-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 20 November 2022 (next to be held in 2029); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president; President OBIANG Nguema Mbasogo since 3 August 1979 when he seized power in a military coup)" }, "election results": { "text": "