{ "Introduction": { "Background": { "text": "
From the 11th to the 16th centuries, various ethnic groups settled the Togo region. From the 16th to the 18th centuries, the coastal region became a major trading center for enslaved people, and the surrounding region took on the name of \"The Slave Coast.\" In 1884, Germany declared the area a protectorate called Togoland, which included present-day Togo. After World War I, colonial rule over Togo was transferred to France. French Togoland became Togo upon independence in 1960.
Gen. Gnassingbe EYADEMA, installed as military ruler in 1967, ruled Togo with a heavy hand for almost four decades. Despite the facade of multi-party elections instituted in the early 1990s, EYADEMA largely dominated the government. His Rally of the Togolese People (RPT) party has been in power almost continually since 1967, with its successor, the Union for the Republic, maintaining a majority of seats in today's legislature. Upon EYADEMA's death in 2005, the military installed his son, Faure GNASSINGBE, as president and then engineered his formal election two months later. Togo held its first relatively free and fair legislative elections in 2007. Since then, GNASSINGBE has started the country along a gradual path to democratic reform. Togo has held multiple presidential and legislative elections, and in 2019, the country held its first local elections in 32 years.
Despite those positive moves, political reconciliation has moved slowly, and the country experiences periodic outbursts of protests from frustrated citizens, leading to violence between security forces and protesters. Constitutional changes in 2019 to institute a runoff system in presidential elections and to establish term limits have done little to reduce the resentment many Togolese feel after more than 50 years of one-family rule. GNASSINGBE became eligible for his current fourth term and one additional fifth term under the new rules. The next presidential election is set for 2025.
Togo’s population is estimated to have grown to four times its size between 1960 and 2010. With nearly 60% of its populace under the age of 25 and a high annual growth rate attributed largely to high fertility, Togo’s population is likely to continue to expand for the foreseeable future. Reducing fertility, boosting job creation, and improving education will be essential to reducing the country’s high poverty rate. In 2008, Togo eliminated primary school enrollment fees, leading to higher enrollment but increased pressure on limited classroom space, teachers, and materials. Togo has a good chance of achieving universal primary education, but educational quality, the underrepresentation of girls, and the low rate of enrollment in secondary and tertiary schools remain concerns.
Togo is both a country of emigration and asylum. In the early 1990s, southern Togo suffered from the economic decline of the phosphate sector and ethnic and political repression at the hands of dictator Gnassingbe EYADEMA and his northern, Kabye-dominated administration. The turmoil led 300,000 to 350,000 predominantly southern Togolese to flee to Benin and Ghana, with most not returning home until relative stability was restored in 1997. In 2005, another outflow of 40,000 Togolese to Benin and Ghana occurred when violence broke out between the opposition and security forces over the disputed election of EYADEMA’s son Faure GNASSINGBE to the presidency. About half of the refugees reluctantly returned home in 2006, many still fearing for their safety. Despite ethnic tensions and periods of political unrest, Togo in December 2022 was home to almost 8,400 refugees from Ghana.
" }, "Age structure": { "0-14 years": { "text": "38.7% (male 1,749,533/female 1,699,084)" }, "15-64 years": { "text": "57% (male 2,486,142/female 2,597,914)" }, "65 years and over": { "text": "4.3% (2024 est.) (male 159,596/female 225,725)" } }, "Dependency ratios": { "total dependency ratio": { "text": "76.5" }, "youth dependency ratio": { "text": "71" }, "elderly dependency ratio": { "text": "5.5" }, "potential support ratio": { "text": "18.3 (2021 est.)" } }, "Median age": { "total": { "text": "20.7 years (2024 est.)" }, "male": { "text": "19.9 years" }, "female": { "text": "21.4 years" } }, "Population growth rate": { "text": "2.41% (2024 est.)" }, "Birth rate": { "text": "30.9 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)" }, "Death rate": { "text": "5.1 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)" }, "Net migration rate": { "text": "-1.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)" }, "Population distribution": { "text": "one of the more densely populated African nations with most of the population residing in rural communities, density is highest in the south on or near the Atlantic coast as shown in this population distribution map" }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { "text": "44.5% of total population (2023)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "3.6% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" } }, "Major urban areas - population": { "text": "1.982 million LOME (capital) (2023)" }, "Sex ratio": { "at birth": { "text": "1.03 male(s)/female" }, "0-14 years": { "text": "1.03 male(s)/female" }, "15-64 years": { "text": "0.96 male(s)/female" }, "65 years and over": { "text": "0.71 male(s)/female" }, "total population": { "text": "0.97 male(s)/female (2024 est.)" } }, "Mother's mean age at first birth": { "text": "25 years (2017 est.)", "note": "note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-29" }, "Maternal mortality ratio": { "text": "399 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)" }, "Infant mortality rate": { "total": { "text": "38.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)" }, "male": { "text": "43 deaths/1,000 live births" }, "female": { "text": "33.7 deaths/1,000 live births" } }, "Life expectancy at birth": { "total population": { "text": "72.1 years (2024 est.)" }, "male": { "text": "69.5 years" }, "female": { "text": "74.7 years" } }, "Total fertility rate": { "text": "4.13 children born/woman (2024 est.)" }, "Gross reproduction rate": { "text": "2.03 (2024 est.)" }, "Contraceptive prevalence rate": { "text": "23.9% (2017)" }, "Drinking water source": { "improved: urban": { "text": "urban: 93.8% of population" }, "improved: rural": { "text": "rural: 60.3% of population" }, "improved: total": { "text": "total: 74.6% of population" }, "unimproved: urban": { "text": "urban: 6.2% of population" }, "unimproved: rural": { "text": "rural: 39.7% of population" }, "unimproved: total": { "text": "total: 25.4% of population (2020 est.)" } }, "Current health expenditure": { "text": "6% of GDP (2020)" }, "Physician density": { "text": "0.08 physicians/1,000 population (2020)" }, "Hospital bed density": { "text": "0.7 beds/1,000 population (2011)" }, "Sanitation facility access": { "improved: urban": { "text": "urban: 81.9% of population" }, "improved: rural": { "text": "rural: 18.3% of population" }, "improved: total": { "text": "total: 45.5% of population" }, "unimproved: urban": { "text": "urban: 18.1% of population" }, "unimproved: rural": { "text": "rural: 81.7% of population" }, "unimproved: total": { "text": "total: 54.5% of population (2020 est.)" } }, "Obesity - adult prevalence rate": { "text": "8.4% (2016)" }, "Alcohol consumption per capita": { "total": { "text": "1.4 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)" }, "beer": { "text": "0.78 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)" }, "wine": { "text": "0.09 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)" }, "spirits": { "text": "0.2 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)" }, "other alcohols": { "text": "0.33 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)" } }, "Tobacco use": { "total": { "text": "6.8% (2020 est.)" }, "male": { "text": "12.3% (2020 est.)" }, "female": { "text": "1.2% (2020 est.)" } }, "Children under the age of 5 years underweight": { "text": "15.2% (2017)" }, "Currently married women (ages 15-49)": { "text": "62% (2023 est.)" }, "Child marriage": { "women married by age 15": { "text": "6.4%" }, "women married by age 18": { "text": "24.8%" }, "men married by age 18": { "text": "2.6% (2017 est.)" } }, "Education expenditures": { "text": "4% of GDP (2020 est.)" }, "Literacy": { "definition": { "text": "age 15 and over can read and write" }, "total population": { "text": "66.5%" }, "male": { "text": "80%" }, "female": { "text": "55.1% (2019)" } }, "School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)": { "total": { "text": "13 years" }, "male": { "text": "14 years" }, "female": { "text": "12 years (2017)" } } }, "Environment": { "Environment - current issues": { "text": "deforestation attributable to slash-and-burn agriculture and the use of wood for fuel; very little rain forest still present and what remains is highly degraded; desertification; water pollution presents health hazards and hinders the fishing industry; air pollution increasing in urban areas" }, "Environment - international agreements": { "party to": { "text": "Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling" }, "signed, but not ratified": { "text": "none of the selected agreements" } }, "Climate": { "text": "tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north" }, "Land use": { "agricultural land": { "text": "67.4% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: arable land": { "text": "arable land: 45.2% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: permanent crops": { "text": "permanent crops: 3.8% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: permanent pasture": { "text": "permanent pasture: 18.4% (2018 est.)" }, "forest": { "text": "4.9% (2018 est.)" }, "other": { "text": "27.7% (2018 est.)" } }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { "text": "44.5% of total population (2023)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "3.6% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" } }, "Revenue from forest resources": { "text": "3.96% of GDP (2018 est.)" }, "Revenue from coal": { "text": "0% of GDP (2018 est.)" }, "Air pollutants": { "particulate matter emissions": { "text": "35.66 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)" }, "carbon dioxide emissions": { "text": "3 megatons (2016 est.)" }, "methane emissions": { "text": "3.06 megatons (2020 est.)" } }, "Waste and recycling": { "municipal solid waste generated annually": { "text": "1,109,030 tons (2014 est.)" }, "municipal solid waste recycled annually": { "text": "22,181 tons (2012 est.)" }, "percent of municipal solid waste recycled": { "text": "2% (2012 est.)" } }, "Major watersheds (area sq km)": { "text": "Atlantic Ocean drainage: Volta (410,991 sq km)" }, "Total water withdrawal": { "municipal": { "text": "140 million cubic meters (2020 est.)" }, "industrial": { "text": "10 million cubic meters (2020 est.)" }, "agricultural": { "text": "80 million cubic meters (2020 est.)" } }, "Total renewable water resources": { "text": "14.7 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)" } }, "Government": { "Country name": { "conventional long form": { "text": "Togolese Republic" }, "conventional short form": { "text": "Togo" }, "local long form": { "text": "République Togolaise" }, "local short form": { "text": "none" }, "former": { "text": "French Togoland" }, "etymology": { "text": "derived from the Ewe words \"to\" (river) and \"godo\" (on the other side) to give the sense of \"on the other side of the river\"; originally, this designation applied to the town of Togodo (now Togoville) on the northern shore of Lake Togo, but the name was eventually extended to the entire nation" } }, "Government type": { "text": "presidential republic" }, "Capital": { "name": { "text": "Lome" }, "geographic coordinates": { "text": "6 07 N, 1 13 E" }, "time difference": { "text": "UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)" }, "etymology": { "text": "Lome comes from \"alotime\" which in the native Ewe language means \"among the alo plants\"; alo trees dominated the city's original founding site" } }, "Administrative divisions": { "text": "5 regions (regions, singular - region); Centrale, Kara, Maritime, Plateaux, Savanes" }, "Independence": { "text": "27 April 1960 (from French-administered UN trusteeship)" }, "National holiday": { "text": "Independence Day, 27 April (1960)" }, "Legal system": { "text": "customary law system" }, "Constitution": { "history": { "text": "several previous; latest adopted 27 September 1992, effective 14 October 1992; revised 6 May 2024" }, "amendments": { "text": "proposed by the president of the republic or supported by at least one fifth of the National Assembly membership; passage requires four-fifths majority vote by the Assembly; a referendum is required if approved by only two-thirds majority of the Assembly or if requested by the president; constitutional articles on the republican and secular form of government cannot be amended; amended 2002, 2007, last in 2024 (reported as a revision)" } }, "International law organization participation": { "text": "accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; non-party state to the ICCt" }, "Citizenship": { "citizenship by birth": { "text": "no" }, "citizenship by descent only": { "text": "at least one parent must be a citizen of Togo" }, "dual citizenship recognized": { "text": "yes" }, "residency requirement for naturalization": { "text": "5 years" } }, "Suffrage": { "text": "18 years of age; universal" }, "Executive branch": { "chief of state": { "text": "President Faure GNASSINGBE (since 4 May 2005)" }, "head of government": { "text": "Prime Minister Victoire TOMEGAH Dogbé (since 25 September 2020)" }, "cabinet": { "text": "Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister" }, "elections/appointments": { "text": "president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 5-year term (no term limits); election last held on 22 February 2020 (next to be held in 2025); prime minister appointed by the president" } }, "Legislative branch": { "legislature name": { "text": "National Assembly (Assemblée nationale)" }, "legislative structure": { "text": "unicameral" }, "number of seats": { "text": "113 (all directly elected)" }, "electoral system": { "text": "proportional representation" }, "scope of elections": { "text": "full renewal" }, "term in office": { "text": "6 years" }, "most recent election date": { "text": "4/29/2024" }, "parties elected and seats per party": { "text": "Union for the Republic (UNIR) (108); Other (5)" }, "percentage of women in chamber": { "text": "15%" }, "expected date of next election": { "text": "April 2030" }, "note": "note: party lists are required to contain equal numbers of men and women" }, "Judicial branch": { "highest court(s)": { "text": "Supreme Court or Cour Supreme (organized into criminal and administrative chambers, each with a chamber president and advisors); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 judges, including the court president)" }, "judge selection and term of office": { "text": "Supreme Court president appointed by decree of the president of the republic upon the proposal of the Supreme Council of the Magistracy, a 9-member judicial, advisory, and disciplinary body; other judicial appointments and judge tenure NA; Constitutional Court judges appointed by the National Assembly; judge tenure NA" }, "subordinate courts": { "text": "Court of Assizes (sessions court); Appeal Court; tribunals of first instance (divided into civil, commercial, and correctional chambers; Court of State Security; military tribunal" } }, "Political parties": { "text": "Action Committee for Renewal or CAR