Capital

Togo

name: Lome

geographic coordinates: 6 07 N, 1 13 E

time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology: Lome comes from "alotime" which in the native Ewe language means "among the alo plants"; alo trees dominated the city's original founding site

Citizenship

Togo

citizenship by birth: no

citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Togo

dual citizenship recognized: yes

residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Legal system

Togo

customary law system

Suffrage

Togo

18 years of age; universal

Area

Togo

total: 56,785 sq km

land: 54,385 sq km

water: 2,400 sq km

Land use

Togo

agricultural land: 67.4% (2018 est.)

arable land: 45.2% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 3.8% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 18.4% (2018 est.)

forest: 4.9% (2018 est.)

other: 27.7% (2018 est.)

Location

Togo

Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Benin and Ghana

Age structure

Togo

0-14 years: 38.98% (male 1,720,743/female 1,672,286)

15-64 years: 56.76% (male 2,413,709/female 2,526,816)

65 years and over: 4.26% (2023 est.) (male 153,461/female 216,946)

Birth rate

Togo

31.4 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate

Togo

5.2 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Languages

Togo

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

Life expectancy at birth

Togo

total population: 71.7 years (2023 est.)

male: 69.1 years

female: 74.4 years

Major urban areas - population

Togo

1.982 million LOME (capital) (2023)

Median age

Togo

total: 20.5 years (2023 est.)

male: 19.8 years

female: 21.3 years

Mother's mean age at first birth

Togo

25 years (2017 est.)

note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-29

Net migration rate

Togo

-1.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution

Togo

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

Population growth rate

Togo

2.45% (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

Togo

4.18 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Urbanization

Togo

urban population: 44.5% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: 3.6% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Education expenditures

Togo

4% of GDP (2020 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

Togo

total: 13 years

male: 14 years

female: 12 years (2017)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

Togo

-3.8% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Industrial production growth rate

Togo

5.32% (2020 est.)

Labor force

Togo

2.965 million (2021 est.)

Population below poverty line

Togo

55.1% (2015 est.)

Unemployment rate

Togo

4% (2021 est.)

3.94% (2020 est.)

3.72% (2019 est.)

Public debt

Togo

75.7% of GDP (2017 est.)

81.6% of GDP (2016 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Togo

1.83% (2020 est.)

0.69% (2019 est.)

0.93% (2018 est.)

Exports

Togo

$1.722 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$1.665 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$1.703 billion (2018 est.)

Exports - partners

Togo

India 16%, Benin 15%, Burkina Faso 6%, France 6%, Morocco 5% (2019)

Imports

Togo

$2.389 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$2.261 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

$2.329 billion (2018 est.)

Imports - partners

Togo

China 18%, South Korea 13%, India 11%, Belgium 10%, Netherlands 8%, United States 5% (2019)

Airports

Togo

8 (2021)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

Togo

total: 52,706 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 0.6 (2020 est.)

Internet users

Togo

total: 3.01 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 35% (2021 est.)

Railways

Togo

total: 568 km (2014)

narrow gauge: 568 km (2014) 1.000-m gauge

Roadways

Togo

total: 9,951 km (2018)

paved: 1,794 km (2018)

unpaved: 8,157 km (2018)

urban: 1,783 km (2018)

Telephones - fixed lines

Togo

total subscriptions: 54,000 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2021 est.) less than 1

Telephones - mobile cellular

Togo

total subscriptions: 6.3 million (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 72 (2021 est.)

Waterways

Togo

50 km (2011) (seasonally navigable by small craft on the Mono River depending on rainfall)

Disputes - international

Togo

Togo-Benin: in 2001, Benin claimed Togo moved boundary monuments - joint commission continues to resurvey the boundary; Benin’s and Togo’s Adjrala hydroelectric dam project on the Mona River, proposed in the 1990s, commenced in 2017 with funding from a Chinese bank

Togo-Burkina Faso: none identified

Togo-Ghana: none identified