Population growth in Togo is high and four out of ten Togolese are under 15 years. The data vary on how many people there are in the country: some sources state about 20, others double the number. A rivalry between the largest group of people, ewe in the south, and the influential cabré people in the north has characterized society at times.
Since the end of the 1960s, the country’s presidents – until 2005 Gnassingbé Eyadema and then his son Faure Gnassingbé – have had their power base with their own people cabré. The people group also dominates the military and the police force. Kabré also has a strong position within the ruling party (see Political system). The opposition has its main support among ewe, which is traditionally employed in trade. However, the ethnic divide in politics has gradually begun to loosen up.
- COUNTRYAAH.COM: Key populations estimated size and data of Togo, including population density of how many people per square mile. Also included are facts for population and language.
In the context of the political violence following the death of Gnassingbé Eyadema in 2005 (see Modern History), 30,000-40,000 Togolese fled to neighboring Benin and Ghana, but today most have returned.
French is an official language, but it is only spoken by a small part of the population. Among domestic languages, ewe and cabré have a special position, including as a language of instruction in schools.
FACTS – POPULATION AND LANGUAGE
20-40 people groups, the largest is even, then cabaret. Other groups are gurma, watchi, kotokoli, moba, mina and others
Number of residents
7 797 694 (2017)
Number of residents per square kilometer
Percentage of residents in the cities
41.2 percent (2017)
Nativity / birth
34.0 per 1000 residents (2016)
Mortality / mortality
8.7 per 1000 residents (2016)
2.5 percent (2017)
4.5 number of births per woman (2016)
Percentage of women
50.2 percent (2017)
60 years (2016)
Life expectancy for women
61 years (2016)
Life expectancy for men
59 years (2016)
official language is French; ewe and cabré are the largest indigenous languages
Conflict over the re-election of the president
The newly formed opposition alliance CAP2015 calls for demonstrations demanding changes to the constitution so that a person can only hold the presidential post for two terms of office instead of being able to be re-elected as many times as possible. CAP2015 wants the change to take effect before the 2015 presidential election. President Gnassingbé opposes the demands and suggests that he plans to run for a third term in 2015.
Togo hub for ivory smuggling
At the end of the month, the police seized a total of four tons of ivory. According to nature conservation organizations, Togo has become a hub for smuggling ivory from Central Africa to Asia. The number of forest elephants in the area has decreased by 60 percent in ten years.