Guinea-Bissau

Guinea-Bissau is a country on the West African Atlantic coast with a land mass 36,130km² and a total coastline of 350km, and is bordered by Senegal to the north, Guinea to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. It includes the Bijagós (Bissagos) archipelago and other islands off the coast. It has population of 2.2 million people and a GDP of US$2.1bn which is expected to grow by 5.1% in 2025.

Its currency is the West African Franc.

Guinea-Bissau has a history of political and institutional fragility dating back to its independence from Portugal in 1974. The country is one of the most coup-prone and politically unstable countries in the world and there are frequent changes in government. Since independence, four successful coups have been recorded and another 16 coups attempted, plotted, or alleged.

Despite the difficult economic and political context GDP has grown driven by renewed dynamism in agriculture thanks to strong rice production. On the demand side, growth was driven by investment. Higher food prices and higher international rice prices pushed inflation to 7.2% in 2023 from 6.9% in 2022.

Sources: Who Owns Whom sector reports, CIA Factbook, African Development Bank, World Bank, Trading Economics, African Statistical Yearbook and IMF. ?>