For more than three decades following its independence from France in August 1960, Côte d’Ivoire was known for its religious and ethnic harmony and its well-developed economy. However, in 1999, the government was overthrown by a coup, and since that time the country has experienced severe political turmoil, including civil war that in 2002, split the country between the rebel-held north and government-controlled south. Although a peace accord has been signed, the country remains tense and the issues that sparked the civil remain unresolved. The country has 19 regions and the official language spoken is French.

Leader: President Allasane Outtara
Capital city: Yamoussoukro

Economic profile

Monetary unit: CFA franc (Communaute Financiere Africaine)
GDP per capita: $1 800 (2010) (CIA)
GDP composition by sector:
Agriculture: 28.2% (2010) (CIA)
Industry: 21.2% (2010) (CIA)
Services: 50.6% (2010) (CIA)
GDP growth rate: 2.6% (2010) (CIA)
Budget:
Government revenue, excluding grants: 19.8% of GDP (2007) (IMF)
Government expenditure: 20.8% of GDP (2007) (IMF)
Consumer price inflation: 6.1% (2008) (CIA)
Industries: Foodstuffs, beverages; wood products, oil refining, truck and bus assembly, textiles, fertilizer, building materials, electricity, ship construction and repair.
Exports of goods and services: $10.25-million (2010) (CIA)
Imports of goods and services: $7.015-million (2010) (CIA)
Export commodities: Cocoa, coffee, timber, petroleum, cotton, bananas, pineapples, palm oil, and fish.
Import commodities: Fuel, capital equipment, and foodstuffs.
Trade balance: 15.0% of GDP (2006) (IMF)
Reserves: $3.985-bil (2010) (CIA)
Total investment: 9.7% of GDP (2008) (CIA)
Market capitalisation of listed companies: 23.8% of GDP (2006) (World Bank)

Social profile

Population: 21.08-million (2011) (World Bank)
Population growth: 2.33% (2011) (World Bank)
Life expectancy at birth: 59 years (2011) (World Bank)
Adult literacy: 55% (2009) (World Bank)
School enrolment primary: 74% (2009) (World Bank)
School enrolment secondary: 22% (2000) (World Bank)
Number of people living with HIV/Aids: 450 000 (2009) (Unicef)

Election profile

Pre-election report