The Republic of Guinea-Bissau is one of the poorest countries in the world. It has a massive foreign debt and relies heavily on foreign aid. Formerly Portuguese Guinea, Guinea-Bissau won independence from Portugal in September 1974, after a long struggle. Since that time the country has experienced significant political unrest, including a period of civil war. Late President João Bernardo Vieira was assassinated in March 2009.The country's official language is Portuguese.

Leader: President Malam Bacai SANHA (since September 8, 2009)
Capital city: Bissau

Economic profile

Monetary unit: CFA franc (Communaute Financiere Africaine)
GDP per capita: $1100 (2010) (IMF)
GDP composition by sector:
Agriculture: 55.5% (2008) (World Bank)
Industry: 12.9% (2008) (World Bank)
Services: 31.6% (2008) (World Bank)
GDP growth rate: 3.2% (2008) (IMF)
Budget:
Government revenue, excluding grants: 16,1% of GDP (2007) (IMF)
Government expenditure: 4.4% of GDP (2007) (IMF)
Consumer price inflation: 10.5% (2008) (World Bank)
Industries: Agricultural products processing, beer, and soft drinks
Exports of goods and services: 29.8% of GDP (2008) (World Bank)
Imports of goods and services: 49.8% of GDP (2008) (World Bank)
Export commodities: Cashew nuts, shrimp, peanuts, palm kernels, and sawn lumber
Import commodities: Foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, and petroleum products
Trade balance: -10.8% of GDP (2007) (IMF)
Reserves: $124-mil (2008) (World Bank)
Total investment: 14.1% of GDP (2007) (IMF)
Market capitalisation of listed companies: Figures not available

Social profile

Population: 1.53-million (2006) (World Bank)
Population growth: 2.01% (2008) (CIA)
Life expectancy at birth: 51 years (2008) (CIA)
Adult literacy: 52% (2009) (World Bank)
School enrolment primary: 120% (2006) (World Bank)
School enrolment secondary: 36% (2006) (World Bank)
School enrolment tertiary: 3% (2006) (World Bank)
Number of people living with HIV/Aids: 22 000 (2009) (Unicef)