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People
Population
Guinea is home to over ten million people. The annual rate of population growth is comparatively low for sub-Saharan Africa at 2.49 percent, according to recent estimates. More than two-fifths of Guinea's population is less than 15 years old, and only one-fourth of the population is urban. Immigration is minimal, but emigration - especially from Fouta Djallon and Upper Guinea - is high.
Ethnicity
The four major geographic regions of Guinea largely correspond to the areas inhabited by the major ethno-linguistic groups. The Peuhl people who make up 40 percent have come to dominate the Fouta Djallon region culturally; the Malinke, at 30 percent, have widely influenced Upper Guinea and the northern Forest Region; and the Soussou, at 20 percent, are dominant in Lower Guinea. In the Forest Region, however, the Kissi, Loma and Kpelle peoples, at 10 percent combined or approximately 700,000 speakers, each retain their own historical and cultural identities.
Language
Eight languages besides French, the official language, are taught in Guinea's schools; they are Basari, Kissi, Koniagi, Kpelle, Loma, Malinke, Susu and Pular - a dialect of Fulfulde, the language of the Fulani people.
Religion
The majority of the population is Muslim; only a small percentage is nominally Christian, mostly Roman Catholic.
Education
In terms of education, opportunities are limited. The average rate of literacy is low at approximately 30.5 percent, but even that rate belies the significant gender disparity. Whereas the literacy rate for males is around 43 percent, it is less than 18 percent for females. Clearly, such a disparity translates into less equal opportunities for women as compared with men.
Note that 2.4 percent of GDP in this country is spent on educational expenditures.
Health and Welfare
In terms of health and welfare, the population of Guinea has a life expectancy at birth of 58.11 years of age (56.63 years for males and 59.64 years for females) and an infant mortality rate of 67.41 deaths per 1,000 live births. The rate of HIV/AIDs infection is 3.2 percent. Infectious diseases affecting the population include bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever, Vectorborne diseases include malaria and yellow fever. Other risks inclide schistosomiasis, meningococcal meningitis and Lassa fever. About 6.1 percent of GDP is spent on health expenditures
Human Development
A notable measure of human development is the Human Development Index (HDI), which is formulated by the United Nations Development Program. The HDI is a composite of several indicators, which measure a country's achievements in three main areas of human development: longevity, knowledge and education, as well as economic standard of living. In a ranking of 169 countries, the HDI places Guinea in the low human development category, at 156th place.
Note: the concept of human development is complicated and cannot be properly captured by values and indices, the HDI, which is calculated and updated annually, offers a wide-ranging assessment of human development in certain countries, not based solely upon traditional economic and financial indicators.
Written by Dr. Denise Youngblood Coleman, Editor in Chief at CountryWatch.com; see Bibliography for research sources.
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