WESTERN AFRICA

Senegal

Dakar · pop. 19M · French · West African CFA franc

hunger

490,588 people in crisis or worse

3% of the 19.6 million analysed · IPC, Mar 2026

Trajectories

economic complexity

#97

Slipping in export sophistication, from #60 in 1995.

2024 · −0.51

Harvard Growth Lab · thin line is the world’s median

the numbers30

when	value	change
1995high	0.35
1996	−0.43	−0.78 pts
1997	−0.30	+0.13 pts
1998	−0.41	−0.11 pts
1999	−0.44	−0.04 pts
2000	−0.19	+0.25 pts
2001	−0.34	−0.15 pts
2002	−0.35	−0.01 pts
2003	−0.22	+0.13 pts
2004	−0.30	−0.08 pts
2005	−0.15	+0.15 pts
2006	−0.22	−0.06 pts
2007	−0.15	+0.07 pts
2008	−0.46	−0.31 pts
2009	−0.51	−0.05 pts
2010	−0.46	+0.05 pts
2011	−0.69	−0.23 pts
2012	−0.42	+0.27 pts
2013	−0.54	−0.12 pts
2014	−0.57	−0.03 pts
2015	−0.78	−0.21 pts
2016	−0.72	+0.06 pts
2017	−0.69	+0.03 pts
2018	−0.76	−0.07 pts
2019	−0.79	−0.03 pts
2020	−0.65	+0.14 pts
2021	−0.70	−0.05 pts
2022	−0.69	+0.01 pts
2023low	−0.79	−0.09 pts
2024latest	−0.51	+0.28 pts

economic momentum

$1,773

Tripled since 2000. GDP per head in 2024, in current US dollars.

2024 · $1,773

World Bank · thin line is the world’s median

the numbers35

when	value	change
1990	$957
1991	$913	−4.6%
1992	$951	+4.1%
1993	$878	−7.7%
1994low	$584	−33.5%
1995	$715	+22.5%
1996	$723	+1.2%
1997	$651	−10.0%
1998	$685	+5.2%
1999	$678	−1.0%
2000	$603	−11.0%
2001	$637	+5.6%
2002	$669	+5.1%
2003	$818	+22.2%
2004	$918	+12.3%
2005	$980	+6.7%
2006	$1,017	+3.8%
2007	$1,189	+16.9%
2008	$1,399	+17.7%
2009	$1,309	−6.4%
2010	$1,276	−2.5%
2011	$1,375	+7.7%
2012	$1,327	−3.5%
2013	$1,380	+4.0%
2014	$1,399	+1.4%
2015	$1,218	−12.9%
2016	$1,266	+4.0%
2017	$1,357	+7.1%
2018	$1,453	+7.1%
2019	$1,431	−1.5%
2020	$1,461	+2.1%
2021	$1,598	+9.4%
2022	$1,574	−1.5%
2023	$1,698	+7.9%
2024latest	$1,773	+4.4%

prices

0.8%

A year’s rise in consumer prices, in 2024. The world’s median was 3.1%.

2024 · 0.8%

World Bank · thin line is the world’s median

the numbers35

when	value	change
1990	0.3%
1991	−1.8%	−2.08 pts
1992	−0.1%	+1.64 pts
1993	−0.6%	−0.48 pts
1994high	32.3%	+32.9 pts
1995	7.9%	−24.4 pts
1996	2.8%	−5.11 pts
1997	1.8%	−1.00 pts
1998	1.2%	−0.60 pts
1999	0.8%	−0.33 pts
2000	0.7%	−0.10 pts
2001	3.0%	+2.24 pts
2002	2.3%	−0.64 pts
2003	−0.1%	−2.39 pts
2004	0.5%	+0.57 pts
2005	1.7%	+1.20 pts
2006	2.1%	+0.40 pts
2007	5.9%	+3.74 pts
2008	7.3%	+1.49 pts
2009low	−2.2%	−9.60 pts
2010	1.2%	+3.48 pts
2011	3.4%	+2.17 pts
2012	1.4%	−1.98 pts
2013	0.7%	−0.71 pts
2014	−1.1%	−1.80 pts
2015	0.1%	+1.23 pts
2016	0.8%	+0.70 pts
2017	1.3%	+0.48 pts
2018	0.5%	−0.86 pts
2019	1.8%	+1.30 pts
2020	2.5%	+0.78 pts
2021	2.2%	−0.36 pts
2022	9.7%	+7.52 pts
2023	5.9%	−3.76 pts
2024latest	0.8%	−5.13 pts

demographic curve

3.8 children per woman

Above replacement: still growing. Fell from 7.3 in 1980.

2024 · 3.8

World Bank · thin line is the world’s median · rule marks replacement (2.1)

the numbers65

when	value	change
1960	7.0
1961	7.0	+0.6%
1962	7.1	+0.6%
1963	7.1	+0.6%
1964	7.2	+0.5%
1965	7.2	+0.5%
1966	7.2	+0.4%
1967	7.2	+0.3%
1968	7.3	+0.2%
1969	7.3	+0.1%
1970	7.3	0.0%
1971	7.3	0.0%
1972	7.3	0.0%
1973	7.3	0.0%
1974	7.3	0.0%
1975	7.3	0.0%
1976	7.3	+0.1%
1977	7.3	+0.1%
1978	7.3	+0.2%
1979	7.3	+0.2%
1980high	7.3	0.0%
1981	7.3	−0.2%
1982	7.2	−0.5%
1983	7.2	−0.8%
1984	7.1	−1.1%
1985	7.0	−1.4%
1986	6.9	−1.6%
1987	6.8	−1.7%
1988	6.6	−3.1%
1989	6.5	−1.5%
1990	6.4	−1.3%
1991	6.3	−2.0%
1992	6.1	−1.9%
1993	6.0	−1.6%
1994	5.9	−2.2%
1995	5.8	−1.6%
1996	5.7	−1.6%
1997	5.6	−1.5%
1998	5.6	−1.0%
1999	5.6	−0.1%
2000	5.5	−1.3%
2001	5.4	−1.8%
2002	5.3	−1.8%
2003	5.2	−1.0%
2004	5.2	−1.0%
2005	5.1	−1.1%
2006	5.1	−1.3%
2007	5.0	−0.9%
2008	5.0	+0.1%
2009	5.0	0.0%
2010	5.1	+0.6%
2011	5.1	+0.9%
2012	5.1	+0.6%
2013	5.0	−1.6%
2014	4.9	−3.3%
2015	4.8	−2.7%
2016	4.6	−2.2%
2017	4.5	−3.4%
2018	4.3	−4.3%
2019	4.1	−4.5%
2020	4.0	−2.4%
2021	3.9	−1.7%
2022	3.9	−1.8%
2023	3.8	−1.2%
2024latest	3.8	−1.4%

Metrics

population

19M

69 of 176

REST Countries · UN data
gdp

$31B

108 of 170

World Bank · latest available
gdp per capita

$1,698

137 of 170

World Bank · latest available
military spending

$449M

100 of 151

SIPRI via World Bank
military % of gdp

1.5%

82 of 148

SIPRI via World Bank
area

197K km²

89 of 176

REST Countries
population density

96.4 /km²

70 of 176

zuhd — derived from population and area
life expectancy

68.7 yr

124 of 175

World Bank · latest available
internet access

61%

113 of 166

ITU via World Bank
co₂ per capita

0.77 t

122 of 163

World Bank · Climate Watch
urbanisation

55%

111 of 168

World Bank · UN DESA
fertility rate

3.8

31 of 168

World Bank · UN DESA
foreign-born share

1.5%

120 of 167

World Bank · UN DESA
remittances % of gdp

11%

20 of 155

World Bank · IMF BOP
r&d % of gdp

0.6%

58 of 123

UNESCO UIS via World Bank
researchers per million

572

68 of 118

UNESCO UIS via World Bank
scientific articles / yr

451

99 of 168

NSF / World Bank
high-tech exports %

3%

109 of 153

World Bank · UN Comtrade
gini inequality

36.2

82 of 139

World Bank · PovcalNet
youth unemployment

4%

19 of 166

ILO via World Bank
adult literacy

50%

100 of 109

UNESCO UIS via World Bank
democracy (v-dem)

0.48

62 of 163

V-Dem via Our World in Data
clean government

45

59 of 164

Transparency International via Our World in Data
press freedom

25.2

43 of 163

RSF via Our World in Data
human development

0.530

140 of 164

UNDP via Our World in Data
refugees hosted

12K

86 of 150

UNHCR via Our World in Data
refugees produced

13K

52 of 152

UNHCR via Our World in Data