Guinea-Bissau

Women

Guinea-Bissau is not included in the Gender Inequality Index. Women should always be considered as a particularly vulnerable group though.

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Children

Guinea-Bissau has a Workplace Index score of 7.6, a Marketplace Index score of 5.1 and a Community and Environment Index score of 7.4 in the Children’s Rights and Business Atlas, where countries receive scores between 0 and 10. A score closer to 0 reflects a need for basic children’s rights due diligence, while a higher score reflects a need for enhanced or heightened due diligence. Children should always be considered as a particularly vulnerable group though. 

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Persons with Disabilities

Due to differences in data collection and definitions it is difficult to compare countries on disability prevalence rates. Persons with disabilities should always be considered as a particularly vulnerable group though.

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Minorities and Indigenous Peoples

According to the World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples, the main minority groups in Guinea-Bissau are Balanta (30 %), Fula (Fulani) (20 %), Manjaco (Manjack or Mandyako) (14 %), Mandinga (Mandinka) (13 %), Papel (Pepel) (7 %), Ejamat (Felupe) (1.5 %), Jola (Diola) (0.4 %), Susu (0.3 %), Cape Verdeans (less than 1%). Fula and Mandinga, predominantly Muslims, for the most part live in the north and north-east. Balanta live along the southern coast. Concentrated on Bissau Island and related estuaries on the Geba River, Papel also live north of the River Mansoa. Petty chiefs have held limited authority over these non-Islamic rice cultivators. Manjaco live north of them, along the central and northern coast. Jola (Diola) are rice cultivators and live in the north-west and coastal regions of Guinea-Bissau, as well as across the border in the Casamance region of Senegal. Susu live in the extreme south of Guinea-Bissau’s coastal areas and in adjacent Guinea, playing an important role in commerce. Although small in numbers, Creole (people of mixed African-European descent) from nearby Cape Verde are among the most educated of the country and have frequently held many senior government posts. The official language of Guinea-Bissau is Portuguese. Crioulo, a Creole dialect of Portuguese, is spoken by a significant number of people. About half of the populations adhere to traditional religious beliefs, 45 % are Muslim, principally Fula and Mandinga and about 5 % are Christians, mostly Roman Catholics.

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Migrant Workers​

According to the ILO Global Estimates on International Migrant Workers, migrant workers as a proportion of all workers is 3 % in the subregion Sub-Saharan Africa.

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Persons in Armed Conflict

Guinea-Bissau ranks 27 out of 179 countries in the Fragile States Index, where a high rank equals high fragility. For monthly crisis updates, check out CrisisWatch.