Togo

Women

Togo ranks 145 out of 162 countries in the Gender Inequality Index, where a high rank equals high equality. Women should always be considered as a particularly vulnerable group though.

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Children

Togo has a Workplace Index score of 5.1, a Marketplace Index score of 4.7 and a Community and Environment Index score of 5.4 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, there are between 20 and 40 different ethnic groups in Togo, depending on differing classifications. No group has a numerical majority. A northern group, the Kabyé, has dominated the country’s politics and is the second largest group in Togo (after the Éwé) with some 14 %of the population. Northern Togo, where Kabyé are concentrated, is more ethnically diverse than the south.  Other northern groups include the Moba, Kotokoli, Bassari, Hausa and Konkomba. One of Togo’s most homogeneous ethnic groups, Moba inhabit rich agricultural lands in north Dapaong area and speak a dialect influenced by the More language of the Mossi of Burkina Faso. Konkomba are related to Moba and live in northern Togo and Ghana in the Oti River basin, a tributary of the Volta, north of Basseri. They live in clans organized into patrilineages and age sets, with no central structure. Traditionally, they are herders, fishers and subsistence farmers.  Bassari, who belong to the Kotokoli ethnic cluster, live north-west of Sokode in West central, Bassar, Kabou, Kalanga and adjacent areas, and in neighbouring Ghana. They call themselves Bi-Tchambe, which means metalworkers, their pre-colonial occupation. Not to be confused with the Bassari along the Guinea-Senegal border, Bassari of Togo live among large numbers of non-Bassari. There are only small numbers of Hausa in Togo, but they form an important mercantile and religious group. They have been the prime transmitters of Islam in Togo. Éwé and related Ouatchi, Mina, Fon and Adja ethnic groups are concentrated in the south. In response to UN CERD requests for population information disaggregated by ethnicity, Togo provided population figures for a list of 31 distinct ethnic groups in 2016. The largest group was Éwé (22.3 %) followed by Kabyé (14.3 %), Ouatchi (Gbe) (9.8 %), Moba (8.4 %), Losso (7.6 %), Kotokoli (5.9 %), Mina (Gen/Guin) (4.6 %), Adja (3.9 %), Ana-Ife (2.8 %), Gourma (2.7 %), and numerous smaller groups including Peul (1.8 %). The main religions are traditional beliefs (33 %), Roman Catholic (28 %), Sunni Islam (14 %), Protestant (10 %), other Christian denominations (10 %). However, it should be noted that some Christians and Muslims also engage in traditional religious practices. In addition, the Muslim Union of Togo has reported significant immigration from other Muslim countries, though there is no official data available to assess if this is the case. Nevertheless, some more recent estimates have estimated that around half the population engage in traditional religious practices, with Muslims making up around 20 % of the population.

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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

Togo ranks 38 out of 179 countries in the Fragile States Index, where a high rank equals high fragility. For monthly crisis updates, check out CrisisWatch.