Demographics & population — Senegal
Population size, age structure, migration, ethnicity, language, education, and health indicators.
Profile updated 2026-06-02
⚡ Demographics & population at a glance
Population size, age structure, migration, ethnicity, language, education, and health indicators. Key figure for Senegal: 15,736,368
Immigration rules and fees change frequently — confirm current requirements on official government or embassy websites.
Population overview
- Population
15,736,368
- Population Growth Rate
2.51%
- Urban Population
42.500000
- Population in Major Urban Areas
DAKAR (capital) 3.035 million
Age & family
- Age Structure
41.850000
- Median Age
18.200000
- Birth Rate - births/1,000 population
36
- Death Rate - deaths/1,000 population
8.85
- Total Fertility Rate - children born/woman
4.61
- Contraceptive Prevalance Rate - female 12-49
13.1%
- Contraceptive Prevalence Rate - female 12-49
13.1%
- Mean Age for Mother's First Birth (age 25-49)
21.4
- Mother's mean age at first birth
21.4
- Sex Ratio at Birth - male/female
1.030000
Migration
- Net Migration Rate - migrant(s)/1,000 population
-1.74
Ethnicity & language
- Ethnic Groups
Wolof 43.3%, Pular 23.8%, Serer 14.7%, Jola 3.7%, Mandinka 3%, Soninke 1.1%, European and Lebanese 1%, other 9.4%
- Nationality Noun
Senegalese (singular and plural)
Education
- Literacy - total population
39.3%
- Literacy - male
50%
- Literacy - female
30.7%
- Literacy Definition
age 15 and over can read and write
- Education Expenditures - percent of GDP
5.6%
- Total School Life Expectancy - (primary to tertiary)
8.000000
Health & living conditions
- Life Expectancy at Birth
60.570000
- Infant Mortality Rate
53.930000
- Infant Mortality Rate - total deaths/1,000 live births
53.930000
- Maternal Mortality Rate - deaths/100,000 live births
370
- Physicians Density - physicians/1,000 population
.06
- Hospital Bed Density - beds/1,000 population
.3
- Health Expenditures - percent of GDP
6%
- Major Infectious Diseases - degree of risk
very high
- Obesity - adult prevalence rate
6.8%
- Drinking Water Source - percent of urban population improved
92.500000
- Sanitation Facility Access - percent of urban population improved
67.100000
- Underweight - percent of children under five years
14.4%