Guinea-Bissau’s population growth fell to 2.2% y/y in 2025.

Neither way is good in itself. A faster rate brings more workers and customers and also more people to feed, house and educate. A slower rate eases that pressure and also slows the growth of the labour force, so the measure has no good or bad direction. The latest figure is 2.2% y/y for January 2025, and a year earlier it was also 2.2% y/y, a shift of only 0.04 percentage points. It is the lowest reading since 2016, when growth was 2.5% y/y, the highest in that span.

Why it matters. At 2.2% y/y, Guinea-Bissau needs more classrooms, clinics, homes and jobs every year just to keep services at their present level per person. Households in a young, growing population often share limited income among more dependants. The state has to spread a small budget across a rising number of citizens, so the pace of growth shapes how much it can spend on each one.