Senegal, Africa's most westerly country, is home to around 18 million people*, of whom almost 3 million live in Dakar, the booming capital. This bustling port city attracts people from the interior of the country and neighboring countries looking for work, or en route to Europe or America.
Senegal is characterised by cultural and ethnic diversity, as well as relatively stable institutional development compared with the rest of the region. With the election of Bassirou Diomaye Faye as president in March 2024 and the clear parliamentary victory of his left-wing populist party, PASTEF, in November of the same year, the country is undergoing a period of political upheaval. Faye stood as an anti-corruption candidate, promising to fundamentally reform state institutions – yet these expectations are set against a daily reality that remains characterised by social inequality, precarious living conditions and limited access to public services.
Senegal has a very young population. A lack of prospects for education and income puts young people in particular under pressure – with direct consequences for migration, early family formation, economic dependence and limited access to healthcare. Economic empowerment remains crucial, especially for women, because economic insecurity significantly limits their scope for action within the family and society.
Social taboos surrounding sexuality, menstruation, violence and reproductive rights make it difficult to make informed decisions. At the same time, opposition to gender-equitable change is growing. In July 2025, an event planned in Dakar to discuss sexual diversity and rights was cancelled following a warning from the Senegalese authorities – a sign of the broader conservative backlash, in which issues relating to gender justice are quickly portrayed as an attack on social or religious values.
Gender-based violence remains a serious problem – including domestic and sexual violence, as well as female genital mutilation (20.1 per cent, particularly in the south and south-east). Between January and May 2025, seven women were killed within family or intimate partner relationships. Feminist organisations are calling for stricter laws against femicide and swifter ratification of the new African Union Convention on the Elimination of Violence against Women (2025). Many cases go unreported, whether due to fear of stigmatisation, economic dependence or a lack of trust in protection and justice systems.
Capital: Dakar / approx. 3.34 million inhabitants
Population: 18.2 million (2024)
Population growth: 2.42 per cent per year
Urban population: 49.1 per cent
Life expectancy: 69.1 years
Infant mortality: 30.2 per 1,000 live births
Maternal mortality: 237 per 100,000 births
Fertility rate: 4.23 births per woman
Literacy rate: 56.3%
Female genital mutilation (FGM): 20.1 per cent (UNICEF 2025)
Child marriage before the age of 18: 30 per cent (UNICEF 2023)
Our programs are supported by core contributions from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
