Panafrican News Agency

Senegal: Senegalese population now 12.8 million

Dakar, Senegal (PANA) – The population of Senegal is now 12,873,601, according to the provisional results from the general census on Senegalese population and housing (RGPH), released here on Friday.

The results of the exercise, which was conducted in November, 2013, reveal that Senegal has 6,428,189 men and 6,445,412 women.

The Senegalese national statistics and demography agency (ANSD) told PANA that going by the previous figure of 9,858,482 inhabitants recorded in 2002, there was an average annual growth rate of 2.5% between 2002 and 2013.

The data from the 2013 census said that the region of Dakar had 2,956,023 inhabitants.

With an urbanization rate of 96%, Dakar accommodates about half of the country’s urban population, or 49%.

The region of Dakar is followed by the region of Thiès which records an urbanization rate of 49%, which represents 14% of the country’s urban population.

Senegal has 1,526,794 households with an average of eight members per family.

In 2013, rural populations were estimated at 7,048,624 people, or 55% of the population, as against 59.3% in 2002.

The urban population is estimated at 5,824,977 inhabitants, or an urbanization rate of 45%, as against 40.7% in 2002.

”In 2013, the agricultural households were estimated at 755,559 or 49.5% of households in the country.

Agriculture is more practiced in Fatick, Matam and Sédhiou where eight out of 10 households are farmers. In Dakar, less than two out of 10 households practice agriculture," the ANSD added.
-0- PANA AB/AAS/MSA/VAO 28March2014