8 Billion Lives
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Where you could be born / Africa / Western Africa

Born in Senegal

About 1 in 248 people born in 2023 started life in Senegal. A boy can expect to live 67 years and a girl 71, up from 36 and 37 in 1950. Most people live in cities, and 87% have basic drinking water.

1 in 248
odds of being born here
531,900 births · Ranked 52nd of 230
67 / 71
years of life, boys / girls
Was 36 / 37 in 1950
$2,452
income per person a year
2021 dollars · Ranked 160th of 203 · extrapolated
55%
live in a city
The rest live in villages

Life and health

Life lasts about 32 years longer than in 1950. Child deaths fell from 342 in every 1,000 births to 36.

How long a life lasts

GirlsBoys

020406080195019852023

Years a baby born that year could expect to live.

Children who die before age 5
0100200300400195019852023

In every 1,000 births.

Life expectancy at birth66.8 years for boys, 70.8 for girlsUN WPP 2024
Children who die before age 535.6 in every 1,000 birthsUN WPP 2024
Deaths a year101,000UN WPP 2024
Doctors per 1,000 people0.1World Bank WDI
Children immunized against measles87%World Bank WDI
Adults living with HIV0.3%World Bank WDI
New tuberculosis cases a year133 per 100,000 peopleWorld Bank WDI
Malaria cases a year35 per 1,000 people at riskWorld Bank WDI

Family

Women had 6.8 children on average in 1950. Now it is 3.8.

Children per woman
02468195019852023

Average over a lifetime.

Children per woman3.82UN WPP 2024
Average age of mothers at birth29.9 yearsUN WPP 2024

Money and work

If every 100 coins of income were shared out, the richest fifth would hold 44 and the poorest fifth 7.

Who gets the income
Share of all income by fifth of the population, 2021
7%Poorest fifth
12%Second
16%Middle
22%Fourth
44%Richest fifth
Income per personabout $2,452 a year (2021 dollars, adjusted for prices)World Bank PIP, scaled between survey years Extrapolated
Share of income going to the richest fifth / poorest fifth44% / 7% (2021)World Bank PIP
Unemployment2.8% of the workforce (2023)World Bank WDI
Price rises5.9% a year (2023)World Bank WDI
Growth in output per person1.8% (2023)World Bank WDI
Jobs in farming32% of jobsWorld Bank WDI
Self-employed64% of jobs (2025)World Bank WDI
Secondary school enrolment44% (can pass 100 when older students are counted)World Bank WDI

Daily life

The largest city is Dakar, with 2.6 million people.

55%
live in cities
74%
have electricity at home
87%
have basic drinking water
Largest cities
People living there
Dakar2.6 million
Pikine1.2 million
Touba1.1 million
Guédiawaye329,659
Thiès317,763
Languages
Share of people who can use each
Wolof70%
French26%
Fula21%
Serer11%
Jola-Fonyi3%
Wolof, French, Fula, Serer, Jola-Fonyi is official.

Cities and regions

Every state, province and large city with a page.

Largest regions

Dakar4.8 million
Diourbel Region1.6 million
Thies1.3 million
Kaolack384,643
Saint-Louis369,338
Ziguinchor243,516
Louga230,929
Kolda211,758
Tambacounda164,794
Kaffrine109,398

Sourced: GeoNames Population of each state, province or region.

Large cities

Sourced: GeoNames Cities with a page: a million people or more.

All 14 regions
  • Dakar4.8 million
  • Diourbel Region1.6 million
  • Thies1.3 million
  • Kaolack384,643
  • Saint-Louis369,338
  • Ziguinchor243,516
  • Louga230,929
  • Kolda211,758
  • Tambacounda164,794
  • Kaffrine109,398
  • Matam85,205
  • Fatick79,137
  • Sédhiou49,750
  • Kedougou30,051

People on the move

About 4.0% as many people born here live abroad as live here. The most common destinations are France, Gambia, Italy.

Where people born here live abroad
By country of residence, 2024
France176,632
Gambia145,276
Italy127,427
Residents born abroad1.5% (2024)World Bank WDI
People born here who live abroadequal to 4.0% of the people who live hereUN DESA migrant stock
Where they go mostFrance (176,632), Gambia (145,276), Italy (127,427)UN DESA migrant stock
Money sent home from abroadabout $3.3 billion a year (2023)World Bank WDI

Safety nets

25% of older people receive a pension. Help for someone who loses a job reaches 0%.

25%
of older people receive a pension (2022)
0%
of unemployed people receive a benefit (2022)

Events in the data

The game draws real events from these records, so a life lived here can meet them.

Reported COVID-19 deaths, 2020 to 20241,971Our World in Data, from WHO
Deaths in organized violence2,090 between 1989 and 2011UCDP

Now live it.

Born in Senegal, to a family drawn from these numbers. Every life replays exactly from its seed.

Be born in Senegal

Elsewhere in Africa

All countries

How to read the sources. Every figure is sourced to a named dataset, shown beside it. A figure marked "Extrapolated" is estimated by a model because no survey covers the year. UN figures are for 2023, the latest year of UN estimates; other figures are the latest year their dataset has. Rank 1 is the highest figure among 230 countries and territories. All sources and licences