| Country name: | Republic of Senegal |
| Government type: | Presidential republic |
| Capital: | Dakar |
| Administrative divisions: | 14 regions |
| Independence: | 4 April 1960 (from France) |
| Legal system: | Civil law system based on French law; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Court |
| Total area: | Land 192,530 sq km, water 4,192 sq km, coastline 531 km, land boundaries 2,684ckm |
| Natural resources: | Fish, phosphates, iron ore |
| Land use: | Agricultural land 46.8%, forest 43.8%, other 9.4% (2011 est.) |
| Population: | 15,020,945 (July 2018 est.) |
| Ethnic groups: | Wolof 37.1%, Pular 26.2%, Serer 17%, Mandinka 5.6%, Jola 4.5%, other 9.6% (2017 est.) |
| Languages: | French (official), Wolof, Pular, Jola, Mandinka, Serer, Soninke |
| Religions: | Muslim 95.9% (Sufi brotherhoods), Christian 4.1% (mostly Roman Catholic) (2016 est.) |
| Age structure: | Median age 19 years, life expectancy 62.5 years, total fertility rate 4.2 children born/woman (2018 est.) |
| Urbanization: | Urban population: 47.7% of total population (2019) |
| Literacy: |
Total population: 51.9%, male: 64.8%, female: 39.8% (2015 est.)
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| Unemployment: | Unemployment youth ages (15-24): 8.1% |
Senegal’s economy is driven by mining, construction, tourism, fisheries and agriculture, which are the primary sources of employment in rural areas. The country's key export industries include phosphate mining, fertilizer production, agricultural products and commercial fishing and Senegal is also working on oil exploration projects. It relies heavily on donor assistance, remittances and foreign direct investment. Senegal reached a growth rate of 7% in 2017, due in part to strong performance in agriculture despite erratic rainfall.
President Macky SALL, who was elected in March 2012 under a reformist policy agenda, inherited an economy with high energy costs, a challenging business environment, and a culture of overspending. President SALL unveiled an ambitious economic plan, the Emerging Senegal Plan (ESP), which aims to implement priority economic reforms and investment projects to increase economic growth while preserving macroeconomic stability and debt sustainability. Bureaucratic bottlenecks and a challenging business climate are among the perennial challenges that may slow the implementation of this plan.
The government is focusing on 19 projects under the ESP to continue The government’s goal under the ESP is structural transformation of the economy. Key projects include the Thiès-Touba Highway, the new international airport opened in December 2017, and upgrades to energy infrastructure. The cost of electricity is a chief constraint for Senegal’s development. Electricity prices in Senegal are among the highest in the world. Power Africa, a US presidential initiative led by USAID, supports Senegal’s plans to improve reliability and increase generating capacity.
