Dakar Region: population, jobs, poverty, health and schools

Dakar Region is a region of Senegal, the largest of 14 by population. The Dakar region had 4,004,426 residents at the 2023 General Population and Housing Census (RGPH-5), 2,018,761 men and 1,985,666 women: 22.1% of Senegal's 18.13 million people and the largest of 14 regions by population. There were 101.7 men for every 100 women (Senegal: 102.6).

Population (2023 census)

4,004,426

2023

Household consumption per person per year (CFA francs)

861,364

2021-22

Labour-force participation rate (2023 census)

55.6%

2023

Households lit mainly by electricity (2023 census)

98.7%

2023

Population below the national poverty line

9.3%

2021-22

Life expectancy at birth (2023 census)

71.9 years

2023

Under-five deaths per 1,000 live births (2023 census)

51.1

2023

Births in a health facility (2 years before the survey)

98.9%

2023

In depth

Economy, jobs and prices in Dakar Region: Household consumption in Dakar, including food grown at home, averaged 861,364 CFA francs per person a year in 2021/22, the highest of 14 regions (Senegal: 542,706 CFA francs).
Health in Dakar Region: Life expectancy at birth in Dakar was 71.9 years at the 2023 census (70.7 for men and 73.1 for women), the highest of 14 regions (Senegal: 68.9).
Education in Dakar Region: 68.1% of people aged 10 and over in Dakar could read and write in some language at the 2023 census (71.8% of men and 64.5% of women), 3rd highest of 14 regions (Senegal: 62.2%).
Poverty and living standards in Dakar Region: 9.3% of people in Dakar lived below the national poverty line in 2021/22, the lowest of 14 regions (Senegal: 37.5%).

How fast is the population of Dakar growing?

Dakar's population grew from 3,137,197 at the 2013 census to 4,004,426 in 2023, an average of 2.4% a year, 3rd slowest of 14 regions (Senegal: 2.9% a year).

Source: Agence Nationale de la Statistique et de la Démographie (ANSD) · saved copy

How densely populated is Dakar?

Dakar covers 535 km², giving 7,485 people per km² in 2023, the most densely populated of 14 regions (Senegal: 92 per km²).

Source: Agence Nationale de la Statistique et de la Démographie (ANSD) · saved copy

How many people in Dakar live in towns?

100.0% of Dakar's residents (4,004,426 people) lived in urban areas at the 2023 census, the most urban of 14 regions (Senegal: 54.7%).

Source: Agence Nationale de la Statistique et de la Démographie (ANSD) · saved copy

How young is the population of Dakar?

29.9% of Dakar's population was under 15 at the 2023 census and 4.1% was 65 or older; the share of children is the lowest of 14 regions (Senegal: 39.1% and 3.8%).

Source: Agence Nationale de la Statistique et de la Démographie (ANSD) · saved copy

What are the departments of Dakar region?

The region has 5 departments. The most populous in 2023 was Dakar with 1,278,471 residents (31.9% of the region), and the fastest-growing since 2013 was Rufisque (449,124 to 818,337).

Source: Agence Nationale de la Statistique et de la Démographie (ANSD) · saved copy

How many children do women in Dakar have?

At the birth rates of the three years before the 2023 Continuous Demographic and Health Survey, a woman in Dakar would have 3.1 children on average, the lowest of 14 regions (Senegal: 4.0).

Source: ANSD with the Ministry of Health and Social Action and ICF (The DHS Program) · saved copy

How regions are governed in Senegal

Administrative regions (14). Governor appointed by the president. State administration only since 2013 (regions are no longer local governments).

Every tier of government in Senegal

Other regions of Senegal

Up a level: Senegal · government and power in Senegal · cities

Sources

ANSD with the Ministry of Health and Social Action and ICF (The DHS Program): Senegal Continuous Demographic and Health Survey 2023 (EDS-Continue 2023), tables volume (July 2024): Tables 2.12, 2.18, 5.2, 9.7, 10.4, 11.1 and 12.1 by region, read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 c1fffc1c6f81…)
Agence Nationale de la Statistique et de la Démographie (ANSD): RGPH-5 2023 final report, chapter 3: economic characteristics (Tables III-6, III-14, III-19 and III-30 by region), read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 730e092da9d6…)
Agence Nationale de la Statistique et de la Démographie (ANSD): RGPH-5 2023 final report, chapter 2: literacy and schooling (Tables II-5, II-14 and II-27 by region), read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 7aff3a1e56b3…)
Agence Nationale de la Statistique et de la Démographie (ANSD): RGPH-5 2023 final report, chapter 8: housing (Tables VIII-4, VIII-10 and VIII-12 by region), read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 e37b2c844936…)
Agence Nationale de la Statistique et de la Démographie (ANSD): RGPH-5 2023 final report, chapter 5: mortality (Tables V-18, V-20, V-22 and V-25 by region), read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 22bfde37cb9b…)
Agence Nationale de la Statistique et de la Démographie (ANSD): RGPH-5 2023 final report, chapter 1: state and structure of the population (Tables I-9, I-16, I-21, I-22 and I-26 by region and department), read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 8806140091f5…)
Agence Nationale de la Statistique et de la Démographie (ANSD): Harmonised Survey on Household Living Conditions (EHCVM II) 2021/2022, final report: Table III-2 (poverty by region), Table VII-11 (toilets) and section VIII.1 (food insecurity), read 27 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 783631557317…)

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