Population:

18,373,060
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 40.4% (male 3,660,057/female 3,767,893)
15-64 years: 56.7% (male 5,233,772/female 5,180,841)
65 years and over: 2.9% (male 253,573/female 276,924) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 19.4 years
male: 19.6 years
female: 19.1 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.96% (2008 est.)

Birth rate:

34.26 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate:

14.65 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate:

NA

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.92 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 85.71 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 101.96 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 68.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 49.18 years
male: 46.62 years
female: 51.82 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate:

4.35 children born/woman (2008 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

7% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

570,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

47,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever
water contact: schistosomiasis
note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)

Nationality:

noun: Ivoirian(s)
adjective: Ivoirian

Ethnic groups:

Akan 42.1%, Voltaiques or Gur 17.6%, Northern Mandes 16.5%, Krous 11%, Southern Mandes 10%, other 2.8% (includes 130,000 Lebanese and 14,000 French) (1998)

Religions:

Muslim 35-40%, indigenous 25-40%, Christian 20-30% (2001)
note: the majority of foreigners (migratory workers) are Muslim (70%) and Christian (20%)

Languages:

French (official), 60 native dialects with Dioula the most widely spoken

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 48.7%
male: 60.8%
female: 38.6% (2000 est.)