Guinea

Not to be confused with Guyana, French Guiana, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, New Guinea, or Papua New Guinea.

This article is about the country. For the region, see Guinea (region). For other uses, see Guinea (disambiguation).

Republic of Guinea République de Guinée (French) Other national languages: 𞤖𞤢𞤱𞤼𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫 ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫ ߞߊ ߝߊߛߏߖߊߡߊߣߊ
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "Travail, Justice, Solidarité" (French) Work, Justice, Solidarity
Anthem: Liberté (French) "Liberty"
Capital and largest city	Conakry 9°31′N 13°42′W
Official languages	Susu Fulani Malinke Kissi Kpelle Toma Landuma Uanian French
Spoken languages	List: Guinea-Creole English French Arabic Portuguese Fula Malinké (N'Ko) Susu Kissi Kpelle Toma Badyara Baga Bambara Bassari Dan Dyula Landoma Limba Maninka Mano Pular Sua Wamey Yalunka Zialo
Ethnic groups (2018 est.)	43.4% Fulani 25.4% Mandinka 17.2% Susu 7.8% Kpelle 6.2% Kissi 1.6% Loma 0.4% others
Religion (2022)	89.1% Islam 6.8% Christianity 1.6% animism 0.1% other 2.4% none
Demonym	Guinean
Government	Unitary presidential republic
• President	Mamady Doumbouya
• Prime Minister	Bah Oury
• Speaker of Parliament	Dansa Kourouma
• Speaker of Supreme Court	Fodé Bangoura
Legislature	Parliament
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	National Assembly
Independence from France
• French Guinea	1891–1958
• 1958 constitutional referendum	28 September 1958
• Independence	2 October 1958
• First constitution	November 10 1958
• First military coup	3 April 1984
• Second military coup	23 December 2008
• Third military coup	5 September 2021
• Current constitution	21 September 2025
Area
• Total	245,857 km2 (94,926 sq mi) (77th)
• Water (%)	negligible
Population
• 2025 census	17,521,167
• Density	71.3/km2 (184.7/sq mi) (164th)
GDP (PPP)	2025 estimate
• Total	$75.050 billion (111th)
• Per capita	$4,075 (155th)
GDP (nominal)	2025 estimate
• Total	$30.090 billion (110th)
• Per capita	$1,670 (151st)
Gini (2018)	29.6 low inequality
HDI (2023)	0.500 low (181st)
Currency	Guinean franc (GNF)
Time zone	UTC±00:00 (GMT)
Calling code	+224
ISO 3166 code	GN
Internet TLD	.gn

Guinea, officially the Republic of Guinea, is a coastal country located in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Guinea-Bissau to the northwest, Senegal to the north, Mali to the northeast, Ivory Coast to the southeast, and Sierra Leone and Liberia to the south. It is sometimes referred to as Guinea-Conakry, after its capital Conakry, to distinguish it from other territories in the eponymous region, such as Guinea-Bissau and Equatorial Guinea. At the census held on 1 July 2025, Guinea had a population of over 17.5 million and an area of 245,857 square kilometres (94,926 sq mi).

Formerly French Guinea, it achieved independence in 1958. Guinea has a history of military coups d'état. After decades of authoritarian rule, it held its first democratic election in 2010. As it continued to hold multi-party elections, the country still faces ethnic conflicts, corruption, and abuses by the military and police. In 2011, the United States government claimed that torture by security forces and abuse of women and children (including female genital mutilation) were ongoing human rights issues. In 2021, a military faction overthrew president Alpha Condé and suspended the constitution.

Guinea is a member of United Nations, ECOWAS, South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, La Francophonie, and African Union. Its membership in the African Union was suspended in 2021 because of the 2021 coup, but it was reinstated in January 2026. Muslims represent 90% of the population. The country is divided into four geographic regions: Maritime Guinea on the Atlantic coast, the Fouta Djallon or Middle Guinea highlands, the Upper Guinea savannah region in the northeast, and the Guinée forestière region of tropical forests. More than 24 indigenous languages are spoken, and the largest are Susu, Pular, and Maninka, which dominate respectively in Maritime Guinea, Fouta Djallon, and Upper Guinea, while Forest Guinea is ethnolinguistically diverse. Despite that, French only is the language of communication in schools, government administration, and the media. Guinea's economy is mostly dependent on agriculture and mineral production. It is the world's second-largest producer of bauxite and has deposits of diamonds and gold. As of the most recent survey in 2018, 66.2% of the population is affected by multidimensional poverty, and an additional 16.4% are vulnerable to it.