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Guinea-Bissau: cities by population

By James Burfield, SEO consultant, Bath · Page updated · UN World Population Prospects

Guinea-Bissau has a population of 2,297,808 (UN estimate, 2026), with Bissau as its capital. The 44 largest of its 44 recorded towns and cities, ranked.

+86%
since 2000 (1,234,741)
+50%
projected by 2050 (3,438,608)
82
people per km²
19501975200020252050 544k 3.4M
UN estimates to 2026; the dashed line is the medium-variant projection to 2050, a forecast rather than a measurement. Source: World Population Prospects 2024.
Full UN series, 1950 to 2050
YearPopulation
1950543,627
1975650,966
20001,234,741
20051,381,585
20101,566,347
20151,786,457
20202,013,255
20252,249,515
20262,297,808
2030 projected2,488,934
2050 projected3,438,608

Medium variant. Figures from 2026 onward are projections, not measurements.

Figures are the latest available in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), which draws on national censuses of varying dates — treat them as recent, not same-year. Country totals are UN World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant) where the UN lists the country separately; the handful it reports under a parent state keep a GeoNames figure and are marked as such. Sources & method.

Largest cities in Guinea-Bissau

#PlaceRegionPopulation
1BissauBissau439,704
2GabúGabú49,371
3ContumoBissau45,482
4Reino de BandimBissau44,718
5BafatáBafatá33,502
6Reino de AntulaBissau30,778
7QueleleBissau28,898
8PlaqueBissau27,633
9XitoleBafatá19,424
10Pefiné14,808
11CanchungoCacheu13,652
12BissorãOio12,688
13Jabicunda12,395
14BissorãOio11,964
15Madina do BoéGabú11,750
16BolamaBolama10,769
17CacheuCacheu10,490
18BulaCacheu10,213
19FarimOio10,207
20CatióTombali9,898
21MansôaOio9,422
22BubaqueBolama9,244
23IngoréCacheu9,189
24BubaQuinara8,952
25BambadincaBafatá7,620
26QueboTombali7,072
27CanchungoCacheu6,853
28QuinhámelBiombo6,602
29São DomingosCacheu6,004
30MansabáOio5,964
31PitcheGabú5,655
32ContuboelBafatá4,871
33PrábisBiombo3,223
34SafimBiombo3,193
35PiradaGabú2,980
36SonacoGabú2,753
37Empada2,680
38NhacraOio1,966
39FulacundaQuinara1,804
40CaióCacheu1,398
41CacineTombali1,151
42Tite1,109
43Bedanda783
44Cumeré654

Twenty years earlier: Guinea-Bissau in the 2005 World Gazetteer — population then 1,427,685.

Common questions

What is the population of Guinea-Bissau?
Guinea-Bissau has a population of 2,297,808, the UN World Population Prospects estimate for 2026. The UN's medium-variant projection for 2050 is 3,438,608 — a forecast, not a measurement.
What is the capital of Guinea-Bissau?
Bissau.

Go deeper

Bissau
The largest place we record in Guinea-Bissau: 439,704 people
Guinea-Bissau in 2005
The World Gazetteer's archive edition: 1,427,685 then
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