Côte d'Ivoire

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Various small kingdoms ruled the area of Cote d'Ivoire between the 15th and 19th centuries, when European explorers arrived and then began to expand their presence. In 1844, France established a protectorate. During this period, many of these kingdoms and tribes fought to maintain their cultural identities -- some well into the 20th century. For example, the Sanwi kingdom -- originally founded in the 17th century -- tried to break away from Cote d’Ivoire and establish an independent state in 1969.  <br><br>Cote d’Ivoire achieved independence from France in 1960 but has maintained close ties. Foreign investment and the export and production of cocoa drove economic growth that led Cote d’Ivoire to become one of the most prosperous states in West Africa. Then in 1999, a military coup overthrew the government, and a year later, junta leader Robert GUEI held rigged elections and declared himself the winner. Popular protests forced him to step aside, and Laurent GBAGBO was elected. Ivoirian dissidents and members of the military launched a failed coup in 2002 that developed into a civil war. In 2003, a cease-fire resulted in rebels holding the north, the government holding the south, and peacekeeping forces occupying a buffer zone in the middle. In 2007, President GBAGBO and former rebel leader Guillaume SORO signed an agreement in which SORO joined GBAGBO's government as prime minister. The two agreed to reunite the country by dismantling the buffer zone, integrating rebel forces into the national armed forces, and holding elections. <br><br>In 2010, Alassane Dramane OUATTARA won the presidential election, but GBAGBO refused to hand over power, resulting in five months of violent conflict. Armed OUATTARA supporters and UN and French troops eventually forced GBAGBO to step down in 2011. OUATTARA won a second term in 2015 and a controversial third term in 2020 -- despite the two-term limit in the Ivoirian constitution -- in an election boycotted by the opposition. Through political compromise with OUATTARA, the opposition participated peacefully in 2021 legislative elections and won a substantial minority of seats. Also in 2021, the International Criminal Court in The Hague ruled on a final acquittal for GBAGBO, who was on trial for crimes against humanity, paving the way for GBAGBO’s return to Abidjan the same year. GBAGBO has publicly met with OUATTARA since his return as a demonstration of political reconciliation.

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Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Ghana and Liberia

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8 00 N, 5 00 W

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Africa

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slightly larger than New Mexico

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515 km

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tropical along coast, semiarid in far north; three seasons - warm and dry (November to March), hot and dry (March to May), hot and wet (June to October)

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mostly flat to undulating plains; mountains in northwest

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petroleum, natural gas, diamonds, manganese, iron ore, cobalt, bauxite, copper, gold, nickel, tantalum, silica sand, clay, cocoa beans, coffee, palm oil, hydropower

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730 sq km (2012)

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the population is primarily located in the forested south, with the highest concentration of people residing in and around the cities on the Atlantic coast; most of the northern savanna remains sparsely populated, with higher concentrations located along transportation corridors, as shown in this population distribution map

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coast has heavy surf and no natural harbors; during the rainy season torrential flooding is possible

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most of the inhabitants live along the sandy coastal region; apart from the capital area, the forested interior is sparsely populated

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Akan 38%, Voltaique or Gur 22%, Northern Mande 22%, Kru 9.1%, Southern Mande 8.6%, other 0.3% (2021 est.)

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Muslim 42.9%, Catholic 17.2%, Evangelical 11.8%, Methodist 1.7%, other Christian 3.2%, animist 3.6%, other religion 0.5%, none 19.1% (2014 est.)

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<strong>note:</strong> the majority of foreign migrant workers are Muslim (72.7%) and Christian (17.7%)

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2.33% (2025 est.)

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29.87 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

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6.93 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

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0.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

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the population is primarily located in the forested south, with the highest concentration of people residing in and around the cities on the Atlantic coast; most of the northern savanna remains sparsely populated, with higher concentrations located along transportation corridors, as shown in this population distribution map

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231,000 YAMOUSSOUKRO (capital) (2018), 5.686 million ABIDJAN (seat of government) (2023)

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19.6 years (2011/12 est.)

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<strong>note:</strong> data represents median age at first birth among women 20-49

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359 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

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3.85 children born/woman (2025 est.)

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1.9 (2025 est.)

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0.17 physicians/1,000 population (2023)

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10.3% (2016)

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13.6% (2021 est.)

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62.7% (2021 est.)

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deforestation; water pollution from sewage and from industrial, mining, and agricultural effluents

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tropical along coast, semiarid in far north; three seasons - warm and dry (November to March), hot and dry (March to May), hot and wet (June to October)

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36 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

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84.14 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

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<strong>note:</strong> pronounced coat-div-whar

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presidential republic

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12 districts and 2 autonomous districts*; Abidjan*, Bas-Sassandra, Comoe, Denguele, Goh-Djiboua, Lacs, Lagunes, Montagnes, Sassandra-Marahoue, Savanes, Vall&eacute;e du Bandama, Woroba, Yamoussoukro*, Zanzan

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civil law system based on the French civil code; Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court reviews legislation

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accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

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18 years of age; universal

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<strong>note:</strong> because President OUATTARA promulgated the new constitution in 2016, he has claimed that the clock is reset on term limits, allowing him to run for up to two additional terms

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<br><br>

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African Peoples' Party-Cote d'Ivoire or PPA-CI <br>Democratic Party of Cote d'Ivoire or PDCI <br>Ivorian Popular Front or FPI <br>Liberty and Democracy for the Republic or LIDER <br>Movement of the Future Forces or MFA <br>Pan-African Congress for People's Justice and Equality or COJEP <br>Rally of Houphouetists for Democracy and Peace or RHDP <br>Rally of the Republicans or RDR<br>Together for Democracy and Sovereignty or EDS <br>Together to Build (UDPCI, FPI,and allies) <br>Union for Cote d'Ivoire or UPCI <br>Union for Democracy and Peace in Cote d'Ivoire or UDPCI

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ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, EITI (compliant country), Entente, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINUSCA, MONUSCO, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNMISS, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

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7 August 1960 (from France)

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Independence Day, 7 August (1960)

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<strong>description:</strong> three equal vertical bands of orange (left side), white, and green<br><br><strong>meaning:</strong> orange stands for the savannah and fertility, white for peace and unity, green for the forests of the south and the hope for a bright future; design based on France's flag

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<strong>note:</strong> similar to the flag of Ireland, which is wider and has the colors reversed -- green (left side), white, and orange; also similar to the flag of Italy, which is green (left side), white, and red

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elephant

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orange, white, green

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one of West Africa&rsquo;s most influential, stable, and rapidly developing economies; poverty declines in urban but increases in rural areas; strong construction sector and increasingly diverse economic portfolio; increasing but manageable public debt; large labor force in agriculture

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<b>note:</b> data in 2021 dollars

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<b>note:</b> annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

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<b>note:</b> data in 2021 dollars

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$86.538 billion (2024 est.)

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<b>note:</b> data in current dollars at official exchange rate

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<b>note:</b> annual % change based on consumer prices

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<b>note:</b> figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

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<b>note:</b> figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

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yams, cassava, oil palm fruit, cocoa beans, sugarcane, plantains, rice, rubber, maize, cashews (2023)

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<b>note:</b> top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

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foodstuffs, beverages; wood products, oil refining, gold mining, truck and bus assembly, textiles, fertilizer, building materials, electricity

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2.8% (2024 est.)

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<b>note:</b> annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

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12.595 million (2024 est.)

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<b>note:</b> number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

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<b>note:</b> % of labor force seeking employment

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<b>note:</b> % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

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37.5% (2021 est.)

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<b>note:</b> % of population with income below national poverty line

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<b>note:</b> index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality

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<b>note:</b> % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

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<b>note:</b> personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities

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<b>note:</b> central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

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13.2% (of GDP) (2023 est.)

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<b>note:</b> central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

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<b>note:</b> balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars

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<b>note:</b> balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

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Switzerland 17%, Netherlands 9%, Mali 7%, USA 5%, Malaysia 4% (2023)

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<b>note:</b> top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

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gold, cocoa beans, rubber, refined petroleum, coconuts/brazil nuts/cashews (2023)

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<b>note:</b> top five export commodities based on value in dollars

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<b>note:</b> balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

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China 16%, Nigeria 12%, France 6%, India 5%, USA 4% (2023)

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<b>note:</b> top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

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crude petroleum, ships, refined petroleum, fish, rice (2023)

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<b>note:</b> top five import commodities based on value in dollars

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<b>note:</b> present value of external debt in current US dollars

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state-controlled Radiodiffusion T&eacute;l&eacute;vision Ivoirienne (RTI) is made up of 2 radio stations (Radio Cote d'Ivoire and Fr&eacute;quence2) and 2 TV stations (RTI1 and RTI2) with nationwide coverage, broadcasting mainly in French; 178 proximity radio stations, 16 religious radio stations, 5 commercial radio stations, and 5 international radio stations; government now runs radio station UNOCIFM, previously owned by the UN Operation in Cote d'Ivoire; in 2016, 4 media companies were granted licenses: Live TV, Optimum Media Cote d'Ivoire, the Audiovisual Company of Cote d'Ivoire (Sedaci), and Sorano-CI (2019)

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.ci

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TU

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29 (2025)

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1 (2025)

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<strong>note:</strong> an additional 622 km of this railroad extends into Burkina Faso

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Armed Forces of Cote d'Ivoire (Forces Armees de Cote d'Ivoire, FACI; aka Republican Forces of Ivory Coast, FRCI): Army, National Navy, Air Force, Special Forces; National Gendarmerie <br><br>Ministry of Security and Civil Protection: National Police (2025)

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<strong>note:</strong> the National Gendarmerie is a paramilitary force under the Ministry of Defense that is responsible for ensuring public safety, maintaining order, enforcing laws, and protecting institutions, people, and property; it is organized into mobile and territorial components; the Mobile Gendarmerie is responsible for maintaining and restoring order and is considered the backbone of the country’s domestic security; the Territorial Gendarmerie is responsible for the administrative, judicial, and military police; the Gendarmerie also has separate specialized units for security, intervention (counterterrorism, hostage rescue, etc), VIP protection, and surveillance

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approximately 25-30,000 active FACI, including Gendarmerie personnel (2025)

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the inventory of the FACI consists mostly of older or secondhand armaments, typically of French or Soviet-era origin; in recent years, it has received small quantities of newer and secondhand equipment from a variety of suppliers, including Bulgaria, China, France, Israel, South Africa, and the US (2025)

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<strong>note:</strong> Cote d'Ivoire was under a partial UN arms embargo from 2004 to 2016

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18-26 (up to 35 for healthcare professionals) years of age for voluntary military service for men and women; conscription is authorized but reportedly not enforced (2025)

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180 Central African Republic (MINUSCA) (2025)

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the military (FACI) is responsible for external defense but also has a considerable internal role supporting the National Gendarmerie and other internal security forces; key areas of focus for the FACI are the country's porous international borders and the threat posed by Islamic militants associated with the al-Qa’ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) terrorist group operating across the border in Burkina Faso and Mali; AQIM militants conducted attacks in the country in 2016 and 2020; Côte d’Ivoire since 2016 has stepped up border security and completed building a joint counter-terrorism training center with France near Abidjan in 2020; Cote d'Ivoire has long maintained a close security relationship with France <br><br>the FACI has mutinied several times since the late 1990s, most recently in 2017, and has had a large role in the country’s political turmoil; it was established in 1960 from home defense units the French colonial government began standing up in 1950 (2025)

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National Office for Technical Studies and Development (Bureau d'Études Techniques et de Développement or BNETD); Côte d’Ivoire Geographic and Digital Information Center (CIGN) (2025)

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<strong>note:</strong> in mid-2025, Côte d’Ivoire announced that it would establish the Space Agency of Côte d’Ivoire (ASCI) in 2026 under the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research

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has a small, nascent program focused on satellite technology and geospatial information systems, as well as exploitation for resource management, environmental challenges, agricultural sector support, and national security; member of the African Space Agency and cooperates bilaterally with member states such as Tanzania (2025)

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2023 - hosted an Africa-wide space industry conference; announced plans to acquire and launch first small remote sensing satellite (Yam-Sat- CI 01) <br><br>2024 - began joint project with Tanzania to build a technology-demonstrator cube satellite (TanSat-1)

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al-Qa'ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM); Jama’at Nusrat al Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM)

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<strong>note:</strong> details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in the Terrorism reference guide