page_title: West Africa
section_title: States
hierarchical_section_title: West Africa / States
caption_attribution_description: English: Map of West Africa, where Energy for Opportunity Works
context_page_description: West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo, as well as the United Kingdom Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. The population of West Africa is estimated at about 381 million people as of 2018, and at 381,981,000 as of 2017, of which 189,672,000 are female and 192,309,000 male.
context_section_description: The Economic Community of West African States, established in May 1975, has defined the region of West Africa since 1999 as including the following 15 states:
  Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Western Africa includes the preceding states with the addition of Mauritania (which withdrew from ECOWAS in 1999), comprising an area of approximately 6.1 million square km. The UN region also includes the United Kingdom Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha in the south Atlantic Ocean.
caption: Geopolitical States of West Africa;
            * Benin * Burkina Faso * Cape Verde * Ivory Coast * The Gambia    * Ghana * Guinea * Guinea-Bissau * Liberia * Mali    * Niger * Nigeria * Senegal * Sierra Leone * Togo