Togo has moved from the low-income to the lower-middle-income category in the World Bank’s latest income classification, becoming the only country to move up from the lowest income group in this year’s annual update.
The World Bank Group, which published its updated classifications on July 1, said Togo crossed the threshold largely because revised population data from the country’s 2022 census reduced its estimated population by 11.7%, increasing its gross national income (GNI) per capita.
The bank also cited economic growth of 5.9% in 2025 and favorable exchange rate movements as contributing factors.
The annual classification groups economies into four income categories based on GNI per capita calculated using the World Bank’s Atlas method.
The classifications are widely used by governments, development institutions and investors as a benchmark for economic development, although they do not directly measure living standards or poverty.
For Togo, the new classification marks a statistical milestone but does not erase the country’s longstanding development challenges.
Located on the West African coast between Ghana, Benin and Burkina Faso, Togo is home to about 8.5 million people.
According to the World Bank, poverty remains far higher in rural areas than in urban areas, with 58.8% of rural residents living in poverty compared with 26.5% of urban residents.
Economic growth has been concentrated in modern sectors, while many communities continue to face limited access to quality health care, education and other essential services.
Women remain disproportionately affected by unequal access to economic opportunities and basic services.
Togo’s Human Capital Index score of 0.43 indicates that a child born today is expected to be only 43% as productive as they could be as an adult if they had access to complete education and full health.
Togo was one of six countries reclassified upward in this year’s review. None of the economies assessed moved down an income category.
Five countries advanced from lower-middle-income to upper-middle-income status: Jordan, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.
