Togo is in 161st place out of 193 countries and territories in 2025 when ranked in terms of life expectancy, literacy, access to knowledge and the living standards of a country, making it one of the world's poorest nations, with a life expectancy of 62.67 years (2025). Approximately 58.7% of the rural population lives in poverty, while the urban poverty rate is 34.3%. This situation is not helped by poor prospects as while education is highly prioritized by families in Togo with most children now attending primary school, only about 65.26% of children (2025) are enrolled in secondary school. Current education spending in Togo is 3.8% of GDP in 2025 which while low, compares favourably with neighbouring countryes, especially Nigeria whose rate is under 1%.

Although crime is widespread in Togo with tourists regularly subjected to theft and pick-pocketing, especially in Lome along the beach and in the markets, Togo has many tourist draws including a somewhat unique landscape spread across the country's five regions, historic monuments and sites including fortress-like clay huts dating to the 17th century that were lived in by the Batammariba people, and a 28 mile coastline with beautiful fine sand beaches, bordering the Atlantic ocean.