The region’s total population is 576,583. The region is one of the two least urbanized in the country. The region’s population is not evenly distributed among the five districts. The regional capital district, Wa alone contains about 39.0 per cent of the population while each of the remaining four districts has less than 20.0 per cent. Wa also has about one third of all the educational and health facilities. The three main religious groups, Christianity, Islam, and Traditional, are about evenly represented at the regional level, but there are marked differences in their distribution and concentration in each district. The level of unemployment in the region is high; at least one out of every 10 economically active persons is unemployed. Agriculture is the major occupation for both males and females in all the districts. The major ethnic groups in the region fall under the broad generic categories of the Mole Dagbon (75.7 per cent) and Grusi (18.4 per cent).The architecture of the region (mud houses) has been influenced by the Larabanga Mosque which was built by the Moslem immigrant traders from Northern Africa, mainly Mali, who later settled in Wa.