Gambia
Country in Africa
CountryScope
In brief
Population: 2.8M (2025). World rank 141 of 216; in Africa, 42 of 54. Area: 10,689 km². World rank 168 of 249; in Africa, 50 of 59. GDP per person: $919 (2025). World rank 199 of 210 (1 = best); in Africa, 42 of 52. From 2015 to 2025: population 2.2M → 2.8M, GDP $1.4B → $2.6B, and GDP per person $620 → $919. Worse than all its neighbours (Senegal): life expectancy and GDP per person.
State
- Official name
- Republic of the Gambia
- Local name
- Gambia
- Capital
- Banjul
- Region
- Africa
- Form of government
- Presidential republic
- UN member
- Yes
- Head of state
- Adama Barrow
- Head of government
- Adama Barrow
- Independence
- February 18, 1965
- Women in parliament
- 8.6% 2025
Key figures
- Population
- 2,822,093 2025
- Area
- 10,689 km²
- GDP
- $2.6B 2025
- GDP per person
- $919 2025
- Life expectancy
- 66.1 years 2024
Practical information
- Languages
- English
- Currency
- Gambian Dalasi (GMD)
- Time zones
- UTC
- Calling code
- +220
- Emergency numbers
- 112, 116, 118
- Driving side
- Right
- Plug types
- G
- Mains voltage
- 230 V
Territory
- Sea access
- Has a coastline
- Coastline, km
- 80
- Neighbours
- Senegal
- Agricultural land
- 76.1% 2024
Elevation
- Highest point
- unnamed elevation, 63 m
- Lowest point
- Atlantic Ocean, 0 m
- Mean elevation, m
- 34
Climate
- Average temperature in the capital, °C
- 25
- Warmest month in the capital
- October, 28°C
- Coldest month in the capital
- February, 23°C
- Precipitation, mm per year
- 836 2022
Population and migration
- Population density
- 264 per km² 2025
- Population growth per year
- +2.2% 2025
- Living in cities
- 65% 2025
- Net migration per year
- -3K 2025
- Born in another country
- 8.6% 2024
Age and life expectancy
- Aged 0–14
- 39.7% 2025
- Aged 15–64
- 57.1% 2025
- Aged 65 and over
- 3.2% 2025
- Life expectancy, women
- 67.8 years 2024
- Life expectancy, men
- 64.4 years 2024
Births and deaths
- Children per woman
- 3.9 2024
- Births per 1,000 people
- 29.9 2024
- Deaths per 1,000 people
- 6.3 2024
Society
- Religions
- Muslim 96.4% and Christian 3.5%
Quality of governance (100 = best)
- Rule of law, score 0–100
- 52.1 2025
- Control of corruption, score 0–100
- 37.7 2025
- Government effectiveness, score 0–100
- 43.5 2025
- Regulatory quality, score 0–100
- 44.4 2025
- Voice and accountability, score 0–100
- 53.9 2025
Size and growth
- GDP per person at purchasing power parity
- $3,706 2025
- GDP growth per year
- +5.9% 2025
Income and prices
- Income level (World Bank)
- Low income
- Gross national income per person
- $930 2025
- Inflation
- +11.6% 2024
- Price level, USA = 100
- 25 2025
Structure and jobs
- Agriculture, share of GDP
- 23.9% 2025
- Industry, share of GDP
- 15.8% 2025
- Services, share of GDP
- 53.1% 2025
- Unemployment
- 6.5% 2025
- Youth unemployment, ages 15–24
- 10.9% 2025
- Women in work or seeking work
- 45.5% 2025
Trade and finance
- Exports, share of GDP
- 12.7% 2025
- Imports, share of GDP
- 49.4% 2025
- Current account balance, share of GDP
- -2.9% 2025
- Foreign direct investment, share of GDP
- +10.6% 2025
- Remittances received, share of GDP
- 23.8% 2025
- Tax revenue, share of GDP
- 18.2% 1990
Poverty and inequality
- Gini index (0 = full equality)
- 38.8 2020
- Living on under $3 a day
- 22% 2020
Education
- Adult literacy
- 51.6% 2021
- Primary school enrolment
- 100% 2025
- Secondary school enrolment
- 107% 2021
- Higher education enrolment
- 13.5% 2024
- Public spending on education, share of GDP
- 2.8% 2023
Healthcare
- Health spending, share of GDP
- 2.9% 2023
- Health spending per person
- $26 2023
- Out-of-pocket health spending, share of total
- 33.8% 2023
- Doctors per 1,000 people
- 0.1 2023
- Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people
- 0.7 2023
- Hospital beds per 1,000 people
- 1.1 2023
- Children vaccinated against measles
- 83% 2024
Public health
- Infant deaths per 1,000 births
- 32.7 2024
- Deaths under age 5 per 1,000 births
- 42.4 2024
- Maternal deaths per 100,000 births
- 354 2023
- HIV prevalence, ages 15–49
- 1.3% 2024
- Diabetes prevalence, ages 20–79
- 5.5% 2024
- Overweight adults
- 40.9% 2022
- Adults who use tobacco
- 11.1% 2024
Living conditions
- Access to safe drinking water
- 87.1% 2024
- Access to basic sanitation
- 48.2% 2024
- Access to clean cooking fuels
- 3% 2024
Safety
- Road deaths per 100,000 people
- 29.6 2019
- Suicides per 100,000 people
- 4.8 2021
- Political stability and absence of violence, score 0–100
- 66.2 2025
- Natural hazards
- droughts
Air and emissions
- Air pollution PM2.5, µg/m³
- 38.3 2023
- CO₂ emissions, tonnes per person
- 0.2 2024
- All greenhouse gases, tonnes CO₂e per person
- 0.7 2024
Nature and water
- Forest cover
- 21.3% 2024
- Protected areas
- 2.9% 2025
- Renewable fresh water, m³ per person
- 1,138 2022
- Water stress, share of fresh water withdrawn
- 2.2% 2022
Internet and communications
- Using the internet
- 49.5% 2024
- Mobile subscriptions per 100 people
- 126 2024
- Home broadband per 100 people
- 0.5 2024
- Internet domain
- .gm
Energy
- Access to electricity
- 69% 2024
- Renewable share of energy use
- 47.7% 2022
- Electricity from renewables
- 1.6% 2021
- Electricity from fossil fuels
- 98.4% 2021
Transport
- Air passengers per year
- 109,542 2019
- Airports
- 1 2025
Science and innovation
- Research spending, share of GDP
- 0.1% 2018
- Researchers per million people
- 51 2018
- Scientific articles per year
- 80 2023
- High-tech share of manufactured exports
- 3.4% 2024