Gambia profile

Demography and Health

Gambia is a small West African nation with a 2024 population of about 2.76 million, indicative of a young, rapidly growing demographic structure. The birth rate is 30.4 births per 1,000 people, signaling strong fertility and a youthful age pyramid (birth rate rank 30). Life expectancy at birth sits at 65.9 years (rank 185), implying relatively limited gains in longevity compared with higher-income peers. The crude death rate is 6.29 per 1,000 people (rank 128), and the mortality rate for children under five is high at 44.1 per 1,000 live births (rank 34), underscoring ongoing child-health and nutrition challenges. Net migration in 2024 is negative, at -2,989 people, suggesting outward movement that can affect labor supply, urban growth, and demographic dynamics (rank 131). The total population is about 2.76 million (rank 141), reinforcing the need for scalable health, education, and employment services to accommodate a growing and youthful population. Health system capacity appears stretched: hospital beds are 1.15 per 1,000 people (rank 54) and physicians total 0.102 per 1,000 (rank 91), while current health expenditure is 3.41% of GDP (rank 169) and domestic general government health expenditure per capita, PPP, is 39.6 international dollars (rank 158). These indicators point to a constrained health infrastructure relative to needs, a situation compounded by a relatively low digital penetration (Internet use at 45.9% of the population in 2023, rank 114). The nutrition indicator—prevalence of undernourishment at 20.5% (rank 27)—highlights food-security vulnerabilities that can dampen child development and productivity. Taken together, Demography and Health reveal a young nation with substantial needs in maternal and child health, nutrition, and health-system capacity, but with progress potential through targeted investments in primary care, nutrition programs, and workforce expansion, while addressing outward migration pressures that can sap the domestic labor pool.

Economy

The Gambian economy remains small and low-income, reflected in a GDP per capita of 909 current US$ (rank 172) and a GDP per capita, PPP of 3,445 (rank 164). Inflation runs high at 11.6% (rank 20), which erodes household purchasing power and can complicate price stability and monetary policy. Unemployment stands at 6.48% (rank 29), suggesting a relatively tight figure in a labor market with broad informal employment and limited formal job creation. The export orientation is modest, with exports of goods and services comprising 6.55% of GDP in 2024 (rank 132), while imports account for 37.2% of GDP (rank 80), signaling a reliance on foreign goods and a significant import bill relative to domestic output. In this context, the current account deficit sits at -2.97% of GDP (rank 82), indicating a modest external financing requirement that can be sensitive to terms of trade and capital inflows. On the investment side, foreign direct investment inflows are strong relative to GDP at 9.27% (rank 11), highlighting international interest in the Gambian economy, including potential gains from tourism, services, and infrastructure projects. The economy also hosts a range of higher-value activities, as suggested by high-technology exports totaling 14,930 current US$ (rank 142). Public health spending remains limited, with current health expenditure at 3.41% of GDP (rank 169) and domestic health expenditure per capita, PPP at 39.6 (rank 158), reflecting fiscal constraints common to small economies and emphasizing efficiency and prioritization in health and social programs. The military expenditure is modest at about 13.8 million current US$ (rank 146), consistent with a country prioritizing social development over defense. Governance indicators reveal structural weaknesses that can influence the investment climate: Regulatory Quality (-0.64, rank 141), Rule of Law (-0.374, rank 123), Control of Corruption (-0.281, rank 100), Government Effectiveness (-0.591, rank 137), and Political Stability (-0.012, rank 102). Together, these indicators imply that macro stability and sustained growth will depend on strengthening institutions, deepening financial inclusion, and expanding export capacity, while leveraging FDI to diversify beyond primary sectors and expand skilled employment opportunities.

Trade and Investment

Gambia’s external trade profile shows a small, open economy with exports of goods and services at 6.55% of GDP in 2024 and imports at 37.2% of GDP, indicating a reliance on imported inputs and consumer goods. The current account deficit of -2.97% of GDP (2024) implies a moderate external financing need that must be supported by capital inflows and reserves. Foreign direct investment net inflows are relatively high at 9.27% of GDP (rank 11), signaling strong international interest and potential for investment-led growth, especially in sectors such as tourism, agribusiness, and light manufacturing. The logistics and trade environment shows a Logistics Performance Index of 2.3 (scale 1-5, 2022), suggesting that trade and transport infrastructure is functional but could constrain competitiveness and export expansion without improvements in roads, ports, and customs processes. Exports of high-technology goods are small at 14,930 current US$ (rank 142), while imports dominate domestic demand, underscoring limited export sophistication and the need for diversification into higher-value products. The data also indicate moderate export performance in a context of macro challenges, implying that improvements in production capacity, value-chain development, and regional integration could lift export volumes and resilience. In short, Trade and Investment dynamics reflect an economy with meaningful foreign investment prospects but a fragile trade balance that benefits from targeted reforms in trade facilitation, product diversification, and competitiveness to harness FDI for broad-based growth.

Governance and Institutions

Governance and institutional performance in Gambia show a pattern of governance challenges across fundamental rule-of-law dimensions. Political Stability and Absence of Violence/Terrorism score -0.012 (rank 102), Regulatory Quality -0.64 (rank 141), Rule of Law -0.374 (rank 123), Control of Corruption -0.281 (rank 100), and Government Effectiveness -0.591 (rank 137) point to a governance environment where policy continuity, judicial independence, and corruption controls require strengthening. These indicators correlate with the observed macroeconomic and investment climate constraints, including the modest capacity of public institutions to deliver services, enforce contracts, and implement reforms consistently. The relatively low scores on governance measures can deter private investment and complicate public-finance management, especially in high-capital, infrastructure-intensive projects. That said, the presence of a credible logistics channel (as indicated by the logistics index in Infrastructure and Technology) suggests some operational pathways for policy execution, especially if reforms are coupled with credible anti-corruption strategies, transparent procurement, and civil-service capacity building. Improvement in governance would likely enhance business confidence, reduce transaction costs, and support the effective allocation of scarce resources toward education, health, and climate-resilient development programs. Overall, the governance portrait calls for sustained reforms to strengthen rule of law, anti-corruption safeguards, and public sector effectiveness to unlock inclusive growth, enhance service delivery, and improve resilience to external shocks.

Infrastructure and Technology

Infrastructure and technology in The Gambia show a mix of progress and gaps. Internet use stands at 45.9% of the population (2023), illustrating growing digital adoption but leaving a sizeable portion of citizens without online access, which has implications for education, commerce, and health information systems. The health sector infrastructure is limited, with 1.15 hospital beds per 1,000 people (2021) and 0.102 physicians per 1,000 people (2021), signaling tight capacity in clinical care and a need for expanding health workforce and facilities. The country engages in some high-technology activity, with high-technology exports totaling 14,930 current US$ (2023), indicating niche capabilities but limited scale. Renewable energy consumption is 47.7% of total final energy consumption (2022), a notable share that supports energy security and low-carbon growth, though integration with the grid and storage capacity are critical for reliability. The Logistics Performance Index on quality of trade and transport infrastructure measures 2.3 (2022), suggesting moderate to limited logistics efficiency and room for improvement to reduce trade costs and improve competitiveness. Public health expenditure is 3.41% of GDP (2022), with per-capita health expenditure, PPP at 39.6 international dollars (2022), highlighting constrained financing for health and social services. Taken together, Infrastructure and Technology depict a foundation with meaningful assets—renewable energy presence, digital uptake, and basic trade infrastructure—but with substantial needs in health infrastructure, digital inclusion, and logistics to support sustained growth and development. Targeted investments in health facilities and workforce, broadband expansion, and transport/logistics upgrades could yield compounding benefits for productivity and inclusion.

Environment and Sustainability

Environmental and sustainability indicators reveal both strengths and vulnerabilities. The prevalence of undernourishment is 20.5% (2022), indicating ongoing challenges in food security and nutrition that can affect health and human capital. Water stress, measured as freshwater withdrawal as a share of available resources, is 2.21 (2021), a relatively low level by some standards but requiring vigilance given climate variability and potential variability in rainfall patterns. The country stands out positively on renewable energy, with renewable energy consumption comprising 47.7% of total final energy consumption (2022), reflecting a strong orientation toward clean energy relative to many comparators and offering a pathway to energy independence and lower emissions. Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF are 0.7 t CO2e per capita (2023), a low per-capita emission level consistent with a small, low-industrial-economy profile, though regional and local pollution in agriculture, transport, or waste can still be important. The per-capita emissions ranking (192) reinforces the impression that, at the aggregate level, emissions are modest, but climate-related risks persist for agriculture and coastal zones where communities are vulnerable to floods and droughts. An integrated sustainability strategy for The Gambia would emphasize improving nutrition and food security, maintaining and expanding renewable energy deployment, strengthening water-resilience and climate adaptation, and ensuring that growth remains inclusive for the rural poor and coastal communities. These measures can help translate environmental assets into durable economic and social gains while keeping emissions at modest levels as the economy grows.