- Home
- Countries
- The Gambia
- Education
Education · Sub-Saharan Africa · Low income
The Gambia: education in numbers
Pre-primary enrolment is 41.9% (2022), 123rd of 176 in the world and 11th of 39 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Primary enrolment is 100.4% (2025), 95th of 191 in the world and 21st of 41 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Primary completion is 84.2% (2025), 125th of 168 in the world and 11th of 36 in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Pre-primary enrolment
The GambiaSub-Saharan AfricaLow incomeWorld
Primary enrolment
The GambiaSub-Saharan AfricaLow incomeWorld
12 indicators
Education: The Gambia in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Sub-Saharan Africa; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-primary enrolmentPre-primary enrolment, % gross | 41.9%2022 | 123/176 | 11/39 | 16.8%1999 | 29.0% | 43.7% | +13.0 ppsince 2010 | 28.1% | 20.1% | 60.9% | |
| Primary enrolmentPrimary school enrolment, % gross | 100.4%2025 | 95/191 | 21/41 | 71.0% | 73.5% | 96.9% | +16.8 ppsince 2015 | 97.1% | 97.6% | 102.2% | |
| Primary completionPrimary completion rate, % of age group | 84.2%2025 | 125/168 | 11/36 | 57.7% | 61.2% | 76.3% | +21.4 ppsince 2015 | 68.9% | 62.9% | 88.0% | |
| Secondary enrolmentSecondary school enrolment, % gross | 107.0%2021 | 35/176 | 2/34 | · | 45.5% | 107.0%2021 | +61.5 ppsince 2010 | 45.9% | 41.5% | 77.3% | |
| Lower secondary completionLower secondary completion rate, % of age group | 61.3%2025 | 134/168 | 11/34 | 33.9% | 47.1% | 53.7% | +7.0 ppsince 2014 | 44.4% | 38.6% | 77.9% | |
| Tertiary enrolmentTertiary enrolment, % gross | 13.5%2024 | 145/172 | 13/34 | 1.0%1999 | 1.8% | · | +12.3 ppsince 2012 | 9.3% | 9.3% | 43.6% | |
| Out-of-school childrenChildren out of school, % of primary school age | 16.9%2025 | 28/178 | 18/38 | 42.9% | 36.8% | 18.4% | −12.5 ppsince 2015 | — | 24.1% | — | |
| Adult literacyAdult literacy rate, % of people 15+ | 51.6%2021 | 130/141 | 31/41 | 36.8% | · | 51.6%2021 | +14.8 ppsince 2000 | 68.7% | 63.6% | 87.7% | |
| Youth literacyYouth literacy rate, % of people 15–24 | 67.5%2021 | 139/148 | 34/42 | 52.6% | · | 67.5%2021 | +14.9 ppsince 2000 | 79.0% | 75.4% | 93.1% | |
| Pupils per teacherPupils per teacher, primary | 36.12018 | 27/173 | 23/40 | 37.4 | 37.5 | 36.12018 | +5.2%since 2008 | 37.4 | 39.8 | 23.4 | |
| Education spendingPublic spending on education, % of GDP | 2.8%2023 | 152/184 | 30/43 | 1.5% | 2.6% | 2.9% | +1.0 ppsince 2013 | 3.3% | 3.0% | 3.6% | |
| Education, % of budgetEducation spending, % of government expenditure | 14.2%2025 | 65/179 | 21/42 | 11.9% | 17.6% | 14.3% | +3.2 ppsince 2015 | 15.4% | 16.7% | 14.0% |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Pre-primary enrolment+13.0 pp41.9% in 2022
- Primary completion+21.4 pp84.2% in 2025
- Secondary enrolment+61.5 pp107.0% in 2021
- Lower secondary completion+7.0 pp61.3% in 2025
Worse than ten years ago
- Pupils per teacher+5.2%36.1 in 2018
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
The Gambia and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with The Gambia. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | The Gambia | Senegal |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-primary enrolment | 41.9%2022 | 17.6%2021 |
| Primary enrolment | 100.4%2025 | 85.3%2024 |
| Primary completion | 84.2%2025 | 62.9%2024 |
| Secondary enrolment | 107.0%2021 | 44.1%2023 |
| Lower secondary completion | 61.3%2025 | 38.7%2024 |
| Tertiary enrolment | 13.5%2024 | 15.3%2024 |
| Out-of-school children | 16.9%2025 | 24.5%2024 |
| Adult literacy | 51.6%2021 | 50.4%2023 |
| Youth literacy | 67.5%2021 | 67.4%2023 |