- Home
- Countries
- The Gambia
- Health
Health · Sub-Saharan Africa · Low income
The Gambia: health in numbers
Life expectancy is 66.1 yrs (2024), 187th of 217 in the world and 20th of 48 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Life expectancy, women is 67.8 yrs (2024), 189th of 217 in the world and 21st of 48 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Life expectancy, men is 64.3 yrs (2024), 177th of 217 in the world and 15th of 48 in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Life expectancy
The GambiaSub-Saharan AfricaLow incomeWorld
Life expectancy, women
The GambiaSub-Saharan AfricaLow incomeWorld
18 indicators
Health: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancyLife expectancy at birth, years | 66.1 yrs2024 | 187/217 | 20/48 | 56.9 yrs | 61.2 yrs | 64.4 yrs | +5.6%since 2014 | 62.8 yrs | 65.2 yrs | 73.5 yrs | |
| Life expectancy, womenLife expectancy at birth, women, years | 67.8 yrs2024 | 189/217 | 21/48 | 59.0 yrs | 62.4 yrs | 66.1 yrs | +6.2%since 2014 | 65.0 yrs | 67.7 yrs | 76.0 yrs | |
| Life expectancy, menLife expectancy at birth, men, years | 64.3 yrs2024 | 177/217 | 15/48 | 54.9 yrs | 59.9 yrs | 62.7 yrs | +4.9%since 2014 | 60.7 yrs | 62.8 yrs | 71.1 yrs | |
| Infant mortalityInfant mortality, per 1,000 live births | 32.72024 | 41/196 | 32/48 | 73.3 | 51.5 | 37.0 | −27%since 2014 | 47.1 | 46.7 | 27.7 | |
| Under-5 mortalityUnder-5 mortality, per 1,000 live births | 42.42024 | 37/196 | 31/48 | 112.8 | 72.7 | 48.6 | −31%since 2014 | 71.2 | 68.8 | 37.4 | |
| Neonatal mortalityNeonatal mortality, per 1,000 live births | 23.02024 | 30/196 | 26/48 | 40.2 | 32.8 | 25.3 | −23%since 2014 | 26.6 | 24.9 | 17.2 | |
| Maternal mortalityMaternal mortality, per 100,000 live births | 3542023 | 20/194 | 19/48 | 810 | 632 | 400 | −42%since 2013 | 448 | 346 | 197 | |
| Measles vaccinationMeasles immunisation, % of children 12–23 months | 83%2024 | 138/193 | 22/48 | 89% | 92% | 82% | −13.0 ppsince 2014 | 69% | 67% | 84% | |
| HIV prevalenceHIV prevalence, % of people 15–49 | 1.3%2024 | 30/153 | 26/44 | 1.6% | 2.0% | 1.6% | −0.6 ppsince 2014 | 3.0% | 1.6% | 0.7% | |
| TuberculosisTuberculosis incidence, per 100,000 people | 1382024 | 51/208 | 27/48 | 187 | 179 | 153 | −21%since 2014 | 205 | 199 | 131 | |
| Health spendingCurrent health expenditure, % of GDP | 2.9%2023 | 180/193 | 45/48 | 10.8% | 4.1% | 4.0% | −1.0 ppsince 2013 | 4.9% | 4.6% | 10.1% | |
| Out-of-pocket spendingOut-of-pocket health spending, % of health expenditure | 33.8%2023 | 72/193 | 23/48 | 13.7% | 18.0% | 24.9% | +12.9 ppsince 2013 | 30.4% | 44.5% | 17.3% | |
| PhysiciansPhysicians per 1,000 people | 0.092023 | 171/180 | 38/46 | · | 0.102008 | 0.08 | −6.3%since 2008 | 0.25 | 0.34 | 1.86 | |
| Hospital bedsHospital beds per 1,000 people | 1.12023 | 137/182 | 18/40 | · | · | 1.1 | — | — | — | 3.3 | |
| Basic waterBasic drinking water, % of population | 87.1%2024 | 159/206 | 9/46 | 71.8% | 78.6% | 85.1% | +5.9 ppsince 2014 | 67.5% | 60.3% | 91.5% | |
| Basic sanitationBasic sanitation, % of population | 48.2%2024 | 168/203 | 16/46 | 51.1% | 46.4% | 47.4% | +1.6 ppsince 2014 | 37.1% | 33.3% | 82.2% | |
| Tobacco useTobacco use, % of adults | 11.1%2024 | 128/166 | 14/39 | 20.7% | 15.8% | 12.2% | −4.7 ppsince 2010 | 8.9% | 10.9% | 20.3% | |
| Road deathsRoad traffic deaths, per 100,000 people | 29.62019 | 28/186 | 21/48 | 25.7 | 26.5 | 29.62019 | +13%since 2009 | 27.4 | 28.7 | 16.7 |
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
- Life expectancy+5.6%66.1 yrs in 2024
- Life expectancy, women+6.2%67.8 yrs in 2024
- Life expectancy, men+4.9%64.3 yrs in 2024
- Infant mortality−27%32.7 in 2024
Worse than ten years ago
- Measles vaccination−13.0 pp83% in 2024
- Out-of-pocket spending+12.9 pp33.8% in 2023
- Physicians−6.3%0.09 in 2023
- Road deaths+13%29.6 in 2019
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy | 66.1 yrs2024 | 68.9 yrs2024 |
| Life expectancy, women | 67.8 yrs2024 | 71.0 yrs2024 |
| Life expectancy, men | 64.3 yrs2024 | 67.0 yrs2024 |
| Infant mortality | 32.72024 | 28.92024 |
| Under-5 mortality | 42.42024 | 36.52024 |
| Neonatal mortality | 23.02024 | 20.92024 |
| Maternal mortality | 3542023 | 2372023 |
| Measles vaccination | 83%2024 | 87%2024 |
| HIV prevalence | 1.3%2024 | 0.3%2024 |