Polity · 1967 CE – present
Republic of The Gambia
The Gambia
Also recorded as Gambia, The Gambia
- Peak recorded area
- 11,217 km²
- 1967 CE
- Rulers on record
- 16
- from 1962 CE
- Data series
- 345
- 1967 CE–2025 CE
Overview
The Gambia, officially the Republic of the Gambia, is a country in West Africa. Geographically, the Gambia is the smallest country in continental Africa; it is surrounded by Senegal on all sides except for the western part, which is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean.
Lead section from Wikipedia, reused under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article.
Territory
2 dated territorial extents on record from Cliopatria. Areas are measured off the recorded polygons; the line steps because each extent holds until the next one is recorded — nothing is interpolated. CShapes 2.0 holds 2 further extents, measured on a different basis and deliberately not merged into this series.
The record
The best-attested series in each category; where several projects publish the same quantity, the one with the most observations is shown. Each row is the most recent value the record holds at or before the last complete year, shown with the year that value belongs to. Some statistical series also publish forward projections — the year column is the honest guide. Nothing on this page is interpolated or estimated by us.
People
6 of 58 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Population216 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 2.8Mpersons2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Life Expectancy165 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 66.25years2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Net Migration141 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | -2,984persons2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Population Growth141 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 2.2% annual2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Life Expectancy Female140 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 67.96years2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Life Expectancy Male140 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 64.53years2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
Economy
6 of 139 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| GDP per capita PPP220 obs · 1800 CE–2019 CE | 1,981int'l $ (inflation adj.)2019 CE · Gapminder |
| GDP Current Usd104 obs · 1966 CE–2025 CE | 2.6Bcurrent US$2025 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Real Wage99 obs · 1850 CE–1984 CE | 8.05index (1500=1)1984 CE · Clio-Infra |
| GDP per capita73 obs · 1950 CE–2022 CE | 2,010.532011 int'l $2022 CE · Maddison Project Database 2023 |
| Fao Asses Stocks64 obs · 1961 CE–2024 CE | 70.2Khead2024 CE · FAOSTAT |
| Fao Cattle Stocks64 obs · 1961 CE–2024 CE | 309.2Khead2024 CE · FAOSTAT |
Military
6 of 15 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Military Expenditure % GDP76 obs · 1983 CE–2024 CE | 0.5744% of GDP2024 CE · SIPRI Military Expenditure Database |
| CINC Score52 obs · 1965 CE–2016 CE | 0.0001CINC (share of world capability)2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Energy Consumption52 obs · 1965 CE–2016 CE | 278Kcoal-ton equivalents2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Iron Steel Production52 obs · 1965 CE–2016 CE | 0tons2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Military Personnel52 obs · 1965 CE–2016 CE | 1,000persons2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Military Expenditure41 obs · 1965 CE–2011 CE | 6Mcurrent USD2011 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
Territory & resources
6 of 54 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Arable Land %126 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 43.48% of land area2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Forest Area %68 obs · 1990 CE–2023 CE | 22.28% of land area2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Agricultural Land %63 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 62.65%2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Arable Land per capita Ha63 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 0.1631hectares per person2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Fao Agricultural Land63 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 634Kha2023 CE · FAOSTAT |
| Fao Arable Land63 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 440Kha2023 CE · FAOSTAT |
Governance
6 of 29 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Electoral Democracy Index125 obs · 1900 CE–2024 CE | 0.634index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Liberal Democracy Index125 obs · 1900 CE–2024 CE | 0.507index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Participatory Democracy Index125 obs · 1900 CE–2024 CE | 0.408index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Regime Type125 obs · 1900 CE–2024 CE | 2RoW index (0-3)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Rule Of Law Index125 obs · 1900 CE–2024 CE | 0.79index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Checks And Balances49 obs · 1975 CE–2023 CE | 3count2023 CE · Database of Political Institutions (DPI) 2023 |
Development
6 of 50 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Freedom Of Expression Index125 obs · 1900 CE–2024 CE | 0.807index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Primary Enrollment Gross %54 obs · 1971 CE–2024 CE | 98.61%2024 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Mobile Subscriptions Per 10051 obs · 1960 CE–2022 CE | 106.78per_1002022 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Primary Completion Rate48 obs · 1971 CE–2024 CE | 81.98%2024 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Dpt Immunization %45 obs · 1980 CE–2024 CE | 80%2024 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Measles Immunization %45 obs · 1980 CE–2024 CE | 83%2024 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
Rulers
16 on record with dated reigns. Reign years follow the house convention: BCE years are negative.
- Dawda Kairaba JawaraPrime Minister of The Gambia1962 CE – 1970 CE
- Dawda Kairaba JawaraPresident of the Gambia1970 CE – 1994 CE
- Sheriff Mustapha DibbaVice President of the Gambia1970 CE – 1972 CE
- Assan Musa CamaraVice President of the Gambia1972 CE – 1977 CE
- Bakary Bunja DarboVice President of the Gambia1982 CE – 1992 CE
- Bakary Bunja DarboeVice President of the Gambia1982 CE – 1992 CE
- Saihou S. SaballyVice President of the Gambia1992 CE – 1994 CE
- Yahya JammehHead of State1994 CE – 2017 CE
- Yahya JammehHead of Government1994 CE – 2017 CE
- Isatou Njie SaidyVice President of the Gambia1997 CE – 2017 CE
- Adama BarrowHead of Government2017 CE –
- Adama BarrowHead of State2017 CE –
- Fatoumata TambajangVice President of the Gambia2017 CE – 2018 CE
- Ousainou DarboeVice President of the Gambia2018 CE – 2019 CE
- Isatou TourayVice President of the Gambia2019 CE – 2022 CE
- Badara JoofVice President of the Gambia2022 CE –
Country profile
From the CIA World Factbook 2024. Long entries are trimmed at a sentence boundary.
- Location
- Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and Senegal
- Government type
- presidential republic
- Executive branch
- chief of state: President Adama BARROW (since 19 January 2022); head of government: Vice President Mohammed JALLOW (since 23 February 2024); cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president; election/appointment process: president directly elected by simple-majority popular vote for a 5-year term (no term limits);
- Ethnic groups
- Mandinka/Jahanka 33.3%, Fulani/Tukulur/Lorobo 18.2%, Wolof 12.9%, Jola/Karoninka 11%, Serahuleh 7.2%, Serer 3.5%, other 4%, non-Gambian 9.9% (2019-20 est.)
- Natural resources
- fish, clay, silica sand, titanium (rutile and ilmenite), tin, zircon
- Economy
- low-income West African economy; agriculture-dominant; high poverty rate; heightened inflation; dependent on foreign assistance and remittances; structural reforms conditioned by IMF Extended Credit Facility program
Language & currency
- Currency
- dalasis (GMD)
Memberships
- Commonwealth of NationsCWInternational organisation · member1965 CE –
- United NationsUNInternational organisation · member1965 CE –
- ECOWASECOWASEconomic bloc · founding member1975 CE –
- 16-member Non-Aggression Pact (1977)Historical alliance · member1978 CE – 1981 CE
- 16-member Defense Pact (1981)Military alliance · member1981 CE –
- Gambia–Senegal Defense Pact (1981)Military alliance · member1981 CE – 1989 CE
- African UnionAUInternational organisation · founding member2002 CE –
Sources
Every figure above comes from one of these. Nothing on this page is estimated, interpolated or model-generated.
CIA World Factbook 2024
Clio-Infra2017 datasets
Clio-Infra project (2017). Reconstructions of global inequality and well-being. International Institute of Social History.
Academic use, attribution
Seshat Global History Databank. Cliopatria: a historical basemap of polity borders (cliopatria.geojson).
Correlates of War NMC v6.0v6.0
Singer, J.D. (1987). National Material Capabilities Data (NMC), v6.0. Correlates of War Project.
Free academic use, citation
Database of Political Institutions (DPI) 2023DPI 2023
Cruz, C., Keefer, P. & Scartascini, C. (2023). Database of Political Institutions 2023. Inter-American Development Bank.
IDB open data, attribution
FAOSTAT2024 release
FAO (2024). FAOSTAT Statistical Database. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome.
CC BY 4.0
Gapminderv14 / systema globalis
Gapminder Foundation. Gapminder systema globalis dataset.
CC BY 4.0
Maddison Project Database 20232023
Bolt, J. & van Zanden, J.L. (2024). Maddison Project Database 2023. University of Groningen GGDC.
CC BY 4.0
SIPRI Military Expenditure Database2024
SIPRI (2024). Military Expenditure Database.
Free for non-commercial use, attribution
UN World Population Prospects 20242024
United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024.
CC BY 3.0 IGO
V-Dem v15v15
Coppedge, M. et al. (2025). V-Dem Country-Year Dataset v15. Varieties of Democracy Project.
Free academic/non-commercial use, attribution
Wikipedia contributors. Article lead sections, reused under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
World Bank World Development Indicators2024 release
World Bank (2024). World Development Indicators. Washington, DC.
CC BY 4.0
Republic of The Gambia is one of the polities with a sourced record deep enough to publish.