Gambia at its true size
Gambia covers 11,300 km², number 160 of 194 countries by area. Home to 2,822,093 people (2025). Sitting near the equator, it is one of the few places Mercator gets almost right.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 11,300 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 2,822,093 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 250 per km² |
| Capital | Banjul |
| Local time in Banjul | |
| Time zone | UTC IANA |
| Currency | Dalasi (GMD) Wikidata |
| Languages | English |
| Traffic | On the right |
| Region | Western Africa, Africa |
| Status | Independent state |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +220 |
| Codes | GM · GMB · 270 |
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Where Gambia ranks
Among the independent states, in 43 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#139 of 1942.8 million people#42 of 54 in Africa
- Population density#41 of 194250 people per km²#7 of 54 in Africa
- Urban population#89 of 19265% urban#11 of 54 in Africa
- Fertility rate#26 of 1923.91 births per woman#24 of 54 in Africa
- Population growth#35 of 192+2.23% a year#25 of 54 in Africa
- Birth rate#31 of 19229.9 births per 1,000 people#29 of 54 in Africa
- Death rate#129 of 1926.2 deaths per 1,000 people#35 of 54 in Africa
- Children under 15#27 of 19239.7% under 15#25 of 54 in Africa
- People over 65#161 of 1923.2% aged 65 and over#31 of 54 in Africa
- Net migration#119 of 192−1.1 per 1,000 people#32 of 54 in Africa
- Refugees abroad#38 of 1902.38 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#16 of 54 in Africa
Health & education
- Life expectancy#162 of 19266.1 years#26 of 54 in Africa
- Infant mortality#41 of 19132.7 infant deaths per 1,000 live births#33 of 54 in Africa
- Doctors#168 of 1780.09 doctors per 1,000 people#42 of 51 in Africa
- University enrolment#125 of 14513.5% gross enrolment#14 of 29 in Africa
- Human Development Index#167 of 190an index of 0.524#33 of 54 in Africa
Economy
- GNI per capita#172 of 185$930 a person#41 of 52 in Africa
- Internet users#144 of 18450% online#20 of 52 in Africa
- GDP per capita (PPP)#164 of 184$3,706 a person#35 of 52 in Africa
- GDP growth#33 of 187+5.9% a year#15 of 52 in Africa
- Inflation#19 of 176+11.6% a year#12 of 50 in Africa
- Unemployment#65 of 1786.5% of the labour force#25 of 53 in Africa
- Extreme poverty#33 of 14922.0% under $3.00 a day#32 of 47 in Africa
- Income inequality (Gini)#46 of 149a Gini index of 38.8#20 of 47 in Africa
- Jobs in agriculture#66 of 17827.6% of jobs#41 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in industry#93 of 17818.8% of jobs#14 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in services#102 of 17853.6% of jobs#12 of 53 in Africa
- Foreign investment#14 of 18410.6% of GDP#3 of 52 in Africa
- Exports#156 of 16812.7% of GDP#46 of 49 in Africa
- Military spending#138 of 1550.6% of GDP#45 of 50 in Africa
- Mobile subscriptions#64 of 191126 subscriptions per 100 people#10 of 54 in Africa
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#169 of 1850.18 tonnes a person#40 of 53 in Africa
- Forest area#119 of 19221% forest#26 of 54 in Africa
- Renewable energy#52 of 19047.7% renewable#34 of 54 in Africa
- Access to electricity#156 of 19269.0% with electricity#22 of 54 in Africa
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#25 of 19138.3 µg/m³#11 of 54 in Africa
- Protected land#155 of 1917.7% of the land protected#41 of 54 in Africa
- Arable land#11 of 19043.5% of the land arable#5 of 54 in Africa
- Water stress#143 of 1762.2% of its available fresh water#36 of 53 in Africa
- Precipitation#103 of 180836 mm a year#31 of 54 in Africa
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of the Gambia’s area, lit up on the map →
- Qatar0.99×Gambia and Qatar are almost exactly the same size.
- Jamaica1.03×Gambia and Jamaica are almost exactly the same size.
- Vanuatu0.93×Gambia is 7% smaller than Vanuatu.
- Lebanon1.08×Gambia is 8% larger than Lebanon.
- Cyprus1.22×Gambia is 22% larger than Cyprus.
- Bahamas0.81×Gambia is 19% smaller than Bahamas.
How many times does Gambia fit into…
- Russia: about 1511 times
- Canada: about 884 times
- United States: about 870 times
Neighbours
Questions about Gambia
- How big is Gambia?
- Gambia covers 11,300 km², which makes it number 160 of 194 countries by area. About 2,822,093 people live there (2025), 250 per km².
- Is Gambia bigger than Qatar?
- Gambia and Qatar are almost exactly the same size. Gambia: 11,300 km²; Qatar: 11,437 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort Gambia?
- Gambia lies close to the equator, so Mercator draws it at nearly its true size. It is the countries far from the equator that Mercator inflates.
- Which countries border Gambia?
- Gambia shares a land border with Senegal.