Gambia vs Jamaica
Gambia and Jamaica are almost exactly the same size.
GambiaJamaicaGambia moved onto Jamaica · Equal-area projection
1.03×
Gambia is 1.03× the area of Jamaica.
 Gambia |  Jamaica | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAbout the same area | 11,300 km²#160 of 194 | 10,992 km²#161 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Coast, no land border |
| Land neighbours | 1 | 0 |
| People | ||
| PopulationAbout the same population | 2,822,093#139 of 194 · 2025 | 2,837,077#138 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityJamaica: 1.03× the density | 250 / km²#41 of 194 | 258 / km²#37 of 194 |
| Urban populationGambia: 1.09× the urban share | 65%#89 of 192 · 2025 | 59%#108 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateGambia: 2.9× the births per woman | 3.91 per woman#26 of 192 · 2024 | 1.35 per woman#166 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthGambia: 2.30 points higher | +2.23%#35 of 192 · 2025 | −0.07%#161 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateGambia: 2.6× the birth rate | 29.9 per 1,000#31 of 192 · 2024 | 11.5 per 1,000#116 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateJamaica: 1.32× the death rate | 6.2 per 1,000#129 of 192 · 2024 | 8.2 per 1,000#68 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Gambia: 21.4 points higher | 39.7%#27 of 192 · 2025 | 18.3%#124 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Jamaica: 5.4 points higher | 3.2%#161 of 192 · 2025 | 8.6%#87 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationGambia: 2.8 per 1,000 higher | −1.1 per 1,000#119 of 192 · 2025 | −3.9 per 1,000#168 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadGambia: 2.56× the refugees for its size | 2.38 per 1,000#38 of 190 · 2025 | 0.93 per 1,000#62 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyJamaica: 5.5 years longer | 66.1 years#162 of 192 · 2024 | 71.6 years#120 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityGambia: 1.99× the infant mortality | 32.7 per 1,000 births#41 of 191 · 2024 | 16.4 per 1,000 births#75 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsJamaica: 5.11× the doctors per person | 0.09 per 1,000#168 of 178 · 2023 | 0.46 per 1,000#130 of 178 · 2023 |
| University enrolment | 13.5%#125 of 145 · 2024 | — |
| Human Development IndexJamaica: 0.196 higher | 0.524#167 of 190 · 2023 | 0.720#116 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaJamaica: 8.38× the income per person | $930#172 of 185 · 2025 | $7,790#90 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPJamaica: 8.75× the economy | $2.59B2025 | $22.71B2025 |
| Income group | Low income | Upper-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Jamaica: 3.59× the output per person | $3,706#164 of 184 · 2025 | $13,291#115 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthGambia: 5.8 points higher | +5.9%#33 of 187 · 2025 | +0.1%#174 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationGambia: 7.6 points higher | +11.6%#19 of 176 · 2024 | +4.0%#55 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentGambia: 1.97× the unemployment | 6.5%#65 of 178 · 2025 | 3.3%#127 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyGambia: 15.7× the share in extreme poverty | 22.0%#33 of 149 · 2020 | 1.4%#79 of 149 · 2021 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Jamaica: 1.1 higher | 38.8#46 of 149 · 2020 | 39.9#38 of 149 · 2021 |
| Jobs in agricultureGambia: 13.7 points higher | 27.6% of jobs#66 of 178 · 2025 | 13.9% of jobs#97 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryGambia: 1.7 points higher | 18.8% of jobs#93 of 178 · 2025 | 17.1% of jobs#112 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesJamaica: 15.3 points higher | 53.6% of jobs#102 of 178 · 2025 | 68.9% of jobs#57 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentGambia: 9.4 points higher | 10.6% of GDP#14 of 184 · 2025 | 1.2% of GDP#122 of 184 · 2025 |
| Exports | 12.7% of GDP#156 of 168 · 2025 | — |
| Military spendingJamaica: 2.4× the military spending | 0.6% of GDP#138 of 155 · 2025 | 1.4% of GDP#94 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersJamaica: 1.82× the share online | 50%#144 of 184 · 2024 | 90%#54 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsGambia: 1.07× the mobile subscriptions | 126 per 100#64 of 191 · 2024 | 118 per 100#87 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaJamaica: 2.65× the forest share | 21% of land#119 of 192 · 2024 | 57% of land#37 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personJamaica: 15.8× the CO₂ per person | 0.18 t a year#169 of 185 · 2024 | 2.84 t a year#86 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyGambia: 37.2 points higher | 47.7%#52 of 190 · 2022 | 10.5%#141 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityJamaica: 28.7 points higher | 69.0%#156 of 192 · 2024 | 97.7%#120 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Gambia: 1.76× the air pollution | 38.3 µg/m³#25 of 191 · 2023 | 21.7 µg/m³#75 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landJamaica: 12.2 points higher | 7.7% of land#155 of 191 · 2025 | 19.9% of land#83 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landGambia: 32.0 points higher | 43.5% of land#11 of 190 · 2023 | 11.5% of land#87 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressJamaica: 5.64× the water stress | 2.2%#143 of 176 · 2022 | 12.4%#82 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationJamaica: 2.45× the rain and snow | 836 mm#103 of 180 · 2022 | 2,051 mm#29 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityJamaica: 0.50 higher | +0.04#102 of 193 · 2025 | +0.54#67 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionJamaica: 0.42 higher | −0.51#120 of 193 · 2025 | −0.09#84 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | — | 49.4 per 100,000#3 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Constitutional monarchyparliamentary democracy (Parliament) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm |
| Capital | Banjul | Kingston |
| Currency | Dalasi (GMD) | Jamaican dollar (JMD) |
| Official languages | English | English, Jamaican Patois |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC | UTC−5 |
| Calling code | +220 | +1 876 |
| Region | Western Africa, Africa | Caribbean, North America |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Gambia sits at about 13° N and is stretched to 1.06× its true area; Jamaica at 18° N is stretched to 1.11×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Gambia bigger than Jamaica?
- Yes. Gambia and Jamaica are almost exactly the same size. Gambia covers 11,300 km² and Jamaica covers 10,992 km².
- How many times does Jamaica fit into Gambia?
- About 1.0 times: Gambia has 1.03× the area of Jamaica.
- Why do Gambia and Jamaica look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Gambia is drawn about 1.06× its true area there and Jamaica about 1.11×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Gambia or Jamaica?
- Jamaica: 2,837,077 people against 2,822,093. Density: Gambia 250 per km², Jamaica 258 per km².
- Which is richer, Gambia or Jamaica?
- By gross national income per person, Jamaica: $7,790 against $930 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 8.38× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Gambia or Jamaica?
- In Jamaica: life expectancy at birth is 71.6 years, against 66.1 — 5.5 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Gambia and Jamaica have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Gambia: presidential republic; Jamaica: constitutional monarchy.