← Back to all countries
Gambia
The smallest country on mainland Africa, Gambia is a narrow sliver of land following the Gambia River, almost entirely surrounded by Senegal. The capital Banjul sits on an island at the river's mouth. Once a center of the West African slave trade, Gambia is now known for its bird-watching tourism and peanut exports. The country transitioned to democracy in 2017 after decades of authoritarian rule.
Major cities: Banjul, Serekunda, Brikama, Bakau
2024
2.8M
UN
2050
4.3M
UN
2100
5.7M
UN
~2200
5.0M
GPU
~2500
1.0M
GPU
Population2.8M
Fertility (TFR)3.91
Life expectancy66.1
Median age18.2
Infant mortality33.8 per 1,000
Pop. density267/km²
Urbanization64%
Youth share (0-14)41%
Land area10,120 km²
LanguageEnglish
ReligionMuslim
HDI0.524 (#170)
RegionAfrica
Latest available year is shown in parentheses where the source series varies across indicators. Governance metrics use World Bank percentile ranks; battle deaths and military spending are context variables, not direct fertility drivers.
UN WPP 2024 — verified data through 2100
| Year | Population | TFR | Life Exp. | CBR | CDR | Net Migration | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 307K | 6.35 | 31.2 | 49.7 | 32.6 | +2K | 1.7% |
| 1955 | 349K | 6.33 | 32.4 | 50.9 | 31.3 | +2K | 2.0% |
| 1960 | 398K | 6.25 | 34.6 | 50.4 | 29.3 | +2K | 2.1% |
| 1965 | 456K | 6.19 | 37.1 | 49.0 | 26.7 | +2K | 2.2% |
| 1970 | 524K | 6.26 | 39.5 | 47.4 | 24.2 | +3K | 2.3% |
| 1975 | 607K | 6.43 | 42.2 | 47.3 | 22.1 | +3K | 2.5% |
| 1980 | 714K | 6.41 | 45.0 | 48.2 | 20.8 | +5K | 2.7% |
| 1985 | 859K | 6.36 | 48.2 | 49.0 | 19.0 | +8K | 3.0% |
| 1990 | 1.05M | 6.25 | 51.3 | 47.7 | 16.3 | +11K | 3.1% |
| 1995 | 1.26M | 5.99 | 54.3 | 45.1 | 13.7 | -3K | 3.1% |
| 2000 | 1.46M | 5.72 | 56.9 | 41.1 | 11.3 | -4K | 3.0% |
| 2005 | 1.67M | 5.71 | 59.1 | 39.7 | 9.7 | -3K | 3.0% |
| 2010 | 1.93M | 5.56 | 61.2 | 38.9 | 8.5 | -2K | 3.0% |
| 2015 | 2.22M | 5.00 | 63.0 | 35.7 | 7.5 | -3K | 2.8% |
| 2020 | 2.52M | 4.25 | 64.4 | 31.5 | 6.8 | -2K | 2.5% |
| 2024Now | 2.76M | 3.91 | 66.1 | 29.9 | 6.2 | -3K | 2.4% |
| 2025 | 2.82M | 3.80 | 66.3 | 29.3 | 6.2 | -3K | 2.3% |
| 2030 | 3.13M | 3.33 | 67.2 | 26.5 | 6.1 | -3K | 2.0% |
| 2035 | 3.43M | 2.97 | 68.0 | 24.4 | 6.1 | -3K | 1.8% |
| 2040 | 3.73M | 2.71 | 68.8 | 22.7 | 6.2 | -2K | 1.6% |
| 2045 | 4.02M | 2.52 | 69.5 | 21.1 | 6.4 | -2K | 1.5% |
| 2050 | 4.30M | 2.38 | 70.2 | 19.5 | 6.5 | -2K | 1.3% |
| 2055 | 4.56M | 2.26 | 70.8 | 18.1 | 6.8 | -2K | 1.1% |
| 2060 | 4.80M | 2.18 | 71.5 | 17.0 | 7.1 | -2K | 1.0% |
| 2065 | 5.02M | 2.10 | 72.1 | 16.0 | 7.6 | -1K | 0.8% |
| 2070 | 5.20M | 2.03 | 72.7 | 15.1 | 8.1 | -2K | 0.7% |
| 2075 | 5.36M | 1.98 | 73.4 | 14.3 | 8.7 | -2K | 0.6% |
| 2080 | 5.49M | 1.94 | 74.0 | 13.7 | 9.3 | -2K | 0.4% |
| 2085 | 5.58M | 1.89 | 74.6 | 13.0 | 9.9 | -1K | 0.3% |
| 2090 | 5.65M | 1.87 | 75.2 | 12.5 | 10.4 | -1K | 0.2% |
| 2095 | 5.69M | 1.84 | 75.8 | 12.1 | 11.0 | -1K | 0.1% |
| 2100 | 5.70M | 1.82 | 76.5 | 11.7 | 11.4 | -1K | 0.0% |