Country explorer: Gambia

Gambia's economy has demonstrated modest growth in GDP per capita, faced challenges with variable inflation rates, a relatively stable but high unemployment rate, and a significant portion of the population living below various poverty thresholds, displaying a common struggle among low-income countries to uplift living standards amidst economic volatility.

Gambia has experienced steady population growth, declining fertility rates, negative net migration, and a gradual increase in life expectancy, mirroring both distinctive and common demographic patterns seen across low-income countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Gambia has experienced marginal improvement in access to clean cooking fuels, significant progress in electricity accessibility, steady gains in safely managed drinking water, and a decline in access to safely managed sanitation facilities, highlighting a mixed trajectory in the satisfaction of basic needs that shares common challenges with many low-income countries, yet exhibits distinctive patterns of development and need areas.

Gambia has experienced gradual improvements in human development as indicated by its increased Human Development Index, decreased child mortality rates, a notable rise in literacy rates, and improvements in the quality-adjusted education length, paralleling trends seen in similar low-income countries but with distinctive strides in educational improvement and health outcomes.

Gambia has experienced a decline in per capita CO₂ emissions, an increase in renewable energy production, a reduction in renewable freshwater resources per capita, and a decrease in forest area, paralleling trends in low-income countries but highlighting its unique challenges in balancing environmental sustainability with energy needs.

Gambia has exhibited gradual increases in internet usage, mobile phone subscriptions, and scientific publication output, indicating ongoing progress in technology and innovation, not dissimilar to trends seen in other low-income countries.

Gambia has experienced a decline in gender inequality and a slight improvement in self-reported life satisfaction, alongside a notable decrease in the percentage of the population born abroad, reflecting distinct patterns of societal transformation and migration compared to regional trends.

Gambia has experienced a transformative improvement in governance, particularly highlighted by a dramatic surge in rule of law and political civil liberties post-2016, positioning it as a standout example of democratic development among its regional peers and low-income countries.