Gambia Population
Gambia had an estimated population of 2,822,093 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 141st most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.03% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of +2.23% a year.
Gambia at a glance
How Gambia's population is changing
Gambia's population is growing fast: +2.23% a year, which works out to about +62,799 people per year, or +172 a day. Births (29.9 per 1,000) and deaths (6.2 per 1,000) alone would give +2.36% a year; net migration removes about 2,984 people a year (−0.11%). Roughly one in every 2,911 people on Earth lives in Gambia.
Population of Gambia since 1960
In 1960, Gambia had 398,060 people. By 2025 that was 2,822,093 — 7.1× larger. The fastest growth came between 1982 and 1992, when the population rose by 50%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 398,060 | — |
| 1970 | 524,105 | +31.7% |
| 1980 | 713,913 | +36.2% |
| 1990 | 1,054,696 | +47.7% |
| 2000 | 1,455,084 | +38.0% |
| 2010 | 1,926,630 | +32.4% |
| 2020 | 2,515,733 | +30.6% |
| 2025 | 2,822,093 | +12.2% |
Gambia from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Gambia at about 103,274 people in 1800; the UN estimates 2,822,094 in 2025 (27× 1800) and projects 5,703,045 for 2100 in its medium scenario. That is still 102% growth over the rest of this century.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 103,274 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 112,288 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 167,051 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 306,745 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 1,455,095 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 2,822,094 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 4,301,899 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 5,360,350 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 5,703,045 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Gambia
10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 2,822,093. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Serekunda | 340,000 | GeoNames settlement | 12.05% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 2 | Brikama | 184,321 | UN urban centre | 6.53% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 3 | Sukuta | 56,472 | GeoNames settlement | 2.00% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 4 | Talinding | 48,687 | GeoNames settlement | 1.73% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 5 | Bakau | 43,098 | GeoNames settlement | 1.53% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 6 | Banjul | 37,274 | GeoNames settlement | 1.32% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 7 | Nema Kunku | 34,390 | GeoNames settlement | 1.22% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 8 | Farafenni | 32,883 | GeoNames settlement | 1.17% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 9 | Busumbala | 28,829 | GeoNames settlement | 1.02% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 10 | Lamin | 28,500 | GeoNames settlement | 1.01% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
How Gambia compares
Gambia has almost the same population as Jamaica (2,837,077).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Gambia | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #139 |  Lithuania | 2,888,774 | +2% | compare → |
| #140 |  Jamaica | 2,837,077 | +1% | compare → |
| #142 |  Gabon | 2,593,130 | −8% | compare → |
| #143 |  Botswana | 2,562,122 | −9% | compare → |
Compare Gambia with any country →
Same region (Sub-Saharan Africa): Nigeria, Ethiopia, DR Congo, Tanzania, South Africa, Kenya.
Explore around Gambia
Land neighbours (1)
Gambia's 1 neighbours together hold 18,931,966 people — 6.7× Gambia's population. The most populous is Senegal (18,931,966).
In its region
Gambia is the 37th most populous of the 48 economies in Sub-Saharan Africa, holding 0.2% of the region's 1,321,654,217 people.
Rankings
Largest countries, fastest-growing, oldest populations, densest — all rankings.
Cities
Serekunda, Brikama, Sukuta, Talinding, Bakau, Banjul, Nema Kunku, Farafenni — all Gambia's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Gambia when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.