8 Billion Lives
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Where you could be born / Africa / Western Africa

Born in Gambia

About 1 in 1,609 people born in 2023 started life in Gambia. A boy can expect to live 64 years and a girl 68, up from 31 and 32 in 1950. Most people live in cities, and 87% have basic drinking water.

1 in 1,609
odds of being born here
82,100 births · Ranked 115th of 230
64 / 68
years of life, boys / girls
Was 31 / 32 in 1950
$2,588
income per person a year
2021 dollars · Ranked 157th of 203 · extrapolated
64%
live in a city
The rest live in villages

Life and health

Life lasts about 35 years longer than in 1950. Child deaths fell from 411 in every 1,000 births to 44.

How long a life lasts

GirlsBoys

020406080195019852023

Years a baby born that year could expect to live.

Children who die before age 5
0200400600195019852023

In every 1,000 births.

Life expectancy at birth64.2 years for boys, 67.5 for girlsUN WPP 2024
Children who die before age 544.0 in every 1,000 birthsUN WPP 2024
Deaths a year17,000UN WPP 2024
Doctors per 1,000 people0.1World Bank WDI
Children immunized against measles80%World Bank WDI
Adults living with HIV1.4%World Bank WDI
New tuberculosis cases a year142 per 100,000 peopleWorld Bank WDI
Malaria cases a year88 per 1,000 people at riskWorld Bank WDI

Family

Women had 6.3 children on average in 1950. Now it is 4.0.

Children per woman
02468195019852023

Average over a lifetime.

Children per woman4.01UN WPP 2024
Average age of mothers at birth29.8 yearsUN WPP 2024

Money and work

If every 100 coins of income were shared out, the richest fifth would hold 46 and the poorest fifth 7.

Who gets the income
Share of all income by fifth of the population, 2020
7%Poorest fifth
11%Second
15%Middle
22%Fourth
46%Richest fifth
Income per personabout $2,588 a year (2021 dollars, adjusted for prices)World Bank PIP, scaled between survey years Extrapolated
Share of income going to the richest fifth / poorest fifth46% / 7% (2020)World Bank PIP
Unemployment6.5% of the workforce (2023)World Bank WDI
Price rises17.0% a year (2023)World Bank WDI
Growth in output per person3.5% (2023)World Bank WDI
Jobs in farming29% of jobsWorld Bank WDI
Self-employed69% of jobs (2025)World Bank WDI
Secondary school enrolment107% (can pass 100 when older students are counted)World Bank WDI

Daily life

The largest city is Serekunda, with 340,000 people.

64%
live in cities
67%
have electricity at home
87%
have basic drinking water
Largest cities
People living there
Serekunda340,000
Brikama97,233
Sukuta56,472
Talinding48,687
Faji Kunda45,757
Languages
Share of people who can use each
English40%
Mandingo29%
Mandingo29%
English is official.

Cities and regions

Every state, province and large city with a page.

Largest regions

Banjul570,247
Western496,273
North Bank61,383
Lower River15,210
Upper River15,017

Sourced: GeoNames Population of each state, province or region.

People on the move

About 2.6% as many people born here live abroad as live here. The most common destinations are Spain, Italy, Senegal.

Where people born here live abroad
By country of residence, 2024
Spain29,653
Italy26,164
Senegal5,764
Residents born abroad8.6% (2024)World Bank WDI
People born here who live abroadequal to 2.6% of the people who live hereUN DESA migrant stock
Where they go mostSpain (29,653), Italy (26,164), Senegal (5,764)UN DESA migrant stock
Money sent home from abroadabout $617.0 million a year (2025)World Bank WDI

Safety nets

17% of older people receive a pension. Help for someone who loses a job reaches 0%.

17%
of older people receive a pension (2015)
0%
of unemployed people receive a benefit (2022)

Events in the data

The game draws real events from these records, so a life lived here can meet them.

Reported COVID-19 deaths, 2020 to 2024372Our World in Data, from WHO

Now live it.

Born in Gambia, to a family drawn from these numbers. Every life replays exactly from its seed.

Be born in Gambia

Elsewhere in Africa

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How to read the sources. Every figure is sourced to a named dataset, shown beside it. A figure marked "Extrapolated" is estimated by a model because no survey covers the year. UN figures are for 2023, the latest year of UN estimates; other figures are the latest year their dataset has. Rank 1 is the highest figure among 230 countries and territories. All sources and licences