Rural population in Gambia
Gambia: Rural population was 988,057 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Rural population in Gambia, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
Gambia recorded 988,057 for rural population in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and up 9.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Gambia peaked at 988,057 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 361,967, in 1960.
That places Gambia 129th out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in Gambia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 361,967 | — |
| 1961 | 372,428 | +2.9% |
| 1962 | 383,029 | +2.8% |
| 1963 | 393,671 | +2.8% |
| 1964 | 403,863 | +2.6% |
| 1965 | 413,402 | +2.4% |
| 1966 | 422,312 | +2.2% |
| 1967 | 430,844 | +2.0% |
| 1968 | 439,155 | +1.9% |
| 1969 | 447,217 | +1.8% |
| 1970 | 455,127 | +1.8% |
| 1971 | 463,097 | +1.8% |
| 1972 | 471,313 | +1.8% |
| 1973 | 479,746 | +1.8% |
| 1974 | 487,249 | +1.6% |
| 1975 | 493,279 | +1.2% |
| 1976 | 498,545 | +1.1% |
| 1977 | 503,443 | +1.0% |
| 1978 | 508,274 | +1.0% |
| 1979 | 513,496 | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 519,618 | +1.2% |
| 1981 | 526,869 | +1.4% |
| 1982 | 536,074 | +1.7% |
| 1983 | 548,345 | +2.3% |
| 1984 | 563,294 | +2.7% |
| 1985 | 580,135 | +3.0% |
| 1986 | 598,542 | +3.2% |
| 1987 | 618,318 | +3.3% |
| 1988 | 639,259 | +3.4% |
| 1989 | 661,160 | +3.4% |
| 1990 | 683,688 | +3.4% |
| 1991 | 706,311 | +3.3% |
| 1992 | 727,588 | +3.0% |
| 1993 | 744,949 | +2.4% |
| 1994 | 756,752 | +1.6% |
| 1995 | 764,067 | +1.0% |
| 1996 | 768,506 | +0.6% |
| 1997 | 770,796 | +0.3% |
| 1998 | 771,636 | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 771,700 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 771,599 | -0.0% |
| 2001 | 772,185 | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 774,401 | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 779,324 | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 786,236 | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 794,206 | +1.0% |
| 2006 | 803,429 | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 813,676 | +1.3% |
| 2008 | 824,521 | +1.3% |
| 2009 | 835,816 | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 847,504 | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 859,580 | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 871,978 | +1.4% |
| 2013 | 884,229 | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 895,808 | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 906,588 | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 916,585 | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 925,827 | +1.0% |
| 2018 | 934,307 | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 942,366 | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 950,773 | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 959,433 | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 967,928 | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 976,565 | +0.9% |
| 2024 | 985,332 | +0.9% |
| 2025 | 988,057 | +0.3% |
Gambia compared with similar countries
- Gambia's 988,057 is below the median for low income countries, which is 15.21 million, 6% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Gambia's 988,057 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 9.41 million, 10% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 406,789 | 361,967 | 447,217 | 10 |
| 1970s | 487,357 | 455,127 | 513,496 | 10 |
| 1980s | 579,161 | 519,618 | 661,160 | 10 |
| 1990s | 746,599 | 683,688 | 771,700 | 10 |
| 2000s | 795,539 | 771,599 | 835,816 | 10 |
| 2010s | 898,477 | 847,504 | 942,366 | 10 |
| 2020s | 971,348 | 950,773 | 988,057 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Gambia
More agriculture & rural data for Gambia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 25.87 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2385 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 219.17 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.2766 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0004 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3501 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 23.8% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 23.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.1% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.3% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Gambia?
- Rural population in Gambia was 988,057 in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Gambia?
- The highest recorded value was 988,057 in 2025.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Gambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 361,967 in 1960.
- How does Gambia rank for rural population?
- Gambia ranks 129th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Gambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Gambia data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.