Population and Demographics of the Gambia
A very young population · 40.25% under age 15 in 2024
Older adults account for 3.08% of the population in the Gambia. The longer record adds perspective: the population changed by +89.7% between 2000 and 2024. Looking ahead, 4.3 million is projected for 2050 under the medium scenario, compared with 2.76 million in 2024.
Population Over Time in the Gambia
Between 2000 and 2024, the Gambia's population increased from 1.455M to 2.76M, a gain of about 89.7%. The UN WPP 2024 medium-variant projection places the 2050 population at about 4.302M, roughly 55.9% above the 2024 reference point. Only the displayed source-year points are plotted; the connecting lines are visual guides, not annual estimates.
Age Structure and Sex Balance
Looking beyond the headline population number, Gambia's 2024 age structure is very young. At 40.25%, the under-15 group is larger than the 3.08% aged 65+, while ages 15 to 64 account for 56.67%. The age balance is weighted toward younger residents.
Population by broad age group
The 2024 World Bank sex-share indicator gives Gambia a female share of 50.2% and a male share of 49.8%. The split is close to even.
Female and male population share
Females made up 50.2% of the population in the World Bank's 2024 series, compared with 49.8% males.
What Is Shaping Population Change
Annual change of +2.30% is one part of the Gambia's 2024 profile; fertility of 3.9 is another, against an age structure of 40.25% under 15, 56.67% aged 15 to 64 and 3.08% at 65-plus.
the Gambia is 89.7% larger than its 2000 population in the 2024 reference year, followed by a medium projection that is +55.9% different in 2050; this describes the trajectory without guessing at migration or natural increase.
2024 estimate for the Gambia. The world comparison value is 2.25 children per woman.
Gambia vs. World
The comparison puts Gambia's +2.30% annual change beside a world rate of +0.87%, a fertility rate of 3.9 beside 2.25, and a median age of 18 years beside 30.6 globally.
| Indicator | Gambia | World | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual population change | +2.3% | +0.87% | 2024 |
| Total fertility rate | 3.9 | 2.25 | 2024 |
| Median age | 18 | 30.6 | 2024 |
For comparability, the growth, fertility and median-age rows are kept to the same 2024 harmonized dataset, which cites UN World Population Prospects 2024 as its demographic source.
Key Takeaways
The 2024 total is 2,759,988 people. Annual change in the same harmonized table is +2.30%.
Age structure is a key feature of the profile: 40.25% are under 15 and 3.08% are 65 or older.
The 2024 female and male shares are 50.2% and 49.8% respectively.
By 2050, the medium projection is 4.302M, differing from 2024 by roughly 1.54 million people.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of the Gambia?
The 2024 harmonized population estimate for the Gambia is 2,759,988 people.
Is the population of the Gambia growing or declining?
In the 2024 estimate, Gambia's population is growing, with annual change of +2.30%.
What percentage of the population of the Gambia is aged 65 or older?
People aged 65 or older account for 3.08% of the Gambia's 2024 population in the UN WPP-based broad age data.
What is the projected population of the Gambia in 2050?
The UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium projection puts Gambia's 2050 population at 4,301,895.
What is the fertility rate in the Gambia?
The 2024 harmonized fertility estimate for the Gambia is 3.9 children per woman.
Sources & methodology
This profile uses United Nations World Population Prospects 2024 as the primary framework for globally comparable population, age, fertility and projection data. The World Bank is the primary source for the female population share. Some country values were accessed through secondary retrieval interfaces that republish or organize UN data; those interfaces are identified below as secondary and are not treated as the original statistical publishers.
View sources used for this page
Primary global framework for the population estimates and projections.
Harmonized 2024 country table based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized broad age shares based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized reference for the 2000 population point.
Harmonized 2050 country projection based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Used for the 2024 female share; the male share is calculated as the remainder to 100%.