Number of people living in extreme poverty in Gambia
Gambia: Number of people living in extreme poverty was 1.97 million people in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Number of people living in extreme poverty in Gambia, 1998–2020
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Gambia recorded 1.97 million people for number of people living in extreme poverty in 2020. That is the highest value across all 5 years on record.
The figure is up 54.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in extreme poverty in Gambia peaked at 1.97 million people in 2020 and was at its lowest, 302,855 people, in 1998.
Gambia ranks 109th of 120 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
Number of people living in extreme poverty in Gambia, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 302,855 people | — |
| 2003 | 712,886 people | +135.4% |
| 2010 | 1.27 million people | +78.2% |
| 2015 | 1.86 million people | +46.4% |
| 2020 | 1.97 million people | +5.7% |
Gambia compared with similar countries
- Gambia's 1.97 million people is below the median for low income countries, which is 9.33 million people, 21% of the median. (13 countries reporting)
- Gambia's 1.97 million people is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 10.66 million people, 18% of the median. (26 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 302,855 people | 302,855 people | 302,855 people | 1 |
| 2000s | 712,886 people | 712,886 people | 712,886 people | 1 |
| 2010s | 1.56 million people | 1.27 million people | 1.86 million people | 2 |
| 2020s | 1.97 million people | 1.97 million people | 1.97 million people | 1 |
Countries ranked near Gambia
More poverty & inequality data for Gambia
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 1 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 4.01 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 800.7 kg per hectare (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate -0.5342 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 9.46 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 9.5% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people living in extreme poverty in Gambia?
- Number of people living in extreme poverty in Gambia was 1.97 million people in 2020, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in Gambia?
- The highest recorded value was 1.97 million people in 2020.
- What is the lowest number of people living in extreme poverty recorded in Gambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 302,855 people in 1998.
- How does Gambia rank for number of people living in extreme poverty?
- Gambia ranks 109th out of 120 countries with data for 2020.
- Is number of people living in extreme poverty rising or falling in Gambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 54.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Gambia data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people living in extreme poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of people living in households with an income or consumption above $3 per day.