Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Gambia instead of Botswana, you would:
Health
be 91.7% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Botswana, 15.7% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 1.3% of people as of 2024.
be 37.4% less likely to be obese
In Botswana, 19.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 12.4% of people as of 2024.
be 42.4% less likely to die by suicide
Botswana has a suicide rate of 8.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Gambia, it is 4.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 3.2 years less
In Botswana, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.
see 92.8% less spent on your healthcare
Botswana spends $1,310 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Gambia spends $94 as of 2023.
have 76.3% fewer doctors per person
Botswana has 3.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Gambia has 0.9 as of 2023.
have 16.4% less access to essential health services
Botswana scores 55 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Gambia scores 46 as of 2021.
Economy
be 73.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Botswana, 24.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Gambia, that number is 6.5% as of 2025.
make 88.2% less money
Botswana has a GDP per capita of $7,778 as of 2025, while in Gambia, the GDP per capita is $919 as of 2025.
Life
have 22.6% more children
In Botswana, there are approximately 24.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Gambia, there are 29.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.3 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Botswana, approximately 155.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Gambia, 354.0 women do as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 12.0% less likely to have access to electricity
In Botswana, approximately 76% of people have electricity access (98% in urban areas, and 25% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Gambia, that number is 67% of people on average (85% in urban areas, and 35% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 13.9% less likely to have internet access
In Botswana, approximately 57.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Gambia, about 49.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 65.1% less on education
Botswana spends 8.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Gambia spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 53.8% less on healthcare
Botswana spends 6.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Gambia, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 33.3% more likely to die in a road accident
In Botswana, road accidents kill 16.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Gambia, they kill 22.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 93.0% less home broadband
Botswana has 7.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Gambia has 0.5 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 93.4% less CO2
Botswana emits 2.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Gambia emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 63.6% more likely to die from air pollution
In Botswana, air pollution causes 55.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Gambia, it causes 90.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Botswana vs. Gambia
Gambia: At a glance
How big is Gambia compared to Botswana? See an in-depth size comparison.