Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Gambia instead of Ethiopia, you would:
Health
have 31.4% more access to essential health services
Ethiopia scores 35 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Gambia scores 46 as of 2021.
be 20.8% less likely to die by suicide
Ethiopia has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Gambia, it is 4.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 85.7% more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Ethiopia, 0.7% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 1.3% of people as of 2024.
live 1.5 years less
In Ethiopia, the average life expectancy is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.
be 4.2 times more likely to be obese
In Ethiopia, 2.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 12.4% of people as of 2024.
have 37.1% fewer doctors per person
Ethiopia has 1.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Gambia has 0.9 as of 2023.
Economy
be 96.4% more likely to be unemployed
In Ethiopia, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Gambia, that number is 6.5% as of 2025.
be 61.3% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Ethiopia, 33.1% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Gambia, however, that number is 53.4% as of 2020.
Life
be 81.5% more likely to die during childbirth
In Ethiopia, approximately 195.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Gambia, 354.0 women do as of 2023.
be 14.6% less likely to be literate
In Ethiopia, the literacy rate is 60.5% as of 2022. In Gambia, it is 51.6% as of 2021.
Basic Needs
be 20.8% more likely to have access to electricity
In Ethiopia, approximately 55% of people have electricity access (95% in urban areas, and 44% 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 2.3 times more likely to have internet access
In Ethiopia, approximately 21.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Gambia, about 49.5% do as of 2024.
be 56.7% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Ethiopia, approximately 56% of people have access to drinking water (83% in urban areas, and 47% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 87% of people on average (92% in urban areas, and 78% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 22.2% more on education
Ethiopia spends 2.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Gambia spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 24.3% more likely to die in a road accident
In Ethiopia, road accidents kill 17.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Gambia, they kill 22.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 93.1% less strain on fresh water
Ethiopia withdraws 32% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Gambia withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 11.9% less home broadband
Ethiopia has 0.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Gambia has 0.5 as of 2024.
Environment
be 95.7% more likely to die from air pollution
In Ethiopia, air pollution causes 46.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Gambia, it causes 90.0 as of 2019.
emit 20.0% more CO2
Ethiopia emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Gambia emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Ethiopia vs. Gambia
Gambia: At a glance
How big is Gambia compared to Ethiopia? See an in-depth size comparison.