If you lived in France instead of Gambia, you would:

Health

be 76.9% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Gambia, 1.3% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In France, that number is 0.3% of people as of 2023.

View global rankings →

live 16.9 years longer

In Gambia, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024. In France, that number is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 73.0 times more spent on your healthcare

Gambia spends $94 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). France spends $6,868 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

have 36.5 times more doctors per person

Gambia has 0.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. France has 32.8 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

have 84.8% more access to essential health services

Gambia scores 46 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. France scores 85 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 3.4 times more likely to die by suicide

Gambia has a suicide rate of 4.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In France, it is 16.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 70.8% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Gambia, 53.4% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In France, however, that number is 15.6% as of 2021.

View global rankings →

make 53.3 times more money

Gambia has a GDP per capita of $919 as of 2025, while in France, the GDP per capita is $48,986 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

be 15.6% more likely to be unemployed

In Gambia, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In France, that number is 7.5% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 98.0% less likely to die during childbirth

In Gambia, approximately 354.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In France, 7.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 89.6% less likely to die during infancy

In Gambia, approximately 32.7 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In France, on the other hand, 3.4 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

have 67.5% fewer children

In Gambia, there are approximately 29.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In France, there are 9.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 49.5% more likely to have access to electricity

In Gambia, approximately 67% of people have electricity access (85% in urban areas, and 35% in rural areas) as of 2023. In France, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 79.1% more likely to have internet access

In Gambia, approximately 49.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In France, about 88.7% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 14.8% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Gambia, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water (92% in urban areas, and 78% in rural areas) as of 2024. In France, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 89.3% more on education

Gambia spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. France spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

View global rankings →

spend 4.0 times more on healthcare

Gambia spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In France, that number is 11.5% of GDP as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 60.7 times more coastline

Gambia has a total of 80 km of coastline. In France, that number is 4,853 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 39.9% more likely to feel safe walking alone at night

In Gambia, 59% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2020. In France, that number is 82% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

be 78.6% less likely to die in a road accident

In Gambia, road accidents kill 22.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In France, they kill 4.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 94.1 times more home broadband

Gambia has 0.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. France has 48.9 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live with 9.7 times more strain on fresh water

Gambia withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. France withdraws 21% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Environment

be 88.9% less likely to die from air pollution

In Gambia, air pollution causes 90.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In France, it causes 10.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →

emit 22.2 times more CO2

Gambia emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. France emits 4.0 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

France: At a glance

France is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 549,970 sq km. France today is one of the most modern countries in the world and is a leader among European nations. It plays an influential global role as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, NATO, the G-8, the G-20, the EU and other multilateral organizations. France rejoined NATO's integrated military command structure in 2009, reversing DE GAULLE's 1966 decision to take French forces out of NATO. Since 1958, it has constructed a hybrid presidential-parliamentary governing system resistant to the instabilities experienced in earlier, more purely parliamentary administrations. In recent decades, its reconciliation and cooperation with Germany have proved central to the economic integration of Europe, including the introduction of a common currency, the euro, in January 1999. In the early 21st century, five French overseas entities - French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, and Reunion - became French regions and were made part of France proper.
Read more

How big is France compared to Gambia? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about France or Gambia. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.