Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Mali instead of Gambia, you would:
Health
be 38.5% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Gambia, 1.3% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Mali, that number is 0.8% of people as of 2024.
see 10.4% more spent on your healthcare
Gambia spends $94 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mali spends $104 as of 2023.
have 2.1 times more doctors per person
Gambia has 0.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Mali has 1.9 as of 2023.
be 13.5% less likely to die by suicide
Gambia has a suicide rate of 4.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mali, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 5.4 years less
In Gambia, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024. In Mali, that number is 61 years (59 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024.
have 10.9% less access to essential health services
Gambia scores 46 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Mali scores 41 as of 2021.
Economy
be 56.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Gambia, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Mali, that number is 2.8% as of 2025.
be 14.8% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Gambia, 53.4% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Mali, however, that number is 45.5% as of 2021.
make 29.8% more money
Gambia has a GDP per capita of $919 as of 2025, while in Mali, the GDP per capita is $1,193 as of 2025.
Life
have 32.4% more children
In Gambia, there are approximately 29.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mali, there are 39.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 31.0% less likely to be literate
In Gambia, the literacy rate is 51.6% as of 2021. In Mali, it is 35.6% as of 2024.
be 45.3% more 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 Mali, on the other hand, 47.5 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 18.5% less 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 Mali, that number is 54% of people on average (92% in urban areas, and 23% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 25.6% less likely to have internet access
In Gambia, approximately 49.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Mali, about 36.8% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 48.8% more on education
Gambia spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Mali spends 4.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 31.8% more on healthcare
Gambia spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Mali, that number is 3.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 48.1% more home broadband
Gambia has 0.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Mali has 0.8 as of 2022.
live with 3.6 times more strain on fresh water
Gambia withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Mali withdraws 8% as of 2022.
Environment
be 27.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Gambia, air pollution causes 90.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Mali, it causes 65.0 as of 2019.
emit 66.7% more CO2
Gambia emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Mali emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Gambia vs. Mali
Mali: At a glance
How big is Mali compared to Gambia? See an in-depth size comparison.