Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Namibia instead of Gambia, you would:
Health
live 1.5 years longer
In Gambia, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024. In Namibia, that number is 68 years (63 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
see 11.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Gambia spends $94 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Namibia spends $1,068 as of 2023.
have 6.1 times more doctors per person
Gambia has 0.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Namibia has 5.5 as of 2022.
have 37.0% more access to essential health services
Gambia scores 46 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Namibia scores 63 as of 2021.
be 6.9 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Gambia, 1.3% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Namibia, that number is 9.0% of people as of 2024.
be 47.4% more likely to be obese
In Gambia, 12.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Namibia, that number is 18.3% of people as of 2024.
be 78.6% more likely to die by suicide
Gambia has a suicide rate of 4.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Namibia, it is 8.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 5.3 times more money
Gambia has a GDP per capita of $919 as of 2025, while in Namibia, the GDP per capita is $4,876 as of 2025.
be 3.0 times more likely to be unemployed
In Gambia, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Namibia, that number is 19.3% as of 2025.
Life
be 60.7% 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 Namibia, 139.0 women do as of 2023.
be 69.7% more likely to be literate
In Gambia, the literacy rate is 51.6% as of 2021. In Namibia, it is 87.6% as of 2023.
be 11.3% 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 Namibia, on the other hand, 36.4 children do as of 2024.
have 13.3% fewer children
In Gambia, there are approximately 29.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Namibia, there are 25.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 31.1% more likely to have internet access
In Gambia, approximately 49.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Namibia, about 64.9% do as of 2024.
be 15.2% 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 Namibia, that number is 57% of people on average (75% in urban areas, and 34% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 3.2 times more on education
Gambia spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Namibia spends 9.1% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 3.3 times more on healthcare
Gambia spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Namibia, that number is 9.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 19.6 times more coastline
Gambia has a total of 80 km of coastline. In Namibia, that number is 1,572 km.
Infrastructure
find 5.4 times more home broadband
Gambia has 0.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Namibia has 2.8 as of 2024.
live with 86.0% less strain on fresh water
Gambia withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Namibia withdraws 0% as of 2022.
Environment
be 52.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Gambia, air pollution causes 90.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Namibia, it causes 43.0 as of 2019.
emit 6.7 times more CO2
Gambia emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Namibia emits 1.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Gambia vs. Namibia
Namibia: At a glance
How big is Namibia compared to Gambia? See an in-depth size comparison.