Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Nigeria instead of Gambia, you would:
Health
see 2.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Gambia spends $94 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Nigeria spends $260 as of 2023.
have 4.2 times more doctors per person
Gambia has 0.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Nigeria has 3.8 as of 2023.
live 11.4 years less
In Gambia, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024. In Nigeria, that number is 55 years (54 years for men, 55 years for women) as of 2024.
be 10.3% more likely to be obese
In Gambia, 12.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Nigeria, that number is 13.7% of people as of 2024.
have 17.4% less access to essential health services
Gambia scores 46 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Nigeria scores 38 as of 2021.
Economy
be 53.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Gambia, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Nigeria, that number is 3.1% as of 2025.
make 33.2% more money
Gambia has a GDP per capita of $919 as of 2025, while in Nigeria, the GDP per capita is $1,224 as of 2025.
Life
be 36.3% more likely to be literate
In Gambia, the literacy rate is 51.6% as of 2021. In Nigeria, it is 70.4% as of 2024.
be 2.8 times more 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 Nigeria, 993.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.1 times 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 Nigeria, on the other hand, 69.8 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 16.7% less likely to have internet access
In Gambia, approximately 49.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Nigeria, about 41.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 88.6% less on education
Gambia spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Nigeria spends 0.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 45.0% more on healthcare
Gambia spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Nigeria, that number is 4.2% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 10.7 times more coastline
Gambia has a total of 80 km of coastline. In Nigeria, that number is 853 km.
Safety
be 34.7% more likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Gambia, 59% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2020. In Nigeria, that number is 79% as of 2019.
be 21.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Gambia, road accidents kill 22.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Nigeria, they kill 17.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 84.6% less home broadband
Gambia has 0.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Nigeria has 0.1 as of 2024.
live with 4.4 times more strain on fresh water
Gambia withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Nigeria withdraws 10% as of 2022.
Environment
be 14.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Gambia, air pollution causes 90.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Nigeria, it causes 77.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.2 times more CO2
Gambia emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Nigeria emits 0.6 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. Nigeria
Nigeria: At a glance
How big is Nigeria compared to Gambia? See an in-depth size comparison.