Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Turkmenistan instead of Gambia, you would:
Health
live 4.1 years longer
In Gambia, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, that number is 70 years (67 years for men, 73 years for women) as of 2024.
see 13.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Gambia spends $94 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Turkmenistan spends $1,264 as of 2023.
have 21.4 times more doctors per person
Gambia has 0.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Turkmenistan has 19.3 as of 2023.
have 63.0% more access to essential health services
Gambia scores 46 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Turkmenistan scores 75 as of 2021.
be 79.3% more likely to be obese
In Gambia, 12.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
be 42.0% more likely to die by suicide
Gambia has a suicide rate of 4.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Turkmenistan, it is 6.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 34.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Gambia, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Turkmenistan, that number is 4.3% as of 2025.
make 7.1 times more money
Gambia has a GDP per capita of $919 as of 2025, while in Turkmenistan, the GDP per capita is $6,540 as of 2025.
Life
be 98.6% 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 Turkmenistan, 5.0 women do as of 2023.
be 93.5% more likely to be literate
In Gambia, the literacy rate is 51.6% as of 2021. In Turkmenistan, it is 99.9% as of 2022.
have 30.0% fewer children
In Gambia, there are approximately 29.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
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 Turkmenistan, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 14.7% 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 Turkmenistan, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
be 48.9% less likely to have internet access
In Gambia, approximately 49.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, about 25.3% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 52.7% more on education
Gambia spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Turkmenistan spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 90.3% more on healthcare
Gambia spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Turkmenistan, that number is 5.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 63.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In Gambia, road accidents kill 22.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Turkmenistan, they kill 8.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 10.0 times more home broadband
Gambia has 0.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Turkmenistan has 5.2 as of 2022.
live with 61.2 times more strain on fresh water
Gambia withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Turkmenistan withdraws 135% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 60.3 times more CO2
Gambia emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Turkmenistan emits 10.9 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Gambia vs. Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan: At a glance
How big is Turkmenistan compared to Gambia? See an in-depth size comparison.