Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Kingdom instead of Gambia, you would:
Health
be 84.6% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Gambia, 1.3% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In United Kingdom, that number is 0.2% of people as of 2023.
live 15.3 years longer
In Gambia, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024. In United Kingdom, that number is 81 years (80 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024.
see 70.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Gambia spends $94 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United Kingdom spends $6,606 as of 2024.
have 36.7 times more doctors per person
Gambia has 0.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. United Kingdom has 33.0 as of 2023.
have 91.3% more access to essential health services
Gambia scores 46 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. United Kingdom scores 88 as of 2021.
be 2.2 times more likely to be obese
In Gambia, 12.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Kingdom, that number is 27.4% of people as of 2024.
be 98.5% more likely to die by suicide
Gambia has a suicide rate of 4.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United Kingdom, it is 9.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 27.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Gambia, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United Kingdom, that number is 4.8% as of 2025.
be 65.2% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Gambia, 53.4% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In United Kingdom, however, that number is 18.6% as of 2017.
make 62.7 times more money
Gambia has a GDP per capita of $919 as of 2025, while in United Kingdom, the GDP per capita is $57,602 as of 2025.
Life
be 97.7% 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 United Kingdom, 8.0 women do as of 2023.
be 87.5% 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 United Kingdom, on the other hand, 4.1 children do as of 2024.
have 66.9% fewer children
In Gambia, there are approximately 29.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United Kingdom, there are 9.9 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 United Kingdom, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 92.9% more likely to have internet access
In Gambia, approximately 49.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In United Kingdom, about 95.5% do as of 2024.
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 United Kingdom, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.1 times more on education
Gambia spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. United Kingdom spends 5.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 3.9 times more on healthcare
Gambia spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In United Kingdom, that number is 11.1% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 155.4 times more coastline
Gambia has a total of 80 km of coastline. In United Kingdom, that number is 12,429 km.
Safety
be 89.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Gambia, road accidents kill 22.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United Kingdom, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 81.1 times more home broadband
Gambia has 0.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. United Kingdom has 42.2 as of 2024.
live with 6.5 times more strain on fresh water
Gambia withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Kingdom withdraws 14% as of 2022.
Environment
be 85.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Gambia, air pollution causes 90.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United Kingdom, it causes 13.0 as of 2019.
emit 23.4 times more CO2
Gambia emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United Kingdom emits 4.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Gambia vs. United Kingdom
United Kingdom: At a glance
How big is United Kingdom compared to Gambia? See an in-depth size comparison.