Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United States instead of Gambia, you would:
Health
live 12.8 years longer
In Gambia, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024. In United States, that number is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
see 143.1 times more spent on your healthcare
Gambia spends $94 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United States spends $13,473 as of 2023.
have 40.9 times more doctors per person
Gambia has 0.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. United States has 36.8 as of 2022.
have 87.0% more access to essential health services
Gambia scores 46 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. United States scores 86 as of 2021.
be 3.3 times more likely to be obese
In Gambia, 12.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United States, that number is 41.0% of people as of 2024.
be 3.2 times more likely to die by suicide
Gambia has a suicide rate of 4.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United States, it is 15.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 35.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Gambia, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United States, that number is 4.2% as of 2025.
make 98.0 times more money
Gambia has a GDP per capita of $919 as of 2025, while in United States, the GDP per capita is $90,027 as of 2025.
Life
be 95.2% 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 States, 17.0 women do as of 2023.
be 83.2% 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 States, on the other hand, 5.5 children do as of 2024.
have 64.5% fewer children
In Gambia, there are approximately 29.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United States, there are 10.6 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 States, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 91.3% more likely to have internet access
In Gambia, approximately 49.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In United States, about 94.7% 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 States, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 92.9% more on education
Gambia spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. United States spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 5.8 times more on healthcare
Gambia spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In United States, that number is 16.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 249.1 times more coastline
Gambia has a total of 80 km of coastline. In United States, that number is 19,924 km.
Safety
be 35.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Gambia, road accidents kill 22.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United States, they kill 14.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 74.7 times more home broadband
Gambia has 0.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. United States has 38.9 as of 2024.
live with 12.7 times more strain on fresh water
Gambia withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United States withdraws 28% as of 2022.
Environment
be 84.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Gambia, air pollution causes 90.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United States, it causes 14.0 as of 2019.
emit 75.7 times more CO2
Gambia emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United States emits 13.6 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. United States
United States: At a glance
How big is United States compared to Gambia? See an in-depth size comparison.