Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Gambia instead of Mali, you would:
Health
live 5.4 years longer
In Mali, the average life expectancy is 61 years (59 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.
have 12.2% more access to essential health services
Mali scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Gambia scores 46 as of 2021.
be 62.5% more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Mali, 0.8% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 1.3% of people as of 2024.
have 52.1% fewer doctors per person
Mali has 1.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Gambia has 0.9 as of 2023.
be 15.6% more likely to die by suicide
Mali has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Gambia, it is 4.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Mali, 2.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Gambia, that number is 6.5% as of 2025.
be 17.4% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Mali, 45.5% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Gambia, however, that number is 53.4% as of 2020.
make 23.0% less money
Mali has a GDP per capita of $1,193 as of 2025, while in Gambia, the GDP per capita is $919 as of 2025.
Life
be 44.9% more likely to be literate
In Mali, the literacy rate is 35.6% as of 2024. In Gambia, it is 51.6% as of 2021.
be 31.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Mali, approximately 47.5 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Gambia, on the other hand, 32.7 children do as of 2024.
have 24.5% fewer children
In Mali, there are approximately 39.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Gambia, there are 29.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 22.8% more likely to have access to electricity
In Mali, approximately 54% of people have electricity access (92% in urban areas, and 23% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Gambia, that number is 67% of people on average (85% in urban areas, and 35% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 34.5% more likely to have internet access
In Mali, approximately 36.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Gambia, about 49.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 32.8% less on education
Mali spends 4.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Gambia spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 24.1% less on healthcare
Mali spends 3.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Gambia, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Infrastructure
live with 72.4% less strain on fresh water
Mali withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Gambia withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 32.5% less home broadband
Mali has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Gambia has 0.5 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 40.0% less CO2
Mali emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Gambia emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 38.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Mali, air pollution causes 65.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Gambia, it causes 90.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Mali vs. Gambia
Gambia: At a glance
How big is Gambia compared to Mali? See an in-depth size comparison.