Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Gambia instead of Nigeria, you would:
Health
live 11.4 years longer
In Nigeria, the average life expectancy is 55 years (54 years for men, 55 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 21.1% more access to essential health services
Nigeria scores 38 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Gambia scores 46 as of 2021.
see 63.8% less spent on your healthcare
Nigeria spends $260 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Gambia spends $94 as of 2023.
have 76.3% fewer doctors per person
Nigeria has 3.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Gambia has 0.9 as of 2023.
Economy
be 2.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Nigeria, 3.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Gambia, that number is 6.5% as of 2025.
make 24.9% less money
Nigeria has a GDP per capita of $1,224 as of 2025, while in Gambia, the GDP per capita is $919 as of 2025.
Life
be 64.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Nigeria, approximately 993.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Gambia, 354.0 women do as of 2023.
be 53.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Nigeria, approximately 69.8 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.
be 26.7% less likely to be literate
In Nigeria, the literacy rate is 70.4% as of 2024. In Gambia, it is 51.6% as of 2021.
Basic Needs
be 20.1% more likely to have internet access
In Nigeria, approximately 41.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Gambia, about 49.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 31.0% less on healthcare
Nigeria spends 4.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Gambia, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 8.8 times more on education
Nigeria spends 0.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Gambia spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 90.6% less coastline
Nigeria has a total of 853 km of coastline. In Gambia, that number is 80 km.
Safety
be 25.8% less likely to feel safe walking alone at night
In Nigeria, 79% of people feel safe walking alone at night as of 2019. In Gambia, that number is 59% as of 2020.
be 27.9% more likely to die in a road accident
In Nigeria, road accidents kill 17.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Gambia, they kill 22.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 6.5 times more home broadband
Nigeria has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Gambia has 0.5 as of 2024.
live with 77.1% less strain on fresh water
Nigeria withdraws 10% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Gambia withdraws 2% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 68.4% less CO2
Nigeria emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Gambia emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 16.9% more likely to die from air pollution
In Nigeria, air pollution causes 77.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Gambia, it causes 90.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Nigeria vs. Gambia
Gambia: At a glance
How big is Gambia compared to Nigeria? See an in-depth size comparison.