Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Gambia instead of Spain, you would:
Health
be 19.1% less likely to be obese
In Spain, 15.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 12.4% of people as of 2024.
be 44.8% less likely to die by suicide
Spain has a suicide rate of 8.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Gambia, it is 4.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 4.3 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Spain, 0.3% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 1.3% of people as of 2024.
live 17.8 years less
In Spain, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.
see 98.1% less spent on your healthcare
Spain spends $4,935 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Gambia spends $94 as of 2023.
have 97.9% fewer doctors per person
Spain has 42.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Gambia has 0.9 as of 2023.
have 45.9% less access to essential health services
Spain scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Gambia scores 46 as of 2021.
Economy
be 37.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Spain, 10.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Gambia, that number is 6.5% as of 2025.
be 2.6 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Spain, 20.2% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Gambia, however, that number is 53.4% as of 2020.
make 97.6% less money
Spain has a GDP per capita of $38,627 as of 2025, while in Gambia, the GDP per capita is $919 as of 2025.
Life
have 4.6 times more children
In Spain, there are approximately 6.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Gambia, there are 29.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 118.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Spain, approximately 3.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Gambia, 354.0 women do as of 2023.
be 48.2% less likely to be literate
In Spain, the literacy rate is 99.7% as of 2021. In Gambia, it is 51.6% as of 2021.
be 12.6 times more likely to die during infancy
In Spain, approximately 2.6 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.
Basic Needs
be 33.1% less likely to have access to electricity
In Spain, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 48.3% less likely to have internet access
In Spain, approximately 95.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Gambia, about 49.5% do as of 2024.
be 12.8% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Spain, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 87% of people on average (92% in urban areas, and 78% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 38.8% less on education
Spain spends 4.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Gambia spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 68.7% less on healthcare
Spain spends 9.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Gambia, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 98.4% less coastline
Spain has a total of 4,964 km of coastline. In Gambia, that number is 80 km.
Safety
be 6.3 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Spain, road accidents kill 3.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Gambia, they kill 22.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 94.9% less strain on fresh water
Spain withdraws 43% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Gambia withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 98.7% less home broadband
Spain has 39.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Gambia has 0.5 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 96.0% less CO2
Spain emits 4.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Gambia emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 9.0 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Spain, air pollution causes 10.0 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), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Spain vs. Gambia
Gambia: At a glance
How big is Gambia compared to Spain? See an in-depth size comparison.