Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Gambia instead of Syria, you would:
Health
be 62.4% less likely to be obese
In Syria, 33.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 12.4% of people as of 2024.
be 13.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Syria, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 1.3% of people as of 2024.
live 6.5 years less
In Syria, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 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 23.1% less spent on your healthcare
Syria spends $122 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Gambia spends $94 as of 2023.
have 94.1% fewer doctors per person
Syria has 15.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Gambia has 0.9 as of 2023.
have 28.1% less access to essential health services
Syria scores 64 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Gambia scores 46 as of 2021.
be 8.2 times more likely to die by suicide
Syria has a suicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Gambia, it is 4.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 52.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Syria, 13.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Gambia, that number is 6.5% as of 2025.
make 13.0% less money
Syria has a GDP per capita of $1,057 as of 2022, while in Gambia, the GDP per capita is $919 as of 2025.
Life
have 28.9% more children
In Syria, there are approximately 23.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Gambia, there are 29.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 17.7 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Syria, approximately 20.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Gambia, 354.0 women do as of 2023.
be 45.3% less likely to be literate
In Syria, the literacy rate is 94.4% as of 2021. In Gambia, it is 51.6% as of 2021.
be 84.7% more likely to die during infancy
In Syria, approximately 17.7 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 24.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In Syria, approximately 88% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 73% 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.
Geography
see 58.5% less coastline
Syria has a total of 193 km of coastline. In Gambia, that number is 80 km.
Safety
be 26.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Syria, road accidents kill 29.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Gambia, they kill 22.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 98.2% less strain on fresh water
Syria withdraws 124% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Gambia withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 92.4% less home broadband
Syria has 6.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Gambia has 0.5 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 85.8% less CO2
Syria emits 1.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Gambia emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Syria vs. Gambia
Gambia: At a glance
How big is Gambia compared to Syria? See an in-depth size comparison.