Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Gambia instead of Canada, you would:

Health

be 65.0% less likely to be obese

In Canada, 29.4% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Gambia, that number is 10.3% of people as of 2016.

live 16.2 years less

In Canada, the average life expectancy is 84 years (82 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022. In Gambia, that number is 68 years (66 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

be 19.1% less likely to be unemployed

In Canada, 5.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Gambia, that number is 4.3% as of 2022.

make 95.7% less money

Canada has a GDP per capita of $49,000 as of 2022, while in Gambia, the GDP per capita is $2,100 as of 2022.

be 5.7 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Canada, 9.4% live below the poverty line as of 2008. In Gambia, however, that number is 53.4% as of 2020.

Life

have 2.7 times more children

In Canada, there are approximately 10.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Gambia, there are 27.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 41.6 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Canada, approximately 11.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Gambia, 458.0 women do as of 2020.

be 8.5 times more likely to die during infancy

In Canada, approximately 4.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Gambia, on the other hand, 37.2 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 36.4% less likely to have access to electricity

In Canada, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2021. In Gambia, 64% of the population do as of 2021.

be 64.5% less likely to have internet access

In Canada, approximately 93.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Gambia, about 33.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 46.2% less on education

Canada spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Gambia spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 79.8% less on healthcare

Canada spends 12.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Gambia, that number is 2.6% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 100.0% less coastline

Canada has a total of 202,080 km of coastline. In Gambia, that number is 80 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

Gambia: At a glance

Gambia is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 10,120 sq km. The Gambia gained its independence from the UK in 1965. Geographically surrounded by Senegal, it formed a short-lived federation of Senegambia between 1982 and 1989. In 1991 the two nations signed a friendship and cooperation treaty, but tensions have flared up intermittently since then. Yahya JAMMEH led a military coup in 1994 that overthrew the president and banned political activity. A new constitution and presidential elections in 1996, followed by parliamentary balloting in 1997, completed a nominal return to civilian rule. JAMMEH has been elected president in all subsequent elections including most recently in late 2011.
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How big is Gambia compared to Canada? See an in-depth size comparison.

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