Gambia vs Kenya: Share of population living in rural areas
Gambia
25.1%
in 2020
Kenya
24.7%
in 2020
Gambia rank
123rd
Kenya rank
126th
Share of population living in rural areas over time
- Gambia
- Kenya
How they compare
Gambia currently reports 25.1% against 24.7% in Kenya, a difference of 0.4%.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Kenya ahead.
Gambia ranks 123rd and Kenya ranks 126th of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Gambia averaged higher in 2 and Kenya in 6.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Gambia | Kenya | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 67.8% | 76.1% | 8.2% | Kenya |
| 1960s | 63.3% | 70.2% | 7.0% | Kenya |
| 1970s | 57.7% | 62.3% | 4.6% | Kenya |
| 1980s | 51.9% | 53.0% | 1.1% | Kenya |
| 1990s | 43.1% | 43.1% | 0.1% | Kenya |
| 2000s | 36.4% | 36.6% | 0.2% | Kenya |
| 2010s | 29.6% | 29.3% | 0.3% | Gambia |
| 2020s | 25.1% | 24.7% | 0.5% | Gambia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of population living in rural areas, Gambia or Kenya?
- Gambia, at 25.1% against 24.7% in Kenya as of 2020.
- What is the difference in share of population living in rural areas between Gambia and Kenya?
- 0.4%, with Gambia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Gambia and Kenya?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do Gambia and Kenya rank globally for share of population living in rural areas?
- Gambia ranks 123rd and Kenya ranks 126th of 236 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) β with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of population living in rural areas. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Estimated share of the population living in rural areas. Rural areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.