Birth rate in Gambia
Gambia: Birth rate was 30.43 births per 1,000 people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
30.43 births per 1,000 people
Change on year
down 1.1%
World rank
31st
of 236 countries
All-time high
50.86 births per 1,000 people
in 1955
All-time low
30.43 births per 1,000 people
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Birth rate in Gambia, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births per 1,000 people.
Analysis
Gambia recorded 30.43 births per 1,000 people for birth rate in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.1% on the previous year and down 20.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, birth rate in Gambia peaked at 50.86 births per 1,000 people in 1955 and was at its lowest, 30.43 births per 1,000 people, in 2023.
That places Gambia 31st out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Birth rate in Gambia, year by year
| Year | births per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 49.68 births per 1,000 people | — |
| 1951 | 50.12 births per 1,000 people | +0.9% |
| 1952 | 50.46 births per 1,000 people | +0.7% |
| 1953 | 50.69 births per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 1954 | 50.81 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1955 | 50.86 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1956 | 50.85 births per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 1957 | 50.78 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1958 | 50.69 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1959 | 50.57 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1960 | 50.43 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1961 | 50.26 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1962 | 50.05 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1963 | 49.77 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1964 | 49.42 births per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 1965 | 49.01 births per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 1966 | 48.49 births per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 1967 | 48.17 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1968 | 47.85 births per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 1969 | 47.65 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1970 | 47.37 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1971 | 47.59 births per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 1972 | 47.54 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1973 | 47.46 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1974 | 47.25 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1975 | 47.28 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1976 | 47.36 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1977 | 47.47 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1978 | 47.61 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1979 | 47.83 births per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 1980 | 48.19 births per 1,000 people | +0.8% |
| 1981 | 48.45 births per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 1982 | 48.76 births per 1,000 people | +0.6% |
| 1983 | 49 births per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 49.3 births per 1,000 people | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 49.01 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1986 | 48.85 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1987 | 48.46 births per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 1988 | 48.12 births per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 1989 | 47.91 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1990 | 47.72 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1991 | 47.21 births per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 1992 | 46.64 births per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 1993 | 46.11 births per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 1994 | 45.89 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 45.1 births per 1,000 people | -1.7% |
| 1996 | 44.12 births per 1,000 people | -2.2% |
| 1997 | 43.2 births per 1,000 people | -2.1% |
| 1998 | 42.54 births per 1,000 people | -1.5% |
| 1999 | 41.78 births per 1,000 people | -1.8% |
| 2000 | 41.05 births per 1,000 people | -1.7% |
| 2001 | 40.52 births per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 40.03 births per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 2003 | 39.73 births per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 39.71 births per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 2005 | 39.69 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 39.88 births per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 39.54 births per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 2008 | 39.15 births per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 38.94 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 38.87 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 38.81 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 38.81 births per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 38.1 births per 1,000 people | -1.8% |
| 2014 | 36.91 births per 1,000 people | -3.1% |
| 2015 | 35.75 births per 1,000 people | -3.1% |
| 2016 | 34.59 births per 1,000 people | -3.2% |
| 2017 | 33.45 births per 1,000 people | -3.3% |
| 2018 | 32.32 births per 1,000 people | -3.4% |
| 2019 | 31.92 births per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 2020 | 31.52 births per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 31.17 births per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 30.77 births per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 2023 | 30.43 births per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
Gambia compared with similar countries
- Gambia's 30.43 births per 1,000 people is below the median for low income countries, which is 32.09 births per 1,000 people, 95% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Gambia's 30.43 births per 1,000 people is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 31.17 births per 1,000 people, 98% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 50.55 births per 1,000 people | 49.68 births per 1,000 people | 50.86 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 49.11 births per 1,000 people | 47.65 births per 1,000 people | 50.43 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 47.48 births per 1,000 people | 47.25 births per 1,000 people | 47.83 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 48.61 births per 1,000 people | 47.91 births per 1,000 people | 49.3 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 45.03 births per 1,000 people | 41.78 births per 1,000 people | 47.72 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 39.82 births per 1,000 people | 38.94 births per 1,000 people | 41.05 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 35.95 births per 1,000 people | 31.92 births per 1,000 people | 38.87 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 30.97 births per 1,000 people | 30.43 births per 1,000 people | 31.52 births per 1,000 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Gambia
- 28 Liberia 30.96 births per 1,000 people compare
- 29 Congo 30.63 births per 1,000 people compare
- 30 Sierra Leone 30.6 births per 1,000 people compare
- 32 Zimbabwe 30.41 births per 1,000 people compare
- 33 Guinea-Bissau 30.04 births per 1,000 people compare
- 34 Equatorial Guinea 29.6 births per 1,000 people compare
More population data for Gambia
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.023 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate 1.17 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.023 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.1454 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 4,674 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 2.23 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.5608 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth 0.0% (2100)
- Population density 563.54 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 334,764 people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is birth rate in Gambia?
- Birth rate in Gambia was 30.43 births per 1,000 people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest birth rate recorded in Gambia?
- The highest recorded value was 50.86 births per 1,000 people in 1955.
- What is the lowest birth rate recorded in Gambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 30.43 births per 1,000 people in 2023.
- How does Gambia rank for birth rate?
- Gambia ranks 31st out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is birth rate rising or falling in Gambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Gambia data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Birth rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of live births in a year per 1,000 people in the population.