Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Gambia

Gambia: Share of urban population who live in the largest city was 56.6% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
56.6%
World rank
20th
of 179 countries
All-time high
56.6%
in 2020
All-time low
29.0%
in 1965
Years of data
12
1965–2020

Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Gambia, 1965–2020

02040601965199220201965: 29 %1970: 32.1 %1975: 35.4 %1980: 39.2 %1985: 44.5 %1990: 47.6 %1995: 47.5 %2000: 47.9 %2005: 49.1 %2010: 53.9 %2015: 55.1 %2020: 56.6 %

Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2020, share of urban population who live in the largest city in Gambia stood at 56.6%. That is the highest value across all 12 years on record.

The figure is up 5.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of urban population who live in the largest city in Gambia peaked at 56.6% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 29.0%, in 1965.

Gambia ranks 20th of 179 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 29.0% 29.0% 29.0% 1
1970s 33.7% 32.1% 35.4% 2
1980s 41.8% 39.2% 44.5% 2
1990s 47.6% 47.5% 47.6% 2
2000s 48.5% 47.9% 49.1% 2
2010s 54.5% 53.9% 55.1% 2
2020s 56.6% 56.6% 56.6% 1

Countries ranked near Gambia

  1. 17 Liberia 58.2% compare
  2. 18 Suriname 56.8% compare
  3. 19 Costa Rica 56.6% compare
  4. 21 Guinea-Bissau 52.2% compare
  5. 22 United Arab Emirates 51.9% compare
  6. 23 French Polynesia 51.8% compare

See the full ranking of 179 places →

More population data for Gambia

All data for Gambia →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of urban population who live in the largest city in Gambia?
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Gambia was 56.6% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Gambia?
The highest recorded value was 56.6% in 2020.
What is the lowest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Gambia?
The lowest recorded value was 29.0% in 1965.
How does Gambia rank for share of urban population who live in the largest city?
Gambia ranks 20th out of 179 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of urban population who live in the largest city rising or falling in Gambia?
Over the last ten years it is up 5.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Gambia data come from?
The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of urban population who live in the largest city. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 12 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of urban population who live in the largest city
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
179 places, 2,452 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Percentage of the urban population living in the country's largest city (by population). City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.