Prison population rate in Gambia

Gambia: Prison population rate was 22 prisoners per 100,000 people in 2021. ▼ Falling

Latest (2021)
22 prisoners per 100,000 people
Change on year
down 24.1%
World rank
200th
of 202 countries
All-time high
55 prisoners per 100,000 people
in 2014
All-time low
22 prisoners per 100,000 people
in 2021
Years of data
6
1999–2021

Prison population rate in Gambia, 1999–2021

02040601999201020211999: 40 prisoners per 100,000 people2002: 34 prisoners per 100,000 people2009: 44 prisoners per 100,000 people2014: 55 prisoners per 100,000 people2019: 29 prisoners per 100,000 people2021: 22 prisoners per 100,000 people

Source: Institute for Crime & Justice Policy Research (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in prisoners per 100,000 people.

Analysis

The most recent figure for prison population rate in Gambia is 22 prisoners per 100,000 people, measured in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 6 years on record.

That represents a change of down 24.1% on the previous year and down 50.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, prison population rate in Gambia peaked at 55 prisoners per 100,000 people in 2014 and was at its lowest, 22 prisoners per 100,000 people, in 2021.

Gambia ranks 200th of 202 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 40 prisoners per 100,000 people 40 prisoners per 100,000 people 40 prisoners per 100,000 people 1
2000s 39 prisoners per 100,000 people 34 prisoners per 100,000 people 44 prisoners per 100,000 people 2
2010s 42 prisoners per 100,000 people 29 prisoners per 100,000 people 55 prisoners per 100,000 people 2
2020s 22 prisoners per 100,000 people 22 prisoners per 100,000 people 22 prisoners per 100,000 people 1

Countries ranked near Gambia

  1. 197 Japan 33 prisoners per 100,000 people compare
  2. 197 Nigeria 33 prisoners per 100,000 people compare
  3. 199 Faroe Islands 24 prisoners per 100,000 people compare
  4. 202 Yemen 14 prisoners per 100,000 people compare

See the full ranking of 202 places →

More population data for Gambia

All data for Gambia →

Frequently asked questions

What is prison population rate in Gambia?
Prison population rate in Gambia was 22 prisoners per 100,000 people in 2021, according to Institute for Crime & Justice Policy Research (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest prison population rate recorded in Gambia?
The highest recorded value was 55 prisoners per 100,000 people in 2014.
What is the lowest prison population rate recorded in Gambia?
The lowest recorded value was 22 prisoners per 100,000 people in 2021.
How does Gambia rank for prison population rate?
Gambia ranks 200th out of 202 countries with data for 2021.
Is prison population rate rising or falling in Gambia?
Over the last ten years it is down 50.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Gambia data come from?
The figures come from Institute for Crime & Justice Policy Research (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Prison population rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 6 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Prison population rate
Unit
prisoners per 100,000 people
Source
Institute for Crime & Justice Policy Research (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
202 places, 2,155 data points, 1993–2026
Last refreshed

Prison population (including pre-trial detainees and remand prisoners), per 100,000 population.