Rural population in Gambia
Gambia: Rural population was 34.9% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
34.9%
Change on year
down 1.7%
World rank
109th
of 214 countries
All-time high
80.5%
in 1970
All-time low
34.9%
in 2024
Years of data
55
1970–2024
Rural population in Gambia, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
Gambia recorded 34.9% for rural population in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 55 years on record.
The figure is down 1.7% on the previous year and down 15.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Gambia peaked at 80.5% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 34.9%, in 2024.
Gambia ranks 109th of 214 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 55 years of available data.
Rural population in Gambia, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 80.5% | — |
| 1971 | 79.4% | -1.4% |
| 1972 | 78.2% | -1.5% |
| 1973 | 77.1% | -1.4% |
| 1974 | 76.3% | -1.0% |
| 1975 | 75.6% | -1.0% |
| 1976 | 74.8% | -1.0% |
| 1977 | 74.0% | -1.0% |
| 1978 | 73.2% | -1.1% |
| 1979 | 72.4% | -1.1% |
| 1980 | 71.6% | -1.1% |
| 1981 | 70.7% | -1.2% |
| 1982 | 69.9% | -1.2% |
| 1983 | 69.0% | -1.3% |
| 1984 | 68.0% | -1.4% |
| 1985 | 67.0% | -1.5% |
| 1986 | 66.0% | -1.5% |
| 1987 | 64.9% | -1.6% |
| 1988 | 63.8% | -1.6% |
| 1989 | 62.8% | -1.7% |
| 1990 | 61.7% | -1.7% |
| 1991 | 60.6% | -1.8% |
| 1992 | 59.5% | -1.8% |
| 1993 | 58.4% | -1.8% |
| 1994 | 57.5% | -1.5% |
| 1995 | 56.6% | -1.5% |
| 1996 | 55.7% | -1.6% |
| 1997 | 54.8% | -1.6% |
| 1998 | 53.9% | -1.6% |
| 1999 | 53.0% | -1.7% |
| 2000 | 52.1% | -1.7% |
| 2001 | 51.2% | -1.7% |
| 2002 | 50.3% | -1.8% |
| 2003 | 49.4% | -1.7% |
| 2004 | 48.7% | -1.5% |
| 2005 | 48.0% | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 47.2% | -1.5% |
| 2007 | 46.5% | -1.5% |
| 2008 | 45.8% | -1.6% |
| 2009 | 45.1% | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 44.3% | -1.6% |
| 2011 | 43.6% | -1.6% |
| 2012 | 42.9% | -1.7% |
| 2013 | 42.2% | -1.7% |
| 2014 | 41.5% | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 40.8% | -1.7% |
| 2016 | 40.1% | -1.7% |
| 2017 | 39.4% | -1.7% |
| 2018 | 38.7% | -1.7% |
| 2019 | 38.1% | -1.7% |
| 2020 | 37.4% | -1.7% |
| 2021 | 36.8% | -1.7% |
| 2022 | 36.1% | -1.7% |
| 2023 | 35.5% | -1.7% |
| 2024 | 34.9% | -1.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 76.1% | 72.4% | 80.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 67.4% | 62.8% | 71.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 57.2% | 53.0% | 61.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 48.4% | 45.1% | 52.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 41.2% | 38.1% | 44.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 36.2% | 34.9% | 37.4% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Gambia
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 rural population in Gambia?
- Rural population in Gambia was 34.9% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Gambia?
- The highest recorded value was 80.5% in 1970.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Gambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 34.9% in 2024.
- How does Gambia rank for rural population?
- Gambia ranks 109th out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Gambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Gambia data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Rural population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release