Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Gambia
Gambia: Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required was 51.6% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Gambia, 2003–2022
Source: Harvard Medical School Program in Global Surgery and Social Change (PGSSC), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of people at risk.
Analysis
In 2022, share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Gambia stood at 51.6%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.6% on the previous year and up 34.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Gambia peaked at 61.4% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 20.2%, in 2004.
That places Gambia 25th out of 134 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 19 years of available data.
Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Gambia, year by year
| Year | % of people at risk | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 24.2% | — |
| 2004 | 20.2% | -16.5% |
| 2005 | 22.1% | +9.4% |
| 2006 | 25.6% | +15.8% |
| 2007 | 31.2% | +21.9% |
| 2008 | 22.9% | -26.6% |
| 2009 | 23.7% | +3.5% |
| 2010 | 29.7% | +25.3% |
| 2012 | 38.3% | +29.0% |
| 2013 | 44.9% | +17.2% |
| 2014 | 54.9% | +22.3% |
| 2015 | 41.2% | -25.0% |
| 2016 | 61.4% | +49.0% |
| 2017 | 53.9% | -12.2% |
| 2018 | 44.3% | -17.8% |
| 2019 | 41.2% | -7.0% |
| 2020 | 39.9% | -3.2% |
| 2021 | 51.9% | +30.1% |
| 2022 | 51.6% | -0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 24.3% | 20.2% | 31.2% | 7 |
| 2010s | 45.5% | 29.7% | 61.4% | 9 |
| 2020s | 47.8% | 39.9% | 51.9% | 3 |
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 share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Gambia?
- Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required in Gambia was 51.6% in 2022, according to Harvard Medical School Program in Global Surgery and Social Change (PGSSC), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required recorded in Gambia?
- The highest recorded value was 61.4% in 2016.
- What is the lowest share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required recorded in Gambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 20.2% in 2004.
- How does Gambia rank for share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required?
- Gambia ranks 25th out of 134 countries with data for 2022.
- Is share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required rising or falling in Gambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 34.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Gambia data come from?
- The figures come from Harvard Medical School Program in Global Surgery and Social Change (PGSSC), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population at risk of catastrophic spending when surgical care is required. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 19 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Catastrophic expenditure is defined as direct out-of-pocket payments for surgical and anaesthesia care exceeding 10% of total income.