Urban population growth in Gambia
Gambia: Urban population growth was 3.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Urban population growth in Gambia, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for urban population growth in Gambia is 3.3%, measured in 2025.
The figure is up 7.8% on the previous year and down 13.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population growth in Gambia peaked at 11.3% in 1977 and was at its lowest, 1.1%, in 1961.
Gambia ranks 38th of 217 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Urban population growth in Gambia, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.1% | — |
| 1962 | 1.7% | +52.3% |
| 1963 | 2.5% | +47.5% |
| 1964 | 4.5% | +76.3% |
| 1965 | 6.6% | +48.4% |
| 1966 | 8.2% | +24.4% |
| 1967 | 9.4% | +13.8% |
| 1968 | 10.1% | +7.3% |
| 1969 | 10.3% | +2.7% |
| 1970 | 10.3% | -0.3% |
| 1971 | 10.1% | -2.2% |
| 1972 | 9.7% | -3.8% |
| 1973 | 9.3% | -4.1% |
| 1974 | 9.9% | +6.4% |
| 1975 | 10.9% | +10.0% |
| 1976 | 11.3% | +3.8% |
| 1977 | 11.3% | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 11.0% | -2.9% |
| 1979 | 10.4% | -4.9% |
| 1980 | 9.7% | -6.7% |
| 1981 | 8.8% | -9.1% |
| 1982 | 7.9% | -10.8% |
| 1983 | 6.9% | -12.1% |
| 1984 | 6.4% | -8.4% |
| 1985 | 6.1% | -4.6% |
| 1986 | 5.8% | -3.8% |
| 1987 | 5.7% | -2.4% |
| 1988 | 5.6% | -1.0% |
| 1989 | 5.7% | +0.6% |
| 1990 | 5.8% | +1.9% |
| 1991 | 5.9% | +2.6% |
| 1992 | 6.0% | +1.3% |
| 1993 | 5.9% | -1.6% |
| 1994 | 5.9% | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 6.1% | +3.6% |
| 1996 | 6.3% | +3.1% |
| 1997 | 6.4% | +1.1% |
| 1998 | 6.4% | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 6.2% | -2.4% |
| 2000 | 5.9% | -4.2% |
| 2001 | 5.6% | -5.8% |
| 2002 | 5.2% | -7.4% |
| 2003 | 4.7% | -8.5% |
| 2004 | 4.5% | -5.1% |
| 2005 | 4.4% | -1.9% |
| 2006 | 4.4% | -1.1% |
| 2007 | 4.3% | -1.2% |
| 2008 | 4.2% | -1.9% |
| 2009 | 4.2% | -1.7% |
| 2010 | 4.1% | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 4.1% | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 4.1% | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 4.1% | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 3.9% | -2.6% |
| 2015 | 3.8% | -3.6% |
| 2016 | 3.7% | -3.6% |
| 2017 | 3.5% | -3.7% |
| 2018 | 3.4% | -3.8% |
| 2019 | 3.3% | -2.9% |
| 2020 | 3.3% | -0.6% |
| 2021 | 3.2% | -1.0% |
| 2022 | 3.2% | -2.5% |
| 2023 | 3.1% | -1.6% |
| 2024 | 3.1% | -1.9% |
| 2025 | 3.3% | +7.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 6.1% | 1.1% | 10.3% | 9 |
| 1970s | 10.4% | 9.3% | 11.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.9% | 5.6% | 9.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.1% | 5.8% | 6.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.7% | 4.2% | 5.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.8% | 3.3% | 4.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.2% | 3.1% | 3.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Gambia
- 35 Georgia 3.3% compare
- 36 Nigeria 3.3% compare
- 37 Guinea-Bissau 3.3% compare
- 39 Sierra Leone 3.3% compare
- 40 Senegal 3.3% compare
- 41 Lao People's Democratic Republic 3.2% compare
More climate change data for Gambia
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 1,177 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 380.7 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 795.99 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 1.44 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 28.43 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 275.94 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 74.92 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 201.03 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.2827 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 7.18 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population growth in Gambia?
- Urban population growth in Gambia was 3.3% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population growth recorded in Gambia?
- The highest recorded value was 11.3% in 1977.
- What is the lowest urban population growth recorded in Gambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.1% in 1961.
- How does Gambia rank for urban population growth?
- Gambia ranks 38th out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population growth rising or falling in Gambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Gambia data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual urban population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear urban population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank total population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects.