Population Distribution
| Total population |
2,173,999 |
| Population growth rate |
1.87% |
| Birth rate |
29.40 births per 1,000 population |
| Life expectancy |
|
| Overall |
64.09 years |
| Men |
61.78 years |
| Women |
66.47 years |
| Age structure |
|
| 0-14 years |
36.97% |
| 15-64 years |
59.47% |
| 65 years and above |
3.55% |
| Median age |
20.50 years |
| Gender ratio |
0.98 M / F |
| Population density |
192.47 residents per kmē |
| Urbanization |
26.10% |
| Cities |
|
| (Z 2013) Kanifeng (incl.Serekunda and Bakau) 382,096, Brikama 95,000, Banjul 31,301 |
| Ethnicities |
|
| approx. 44% Mandingo, 18% Fulbe, 12% Wolof, 7% Djola, 7%
Sarakole and others |
| Religions |
|
| Muslims 90%, Christians 9%, indigenous religions 1% |
| Human Development Index (HDI) |
0.466 |
| HDI ranking |
174 |
People in Gambia
More than two million people live in the Gambia.
415,000 of them live in Serrekunda, the largest city in
the country. Brikama, Bakau and Lamin are the three next
largest cities. The population is growing very rapidly -
by around four percent every year. 61 out of 100 people
in Gambia live in cities, 39 out of 100 in rural areas.
Gambia's ethic groups
Many ethic groups live in the Gambia. The Mandinka
make up the largest proportion of the population at
around 40 percent. In percentage terms, they have the
largest share in Gambia, but in terms of their number
they are even more common in Senegal, although they only
make up three percent of the population there.
Fulbe (18.8 percent), Wolof (14.6 percent) and Diola
(10.6 percent) are the next largest ethnic groups.
Serahuli represent 8.9 percent. Minorities are the Serer
(2.8 percent), Aku (1.8 percent), Manjago (0.8 percent)
and Bambara (0.7 percent).
Since the borders of the countries in West Africa
were drawn by the Europeans during the colonization,
peoples live in today's Gambia who were separated by the
border drawing. So peoples live across borders. It is
true that someone born in Gambia is a Gambian with a
Gambian passport - but one sees one's own belonging to
one's people rather than one's state. This is also
typical for all of West Africa. Wolof and Fulbe also
live in Senegal, for example.
The children in Gambia
Every woman in Gambia has an average of five
children. This is very much. With us, each woman has an
average of only 1.4 children. Children and young people
in Gambia make up a large proportion of the population.
A little more than half of the population is under 18
years old!
Infant mortality is 2.6 percent, child mortality 3.9
percent (as of 2018, ours: 0.2 and 0.3 percent). That
means: almost three out of 100 newborn children die,
almost four out of 100 do not celebrate their first
birthday. The numbers have been going down over the past
few decades, but they're still too high.
Languages in Gambia
English remained the official language in the Gambia
even after independence from Great Britain in 1965. A
total of 20 languages are spoken in Gambia, because
every people has its own language. The most widespread
is the Mandinka, as the Mandinka people are the largest
ethnic group. This is followed by Wolof, which is also
used as a commercial language, and Fulfulde, the
language of the Fulbe.
Arabic is the language of education and the language
of religion, i.e. Islam. Many Gambians also understand
and speak French.
Religions in Gambia
In Gambia, 90 percent of the population are Muslims,
so they belong to Islam. Eight percent are Christians.
About two percent officially follow the old natural
religions. This also includes voodoo. However, some
Muslims and Christians also practice this belief in
addition to their beliefs. Often there are joint events
that are then opened jointly by a priest and an imam.
The crocodile is considered a sacred animal in Gambia.
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