World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Gambia fits inside the median country 9.9 times
Gambia: 11,295 km² (2024) · World median: 111,370 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
The median country’s coastline is 5.5 times as long as the Gambia’s
Gambia: 80 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The median country’s highest peak towers 2,272 m above the Gambia’s
Gambia: 63 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 76% of the Gambia, versus 38% of the median country
Gambia: 76.1% (2024) · World median: 37.8% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The median country has 2.6 times as many people as the Gambia
Gambia: 2.82 million (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Gambia is 2.8 times as densely populated as the median country
Gambia: 279 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the median country are 5.2 cm taller than in the Gambia
Gambia: 168.4 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the Gambia are 1.2 cm taller than in the median country
Gambia: 161.7 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the median country is 13 years older than in the Gambia
Gambia: 18.2 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the Gambia have 2.0 more children on average than in the median country
Gambia: 3.91 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.6% of people in the median country are 65 or older, versus 3.2% in the Gambia
Gambia: 3.2% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
The Gambia hosts 77% more refugees per resident than the median country
Gambia: 1.5 per 1,000 (2025) · World median: 0.8 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The Gambia and the median country are practically level
Gambia: 0 (2026) · World median: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
The Gambia and the median country are practically level
Gambia: 1 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The median country’s economy is 18 times the size of the Gambia’s
Gambia: $2.59 billion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The median country produces 5.7 times as much per person as the Gambia
Gambia: Int$3,706 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the Gambia than in the median country (Gini 4.4 points higher)
Gambia: 38.8 (2020) · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
22% of people in the Gambia live on less than $3 a day, versus 1.6% in the median country
Gambia: 22% (2020) · World median: 1.6% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.5% in the Gambia, versus 5.1% in the median country
Gambia: 6.5% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The median country spends 1.8% of its GDP on the military, the Gambia 0.6%
Gambia: 0.6% (2025) · World median: 1.8% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Gambia: no data · World median: 17% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The median country’s price level (US = 100) is 1.8× the Gambia’s
Gambia: 25% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The median country spends 18 times as much on health per person as the Gambia
Gambia: $26 (2023) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the median country live 8.6 years longer than in the Gambia
Gambia: 66.1 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the Gambia is 2.6 times as likely to die before turning one as in the median country
Gambia: 32.7 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The median country has 19 times as many doctors per person as the Gambia
Gambia: 0.1 per 1,000 (2023) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
The median country has 2.2 times as many hospital beds per person as the Gambia
Gambia: 1.1 per 1,000 (2023) · World median: 2.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in the Gambia is 36% higher than in the median country
Gambia: 13.6 per 100k (2023) · World median: 10 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in the median country are obese, versus 11% in the Gambia
Gambia: 11.2% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
19% of adults in the median country smoke, versus 11% in the Gambia
Gambia: 11.1% (2024) · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the median country rate their lives 1.53 points higher than in the Gambia
Gambia: 4.31 (2025) · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the median country drink 9 times as much alcohol as in the Gambia
Gambia: 0.5 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The median country has 2.9 times as much meat per person as the Gambia
Gambia: 19.1 kg (2023) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The median country has 535 kcal more food per person per day than the Gambia
Gambia: 2,402 kcal (2023) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Gambia: no data · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the median country went to school 5.3 years longer than in the Gambia
Gambia: 4.7 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The median country welcomed 59% more tourists per resident than the Gambia (2019)
Gambia: 0.22 (2022) · World median: 0.34 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
The median country has 1 more World Heritage site than the Gambia (3 against 2)
Gambia: 2 (2026) · World median: 3 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
The median country has won 4 Olympic medals, the Gambia none
Gambia: 0 (2026 edition) · World median: 4 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
82% of people in the median country are online, versus 49% in the Gambia
Gambia: 49% (2024) · World median: 82% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the median country is 6.9 times as fast as in the Gambia
Gambia: 23 Mbps (2026) · World median: 161 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the median country have electricity, versus 69% in the Gambia
Gambia: 69% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
65% of people in the Gambia live in cities, versus 64% in the median country
Gambia: 65% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The Gambia has 126 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the median country 115
Gambia: 126 (2024) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Gambia: no data · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the median country fly 6.1 times as many passengers per resident as those from the Gambia
Gambia: 0.04 (2019) · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 33% of the median country, but only 21% of the Gambia
Gambia: 21.3% (2024) · World median: 32.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the median country emits 10 times as much CO₂ as someone in the Gambia
Gambia: 0.3 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
31% of the median country’s electricity is renewable, versus 0% in the Gambia
Gambia: 0% (2024) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the Gambia carries 2.2 times as much fine dust as in the median country
Gambia: 35.7 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Gambia: no data · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the Gambia are 61% deadlier than in the median country
Gambia: 29.9 per 100k (2023) · World median: 18.6 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The Gambia is on average 5.1 °C warmer than the median country
Gambia: 28.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The median country gets 31% more rain than the Gambia
Gambia: 774 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the Gambia bigger than the median country?
The median country is larger. The Gambia fits inside the median country 9.9 times.
Which has more people, the Gambia or the median country?
The median country has 2.6 times as many people as the Gambia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the Gambia or the median country?
People in the median country live 8.6 years longer than in the Gambia. Life expectancy at birth is 66.1 years in the Gambia and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in the Gambia or the median country?
Men in the median country are 5.2 cm taller than in the Gambia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
