Gambia

Current head of state

Adama Barrow President of the Gambia In office 2017–present · 9.6y PartyNational Reconciliation Party Born 1965 · took office at 51 Марсель Бадышкин · CC BY 4.0

Adama Barrow

President of the Gambia

Since 2017 9.6 years in office

Governance indicator

-0.35

−2.50+2.5

World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, composite of six dimensions · 2024

Chamber

Member of the National Assembly of Gambia

Seats

—

Speaker

—

Active alliances

25

1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020

Dawda Kairaba Jawara Dawda Kairaba Jawara President of the Gambia In office 1970–1994 · 24.2y PartyPeople's Progressive Party Born 1924 · took office at 45 Fernando Pereira / Anefo · CC BY-SA 3.0 nl

Yahya Jammeh Yahya Jammeh President of the Gambia In office 1996–2017 · 20.3y PartyAlliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction Born 1965 · took office at 31 Office of the White House (Amanda Lucidon) · Public domain

Adama Barrow Adama Barrow President of the Gambia In office 2017–present · 9.6y PartyNational Reconciliation Party Born 1965 · took office at 51 Марсель Бадышкин · CC BY 4.0

1994-07-24

Term Began with a realized coup In office Realized coup — dated

The scale spans every dated record held for this country, so it may begin before the first leader on file — a gap at the left means coups are recorded for years where no office-holder is. Coup markers link to the Cline Center source.

1. 2017– Adama Barrow President of the Gambia In office 2017–present · 9.6y PartyNational Reconciliation Party Born 1965 · took office at 51 Марсель Бадышкин · CC BY 4.0 Adama Barrow In office 9.6y
2. 1996–2017 Yahya Jammeh President of the Gambia In office 1996–2017 · 20.3y PartyAlliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction Born 1965 · took office at 31 Office of the White House (Amanda Lucidon) · Public domain Yahya Jammeh 20.3y
3. 1970–1994 Dawda Kairaba Jawara President of the Gambia In office 1970–1994 · 24.2y PartyPeople's Progressive Party Born 1924 · took office at 45 Fernando Pereira / Anefo · CC BY-SA 3.0 nl Dawda Kairaba Jawara 24.2y

• 1994
  1994-07-24 Military Leader fled

Source: Cline Center Coup d’État Project — realized events only.

• 2022
  Gambia (The) National Assembly April 2022 Election National People's Party (NPP)1834% United Democratic Party (UDP)1528.3% Independents1222.6% National Reconciliation Party (NRP)47.5%

  Seats

  53

  Turnout

  not recorded

  Women

  8.6%

  Parties won

  5

• 2017
  Gambia (The) National Assembly April 2017 Election United Democratic Party (UDP)3158.5% Alliance for Patriotic Re-Orientation and Construction (APRC)59.4% Gambia Democratic Congress (GDC)59.4% National Reconciliation Party (NRP)59.4%

  Seats

  53

  Turnout

  42.8%

  Women

  10.3%

  Parties won

  6

• 2012
  Gambia (The) National Assembly March 2012 Election

  Seats

  —

  Turnout

  not recorded

  Women

  —

  Parties won

  —

• 2007
  Gambia (The) National Assembly January 2007 Election

  Seats

  —

  Turnout

  not recorded

  Women

  —

  Parties won

  —

• 2002
  Gambia (The) National Assembly January 2002 Election

  Seats

  —

  Turnout

  not recorded

  Women

  —

  Parties won

  —

• 1997
  Gambia (The) National Assembly January 1997 Election

  Seats

  —

  Turnout

  not recorded

  Women

  —

  Parties won

  —

• 1992
  Gambia (The) National Assembly April 1992 Election

  Seats

  —

  Turnout

  not recorded

  Women

  —

  Parties won

  —

• 1987
  Gambia (The) National Assembly March 1987 Election

  Seats

  —

  Turnout

  not recorded

  Women

  —

  Parties won

  —

• 1982
  Gambia (The) National Assembly May 1982 Election

  Seats

  —

  Turnout

  not recorded

  Women

  —

  Parties won

  —

• 1977
  Gambia (The) National Assembly April 1977 Election

  Seats

  —

  Turnout

  not recorded

  Women

  —

  Parties won

  —

• 1972
  Gambia (The) National Assembly March 1972 Election

  Seats

  —

  Turnout

  not recorded

  Women

  —

  Parties won

  —

Source: ipu_parline.

Fertility rate

3.9 2024

Life expectancy at birth

66.1 2024

Population growth

2.3 2024

Total population

2.8M 2024

Urban population percent

64.3 2024

Adult literacy rate

51.6 2021

Government expenditure on education percent of GDP

2.8 2023

Primary net enrollment ratio

76.8 2018

Ethnic groups

Religion

Languages

• English
• Mandinka
• Wolof
• Fula
• other indigenous vernaculars

Composition: CIA World Factbook, 2019 estimate. Shares are reproduced as published and are not renormalised, so a country may total slightly under or over 100%.

Regional & continental

• AfCFTA
• African Union
• ECOWAS
• OIC 1974

Global bodies & treaties

• African Development Bank
• African Groundnut Council
• Commonwealth of Nations left 2013
• Commonwealth of Nations
• International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
• International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes
• International Development Association
• International Finance Corporation
• International Telecommunication Union
• Interpol
• Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency
• Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
• Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States
• Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons
• UNESCO
• United Nations
• United Nations–African Union Hybrid Operation in Darfur
• Universal Postal Union
• World Customs Organization
• World Health Organization
• World Meteorological Organization
• World Trade Organization

• ICJ 2020 decided

  Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (The Gambia v. Myanmar)

  Genocide Convention

Register

Every party the observatory holds for this country, historical and current — the register is not filtered to parties currently holding seats.

• Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction APRC authoritarianism; religious conservatism Yahya Jammeh
• All Peoples Party
• Citizens’ Alliance
• Democratic Congress Alliance
• Democratic Party
• Gambia Action Party
• Gambia Alliance for National Unity
• Gambia Democratic Congress Third Way; social democracy
• Gambia For All
• Gambia Moral Congress Mai Fatty
• Gambia National Party Kebba W. Foon
• Gambian People's Party
• Gambia Party for Democracy and Progress
• Gambia Socialist Revolutionary Party
• Muslim Congress Party
• National Alliance for Democracy and Development
• National Convention Party Sheriff Mustapha Dibba
• National Democratic Action Movement
• National People's Party
• National Reconciliation Party populism Hamat Bah
• National Unity Party Ousman Jammeh
• People's Democratic Organisation for Independence and Socialism anti-imperialism; socialism Sidia Jatta
• People's Progressive Party
• United Democratic Party constitutionalism; liberal democracy; social liberalism Ousainou Darboe
• United Party Pierre Sarr N'Jie

Census, population and demographic documents the observatory has located for this country. These are links to the publishers’ own files — the library does not rehost them.

• Gambia - Demographic, Health, Education and Transport indicators — Indicators_data_GM hdx csv
• Gambia - Subnational Demographic and Health Data — IYCF Data for Gambia hdx csv
• Gambia - Subnational Demographic and Health Data — Access to Health Care Data for Gambia hdx csv
• Gambia - Subnational Demographic and Health Data — Anthropometry Data for Gambia hdx csv
• Gambia - Subnational Demographic and Health Data — Birth Registration Data for Gambia hdx csv
• Gambia - Subnational Demographic and Health Data — SDGs Data for Gambia hdx csv
• Gambia - Subnational Demographic and Health Data — PMI/RBM Data for Gambia hdx csv
• Gambia - Subnational Demographic and Health Data — MICS indicators Data for Gambia hdx csv
• Gambia - Subnational Demographic and Health Data — DHS Mobile Data for Gambia hdx csv
• Gambia - Subnational Demographic and Health Data — DHS Quickstats Data for Gambia hdx csv
• Gambia - Subnational Demographic and Health Data — FP2020 Data for Gambia hdx csv
• Gambia - Subnational Demographic and Health Data — MDGs Data for Gambia hdx csv
• Gambia - Subnational Demographic and Health Data — Anemia Data for Gambia hdx csv
• Gambia - National Demographic and Health Data — FP2020 Data for Gambia hdx csv
• Gambia - National Demographic and Health Data — Anthropometry Data for Gambia hdx csv
• Gambia - National Demographic and Health Data — DHS Mobile Data for Gambia hdx csv
• Gambia - National Demographic and Health Data — MICS indicators Data for Gambia hdx csv
• Gambia - National Demographic and Health Data — SDGs Data for Gambia hdx csv
• Gambia - National Demographic and Health Data — MDGs Data for Gambia hdx csv
• Gambia - National Demographic and Health Data — DHS Quickstats Data for Gambia hdx csv
• Gambia - National Demographic and Health Data — Access to Health Care Data for Gambia hdx csv
• Gambia - National Demographic and Health Data — Adult Mortality Data for Gambia hdx csv
• Gambia - National Demographic and Health Data — IYCF Data for Gambia hdx csv
• Gambia - National Demographic and Health Data — Anemia Data for Gambia hdx csv