Share of population living in urban areas in Gambia

Gambia: Share of population living in urban areas was 74.9% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
74.9%
World rank
114th
of 236 countries
All-time high
74.9%
in 2020
All-time low
31.2%
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of population living in urban areas in Gambia, 1950–2020

0204060801950198520201950: 31.2 %1955: 33.2 %1960: 35.5 %1965: 38 %1970: 40.7 %1975: 43.8 %1980: 46.9 %1985: 49.4 %1990: 54.9 %1995: 59 %2000: 62 %2005: 65.2 %2010: 68.9 %2015: 71.9 %2020: 74.9 %

Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Gambia recorded 74.9% for share of population living in urban areas in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.

The figure is up 8.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas in Gambia peaked at 74.9% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 31.2%, in 1950.

Gambia ranks 114th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 32.2% 31.2% 33.2% 2
1960s 36.7% 35.5% 38.0% 2
1970s 42.3% 40.7% 43.8% 2
1980s 48.1% 46.9% 49.4% 2
1990s 56.9% 54.9% 59.0% 2
2000s 63.6% 62.0% 65.2% 2
2010s 70.4% 68.9% 71.9% 2
2020s 74.9% 74.9% 74.9% 1

Countries ranked near Gambia

  1. 111 Kenya 75.3% compare
  2. 112 Angola 75.2% compare
  3. 115 Sudan 74.8% compare
  4. 116 Cameroon 74.2% compare
  5. 117 Ukraine 74.0% compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for Gambia

All data for Gambia →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in urban areas in Gambia?
Share of population living in urban areas in Gambia was 74.9% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Gambia?
The highest recorded value was 74.9% in 2020.
What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Gambia?
The lowest recorded value was 31.2% in 1950.
How does Gambia rank for share of population living in urban areas?
Gambia ranks 114th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of population living in urban areas rising or falling in Gambia?
Over the last ten years it is up 8.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Gambia data come from?
The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in urban areas
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 3,540 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.