Population
Today, the population of The Gambia is over 1.6 million. Like most of sub-Saharan Africa, Gambian lifestyle is predominantly rural, with 70 percent of the population living outside of urban centers. Yet, urbanization is high in The Gambia, as more and more young people come to the capital in search of work and education. A significant portion of the population lives in Sierra Kunda, however, the capital city of Banjul as well as the urban center of Birkama boast sizable populations.
Ethnicity
A wide variety of ethno-linguistic groups live side by side in The Gambia with a minimum of inter-ethnic friction, each preserving its own traditions. The Mandinka ethno-lingusitic group is the largest, followed by the Fula (also referred to as Fulani, Peul, and Pulaar) and Wolof. The Jola and the Serahuli are also sizable minority groups in the Gambia. In addition to the indigenous population, there are foreign residents from neighboring African countries, such as Senegal, Sierra Leone and Guinea, in The Gambia. As well, a significant number of non-Africans live in The Gambia, including Europeans and many families of Lebanese origin.
Language
English is the official language, however, there are several indigenous languages that are represented in the Gambia, which tend to correspond with specific ethnic groups. Some of the main languages include Mandinka, Wolof, and Fula (also referred to as Fulani, Peul, and Pulaar). Other languages include Serer, Serahuli (also known as Soninke), Mandjak and Jola.
Religion
Approximately 90 percent of the population is Muslim. The remainder are from one of several Christian denominations. Gambians officially observe the holidays of both religions and practice religious tolerance.
Education
Education remains underdeveloped. Schooling is not compulsory, and only about one-third of all primary-school-age children are enrolled. About 60 percent of the population is illiterate, according to recent estimates. The 40.1 percent average literacy rate, however, belies the wide gender divide in which illiteracy among women in rampant. The literacy rate for men is 47.8 percent and the literacy rate for women is 32.8 percent. While the news media is government-owned, they enjoy considerable freedom to express political views. Nonetheless, they do not provide a valued source of education.
About two percent of GDP in this country is spent on educational expenditures.
Health and Welfare
The population's birth and death rates are high even for western Africa and the infant mortality rate, at 68.72 deaths per 1,000 live births, is one of the higher rates in western Africa. The life expectancy of 63.51 years of age (61.23 for males and 65.86 for females) -- according to recent estimates -- is below average for the region. The government has expressed great concern over the high rate of population growth and has taken steps to develop a nationwide family-planning program. Farm laborers from Senegal, Guinea and Mali seasonally increase The Gambia's population.
The risk of infectious diseases in this country is very high. Food or waterborne diseases include bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever; vectorborne diseases include malaria and chikungunya; water contact diseases include schistosomiasis; animal contact diseases include rabies.
At 1.2 percent of the population, HIV/AIDS is not as large of a problem in The Gambia as it is for many of its neighbors, but it is still well above the global average. The past few years have seen a marked rise in the number of cases, bringing alarm to health care workers. Especially of concern was the increase of the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in antenatal women from .1 percent in 1990 to one percent in 1997.
Note: About 10.1 percent of GDP in this country is spent on health expenditures.
Human Development
One notable indicator used to measure a country's quality of life is the Human Development Index (HDI), which is compiled annually since 1990 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The HDI is a composite of several indicators, which measure a country's achievements in three main areas of human development: longevity, knowledge and education, as well as economic standard of living. In a ranking of 169 countries and territories, the HDI places Gambia in the low human development category, at 151st place. Note: Although the concept of human development is complicated and cannot be properly captured by values and indices, the HDI, which is calculated and updated annually, offers a wide-ranging assessment of human development in certain countries, not based solely upon traditional economic and financial indicators.
Written by Dr. Denise Youngblood Coleman, Editor in Chief, www.countrywatch.com; see Bibliograpy for list of research sources.