Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Gambia instead of Iraq, you would:

Health

be 66.1% less likely to be obese

In Iraq, 30.4% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Gambia, that number is 10.3% of people as of 2016.

live 5.6 years less

In Iraq, the average life expectancy is 73 years (71 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2022. In Gambia, that number is 68 years (66 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

be 58.3% less likely to be unemployed

In Iraq, 15.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Gambia, that number is 6.5% as of 2023.

make 77.0% less money

Iraq has a GDP per capita of $12,600 as of 2023, while in Gambia, the GDP per capita is $2,900 as of 2023.

be 2.3 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Iraq, 23.0% live below the poverty line as of 2014. In Gambia, however, that number is 53.4% as of 2020.

Life

be 16.0% more likely to be literate

In Iraq, the literacy rate is 50.1% as of 2018. In Gambia, it is 58.1% as of 2021.

have 15.2% more children

In Iraq, there are approximately 23.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Gambia, there are 27.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 6.0 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Iraq, approximately 76.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Gambia, 458.0 women do as of 2020.

be 89.6% more likely to die during infancy

In Iraq, approximately 19.6 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Gambia, on the other hand, 37.2 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 34.6% less likely to have access to electricity

In Iraq, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Gambia, 65% of the population do as of 2022.

be 32.7% less likely to have internet access

In Iraq, approximately 49.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Gambia, about 33.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 40.4% less on education

Iraq spends 4.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2016. Gambia spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 49.0% less on healthcare

Iraq spends 5.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Gambia, that number is 2.6% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 37.9% more coastline

Iraq has a total of 58 km of coastline. In Gambia, that number is 80 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

Gambia: At a glance

Gambia is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 10,120 sq km. The Gambia gained its independence from the UK in 1965. Geographically surrounded by Senegal, it formed a short-lived federation of Senegambia between 1982 and 1989. In 1991 the two nations signed a friendship and cooperation treaty, but tensions have flared up intermittently since then. Yahya JAMMEH led a military coup in 1994 that overthrew the president and banned political activity. A new constitution and presidential elections in 1996, followed by parliamentary balloting in 1997, completed a nominal return to civilian rule. JAMMEH has been elected president in all subsequent elections including most recently in late 2011.
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How big is Gambia compared to Iraq? See an in-depth size comparison.

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