Life in The Gambia
The Gambia a small fragile country in West Africa, is one of the poorest countries in the world, ranked 173rd out of 185 countries in 2019 by USA Today.
With a population of 2.1 million (2016) it is one of the most densely populated countries in Africa. Most of the population (57%) is concentrated around urban and peri-urban centers.
The Gambia’s small economy relies primarily on tourism, rain-dependent agriculture and remittances, and is vulnerable to external shocks.
Mortality facts:
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Average life expectancy at birth is 61.4 years
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One in every 29 children die before their first birthday
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One in every 19 children die before their fifth birthday
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Approximately 8% of children under the age of 18 years are orphaned with one or both parents not living
Living Conditions:
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63% of households use shared toilet facilities
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25% of households cook outside
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54% of households still collect water on a daily basis and over 20% of households living in rural areas travel 30 minutes or more (round trip) to obtain drinking water
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55% households have access to electricity, but....only 13% of rural homes have electricity
Personal hygiene facts:
• 81% of households have only water and no soap
• 39% of households have either no soap or water
• 13% of households have no water, soap, or cleansing agent
Height and weight status of children:
• 12% of children are wasted
•. 16% of children are underweight
•. 4% of children are severely underweight
•. Rural children are more likely to be underweight (21%) than urban children (11%)
•. Only 3% of children are overweight
• 26% of male children are stunted and 23% of female children
