Society · Poverty headcount ($3.00 a day) · The Gambia
The Gambia’s poverty headcount ($3.00 a day) was 22% of population in 2020.
22% of population
2020Derived
Up 4.9 pp from 2015.
Stale — last updated 18 Oct 2026
In plain words
22% of population
What it is. This measure estimates the share of people whose daily spending falls below a fixed line, with the line set in international prices so that countries can be compared. The World Bank builds it from household surveys and fills the years between surveys by interpolation and extrapolation, so many yearly values are modelled rather than counted. It shows how many people sit under the line but says nothing about how far below they fall, how many sit just above it, or deprivation in health and schooling.
Lower is better. A lower share means fewer people cannot afford a basic standard of living, so a falling line on this measure is good news. The latest figure is 22% of population, dated 2020. Since 1998 the series has ranged from a high of 78% of population in 1998 to a low of 17.1% in 2015. The latest figure sits near the bottom of that range and far below where the series began, though still above the 2015 low.
Why it matters. At 22% of population, a large minority of Gambian households live on very little and have almost no room to absorb a rise in food or fuel prices. Families just above the line can slip under it after a poor harvest or a lost remittance. For the state, a poverty rate at this level keeps pressure on budgets for social support, schooling and health. The estimate dates from 2020, so recent price shocks are not yet reflected in it.
| Period | Poverty headcount ($3.00 a day) · The Gambia |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 78% of population |
| 2003 | 55.2% of population |
| 2010 | 34.2% of population |
| 2015 | 17.1% of population |
| 2020 | 22% of population |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0) · Licence: CC BY 4.0
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Strata-AF™ Data, Poverty headcount ($3.00 a day), The Gambia, 2020; source World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0), retrieved 18 Oct 2026; https://data.strata-af.com/society/poverty-headcount/gambia
Data insights · Worked out from the published figures
What this means
Working this out from the published figures…
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Methodology
Share of the population living on less than $3.00 a day (2021 purchasing power parity). A World Bank modelled estimate from household surveys, interpolated or extrapolated between survey years; not an official national release.
Share of the population living on less than $3.00 a day (2021 purchasing power parity). Unit: % of population.
This is a World Bank modelled estimate. It is built from household surveys and interpolated or extrapolated between survey years. It is not an official national release, and every value carries the Derived label.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (series SI.POV.DDAY), retrieved through the World Bank API and published under CC BY 4.0. Updated annually; the World Bank's own source notes apply.