Demographics of the Gambia

Demographics of The Gambia

Scatter plot of the population of The Gambia (in thousands) from 1963–2013
Population 1,882,450 (2013)
Density 176.1/sq km (2013)
Growth rate 38.3%
Birth rate 32.6 births/1,000 population (2013 est.)
Death rate 7.3 deaths/1,000 population (2013 est.)
Life expectancy 64.1 (2013 est.)
 • male 61.8 (2013 est.)
 • female 66.5 (2013 est.)
Fertility rate 4.0 children born/woman (2013 est.)
Infant mortality rate 67.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2013 est.)
Age structure
0–14 years 39.2% (2013 est.)
15–64 years 57.6% (2013 est.)
65 and over 3.2% (2013 est.)
Sex ratio
Total 0.98 (2013)
At birth 1.03 (2013 est.)
Under 15 1.01 (2013 est.)
15–64 years 0.96 (2013 est.)
65 and over 0.90 (2013 est.)
Nationality
Nationality Noun: Gambian
Major ethnic African (99%) (2003)
Minor ethnic Non-African (1%) (2003)
Language
Official English
Spoken Mandinka, Wolof, Fula

The demographics characteristics of the population of The Gambia are known through national censuses, conducted in ten-year intervals and analyzed by The Gambian Bureau of Statistics (GBOS) since 1963. The latest census was conducted in 2013. The population of The Gambia at the 2013 census was 1.8 million. The population density is 176.1 per square kilometer, and the overall life expectancy in The Gambia is 64.1 years. Since the first census of 1963, the population of The Gambia has increased every ten years by an average of 43.2 percent. Since 1950s, the birth rate has constantly exceeded the death rate; the natural growth rate is positive. The Gambia is in the second stage of demographic transition. In terms of age structure, The Gambia is dominated by 15- to 64-year-old segment (57.6%). The median age of the population is 19.9 years, and the gender ratio of the total population is 0.98 males per female.

Population

Historical population of The Gambia
YearPop.±%
1963 315,486—    
1973 493,499+56.4%
1983 687,817+39.4%
1993 1,038,145+50.9%
2003 1,360,681+31.1%
2013 1,882,450+38.3%
Source: The Gambia Bureau of Statistics[1]

With a population of 1.88 million in 2013, The Gambia ranks 149th in the world by population.[1] Its population density is 176.1 inhabitants per square kilometer (456.1 inhabitants per square mile).[2] The overall life expectancy in The Gambia is 64.1 years.[3] The total fertility rate of 3.98 is one of the highest in the world.[4] Since 1950, the United Nations (UN) estimated the birth rate exceeds the death rate.[5] The Gambia Bureau of Statistics (GBOS) estimates the population of The Gambia is expected to reach 3.6 million in 20 years.[1] The population of The Gambia has increased each census, starting with 315 thousand in 1963 to 1.8 million in 2013.[1] The GBOS predicted the reason for the increase from 2003 to 2013 was more coverage in the latter census compared to the former's.[6]

Vital statistics

Registration of vital events is in the Gambia not complete. The Population Department of the United Nations prepared the following estimates.[7]

Period Live births per year Deaths per year Natural change per year CBR* CDR* NC* TFR* IMR*
1950-1955 13 000 9 000 4 00043.731.312.45.29221
1955-1960 16 000 10 000 6 00048.330.617.85.46210
1960-1965 20 000 12 000 8 00050.229.720.55.70199
1965-1970 22 000 12 000 10 00050.828.222.65.96185
1970-1975 26 000 12 000 14 00052.023.928.16.20164
1975-1980 31 000 12 000 19 00052.620.132.66.34140
1980-1985 35 000 11 000 24 00050.516.434.16.29117
1985-1990 42 000 12 000 30 00048.113.734.46.14101
1990-1995 49 000 14 000 35 00046.513.133.46.0393
1995-2000 54 000 15 000 39 00044.712.232.65.8086
2000-2005 59 000 15 000 44 00042.410.931.55.4680
2005-2010 64 000 16 000 48 00039.39.829.55.1074
* CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1000); NC = natural change (per 1000); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1000 births; TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman)

Fertility Rate (The Demographic Health Survey) [8]

Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and CBR (Crude Birth Rate):

Year CBR (Total) TFR (Total) CBR (Urban) TFR (Urban) CBR (Rural) TFR (Rural)
2013 40,5 5,6 (4,7) 37,7 4,7 (4,1) 43,4 6,8 (5,6)

Structure of the population (DHS 2013) (Males 23 904, Females 25 649 = 49 553) :

Age Group Male (%) Female (%) Total (%)
0-4 18,5 16,4 17,4
5-9 16,6 15,3 15,9
10-14 12,8 12,5 12,6
15-19 10,3 10,4 10,3
20-24 8,5 9,1 8,8
25-29 6,8 8,0 7,4
30-34 5,5 6,5 6,0
35-39 4,5 4,7 4,6
40-44 3,8 3,3 3,5
45-49 2,9 2,4 2,6
50-54 2,1 4,1 3,1
55-59 1,5 1,9 1,7
60-64 2,3 1,9 2,1
65-69 1,5 1,2 1,3
70-74 1,0 0,9 1,0
75-79 0,7 0,5 0,6
80+ 0,8 1,0 0,9
Age group Male (%) Female (%) Total (%)
0-14 47,9 44,2 45,9
15-64 48,1 52,2 50,3
65+ 4,0 3,6 3,8

Fertility data as of 2013 (DHS Program):[9]

Local Government Area Total fertility rate Percentage of women age 15-49 currently pregnant Mean number of children ever born to women age 40-49
Banjul 3.9 5.8 4.3
Kanifing 4.0 5.9 5.1
Brikama 5.6 7.7 5.9
Mansakonko 6.0 9.1 7.0
Kerewan 6.3 8.8 6.9
Kuntaur 7.2 11.5 6.6
Janjanbureh 6.8 9.2 6.5
Basse 7.0 10.9 6.2

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 The Gambia Bureau of Statistics 2013, p. 6
  2. ↑ The Gambia Bureau of Statistics 2013, p. 10
  3. ↑ "Africa :: Gambia, The". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
  4. ↑ "Country Comparison :: Total Fertility Rate". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
  5. ↑ "World Population Prospects: The 2012 Revision". United Nations. Archived from the original on May 6, 2011. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
  6. ↑ The Gambia Bureau of Statistics 2013, pp. 6–7
  7. ↑ Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat, World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision Archived May 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.
  8. ↑ http://www.dhsprogram.com/
  9. ↑ http://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR289/FR289.pdf

References

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