Share of the population with at least some formal education in Gambia
Gambia: Share of the population with at least some formal education was 52.9% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Share of the population with at least some formal education in Gambia, 1870–2020
Source: Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of the population with at least some formal education in Gambia stood at 52.9%. That is the highest value across all 31 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 31.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population with at least some formal education in Gambia peaked at 52.9% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 1.4%, in 1870.
That places Gambia 109th out of 111 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of the population with at least some formal education in Gambia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 1.4% | — |
| 1875 | 1.8% | +28.6% |
| 1880 | 2.2% | +22.2% |
| 1885 | 2.8% | +27.3% |
| 1890 | 3.6% | +28.6% |
| 1895 | 4.5% | +25.0% |
| 1900 | 5.6% | +24.4% |
| 1905 | 7.0% | +25.0% |
| 1910 | 6.7% | -4.3% |
| 1915 | 5.9% | -11.9% |
| 1920 | 5.3% | -10.2% |
| 1925 | 4.9% | -7.5% |
| 1930 | 4.6% | -6.1% |
| 1935 | 4.8% | +4.3% |
| 1940 | 4.4% | -8.3% |
| 1945 | 4.2% | -4.5% |
| 1950 | 4.4% | +4.8% |
| 1955 | 4.7% | +6.8% |
| 1960 | 5.1% | +8.5% |
| 1965 | 5.7% | +11.8% |
| 1970 | 6.2% | +8.8% |
| 1975 | 8.6% | +38.7% |
| 1980 | 11.1% | +29.1% |
| 1985 | 14.3% | +28.8% |
| 1990 | 20.9% | +46.2% |
| 1995 | 24.7% | +18.2% |
| 2000 | 27.8% | +12.6% |
| 2005 | 34.5% | +24.1% |
| 2010 | 40.1% | +16.2% |
| 2015 | 48.0% | +19.7% |
| 2020 | 52.9% | +10.2% |
Gambia compared with similar countries
- Gambia's 52.9% is below the median for low income countries, which is 64.0%, 83% of the median. (13 countries reporting)
- Gambia's 52.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 78.0%, 68% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1870s | 1.6% | 1.4% | 1.8% | 2 |
| 1880s | 2.5% | 2.2% | 2.8% | 2 |
| 1890s | 4.0% | 3.6% | 4.5% | 2 |
| 1900s | 6.3% | 5.6% | 7.0% | 2 |
| 1910s | 6.3% | 5.9% | 6.7% | 2 |
| 1920s | 5.1% | 4.9% | 5.3% | 2 |
| 1930s | 4.7% | 4.6% | 4.8% | 2 |
| 1940s | 4.3% | 4.2% | 4.4% | 2 |
| 1950s | 4.6% | 4.4% | 4.7% | 2 |
| 1960s | 5.4% | 5.1% | 5.7% | 2 |
| 1970s | 7.4% | 6.2% | 8.6% | 2 |
| 1980s | 12.7% | 11.1% | 14.3% | 2 |
| 1990s | 22.8% | 20.9% | 24.7% | 2 |
| 2000s | 31.1% | 27.8% | 34.5% | 2 |
| 2010s | 44.0% | 40.1% | 48.0% | 2 |
| 2020s | 52.9% | 52.9% | 52.9% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Gambia
More education data for Gambia
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 12,452 (2021)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 16,389 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 71,238 (2025)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 77,061 (2025)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 369,783 (2021)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 442,901 (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.4 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1569 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population with at least some formal education in Gambia?
- Share of the population with at least some formal education in Gambia was 52.9% in 2020, according to Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population with at least some formal education recorded in Gambia?
- The highest recorded value was 52.9% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of the population with at least some formal education recorded in Gambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.4% in 1870.
- How does Gambia rank for share of the population with at least some formal education?
- Gambia ranks 109th out of 111 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of the population with at least some formal education rising or falling in Gambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 31.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Gambia data come from?
- The figures come from Barro and Lee (2015); Lee and Lee (2016) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of the population with at least some formal education. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Based on the population aged 15 years and older.