Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Gambia
Gambia: Medical doctors per 1,000 people was 0.09 per 1,000 people in 2023. ▲ Rising
Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Gambia, 1960–2023
Source: World Health Organization (Global Health Workforce Statistics), OECD, and country data, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in per 1,000 people.
Analysis
In 2023, medical doctors per 1,000 people in Gambia stood at 0.09 per 1,000 people.
That represents a change of down 13.5% on the previous year and down 6.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, medical doctors per 1,000 people in Gambia peaked at 0.124 per 1,000 people in 2018 and was at its lowest, 0.016 per 1,000 people, in 1993.
That places Gambia 184th out of 194 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 20 years of available data.
Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Gambia, year by year
| Year | per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 0.043 per 1,000 people | — |
| 1970 | 0.041 per 1,000 people | -4.7% |
| 1975 | 0.04 per 1,000 people | -2.4% |
| 1985 | 0.081 per 1,000 people | +102.5% |
| 1993 | 0.016 per 1,000 people | -80.2% |
| 1997 | 0.035 per 1,000 people | +118.8% |
| 2003 | 0.099 per 1,000 people | +182.9% |
| 2004 | 0.102 per 1,000 people | +3.0% |
| 2005 | 0.1 per 1,000 people | -2.0% |
| 2006 | 0.102 per 1,000 people | +2.0% |
| 2007 | 0.09 per 1,000 people | -11.8% |
| 2008 | 0.096 per 1,000 people | +6.7% |
| 2015 | 0.096 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.099 per 1,000 people | +3.1% |
| 2018 | 0.124 per 1,000 people | +25.3% |
| 2019 | 0.077 per 1,000 people | -37.9% |
| 2020 | 0.078 per 1,000 people | +1.3% |
| 2021 | 0.104 per 1,000 people | +33.3% |
| 2022 | 0.104 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 0.09 per 1,000 people | -13.5% |
Gambia compared with similar countries
- Gambia's 0.09 per 1,000 people is below the median for low income countries, which is 0.1455 per 1,000 people, 62% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Gambia's 0.09 per 1,000 people is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.188 per 1,000 people, 48% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Gambia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | +182.9% | 0.035 per 1,000 people | 0.099 per 1,000 people |
| 1997 | +118.8% | 0.016 per 1,000 people | 0.035 per 1,000 people |
| 1985 | +102.5% | 0.04 per 1,000 people | 0.081 per 1,000 people |
| 1993 | -80.2% | 0.081 per 1,000 people | 0.016 per 1,000 people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.043 per 1,000 people | 0.043 per 1,000 people | 0.043 per 1,000 people | 1 |
| 1970s | 0.0405 per 1,000 people | 0.04 per 1,000 people | 0.041 per 1,000 people | 2 |
| 1980s | 0.081 per 1,000 people | 0.081 per 1,000 people | 0.081 per 1,000 people | 1 |
| 1990s | 0.0255 per 1,000 people | 0.016 per 1,000 people | 0.035 per 1,000 people | 2 |
| 2000s | 0.0982 per 1,000 people | 0.09 per 1,000 people | 0.102 per 1,000 people | 6 |
| 2010s | 0.099 per 1,000 people | 0.077 per 1,000 people | 0.124 per 1,000 people | 4 |
| 2020s | 0.094 per 1,000 people | 0.078 per 1,000 people | 0.104 per 1,000 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Gambia
More health data for Gambia
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.27 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.15 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,044 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 700 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.9696 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0686 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.9636 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is medical doctors per 1,000 people in Gambia?
- Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Gambia was 0.09 per 1,000 people in 2023, according to World Health Organization (Global Health Workforce Statistics), OECD, and country data, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest medical doctors per 1,000 people recorded in Gambia?
- The highest recorded value was 0.124 per 1,000 people in 2018.
- What is the lowest medical doctors per 1,000 people recorded in Gambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.016 per 1,000 people in 1993.
- How does Gambia rank for medical doctors per 1,000 people?
- Gambia ranks 184th out of 194 countries with data for 2023.
- Is medical doctors per 1,000 people rising or falling in Gambia?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Gambia data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization (Global Health Workforce Statistics), OECD, and country data, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Medical doctors per 1,000 people. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).