Gambia, The — Unemployment
Unemployment Rate for Gambia, The, 1991–2025.
Unemployment for Gambia, The was 6.52% in 2025, according to the latest World Bank data. The series covers 35 years, from 1991 to 2025. The highest recorded value was 10.43% in 2007. The lowest was 4.05% in 2018 (about 1.6× the low point). Across that span the compound annual growth rate works out to -1.18% per year.
Gambia, The ranks 70 of 187 economies on this measure (1 = highest), putting it in the top 37%. The median for Sub-Saharan Africa is 5.45%, so Gambia, The sits above it. It peaked in 2007 and has fallen 37% since. Over the last decade (2015–2025) the figure moved down 10%. Within Sub-Saharan Africa it ranks 19 of 47 economies; Central African Republic (6.25%) is just below it. Its sharpest one-year move was up 30% in 2020. That is 11% above this series' own ten-year average.
Data highlights
World ranking. Slipped: 54th of 187 in 1991 → 72nd of 187 in 2000 → 57th of 187 in 2010 → 103rd of 187 in 2020 → 65th of 182 in 2025.
Key figures
Full history — 1991 to 2025
| Year | % of total labor force | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6.52% | +0.0 pp |
| 2024 | 6.48% | +0.0 pp |
| 2023 | 6.48% | +0.4 pp |
| 2022 | 6.07% | -0.1 pp |
| 2021 | 6.21% | +0.4 pp |
| 2020 | 5.84% | +1.4 pp |
| 2019 | 4.48% | +0.4 pp |
| 2018 | 4.06% | -1.0 pp |
| 2017 | 5.1% | -1.1 pp |
| 2016 | 6.24% | -1.0 pp |
| 2015 | 7.23% | -1.0 pp |
| 2014 | 8.19% | -1.3 pp |
| 2013 | 9.45% | -0.9 pp |
| 2012 | 10.35% | +0.1 pp |
| 2011 | 10.28% | +0.6 pp |
| 2010 | 9.67% | -0.1 pp |
| 2009 | 9.78% | -0.3 pp |
| 2008 | 10.07% | -0.4 pp |
| 2007 | 10.43% | +0.2 pp |
| 2006 | 10.24% | +0.3 pp |
| 2005 | 9.92% | -0.0 pp |
| 2004 | 9.95% | -0.0 pp |
| 2003 | 9.99% | -0.0 pp |
| 2002 | 10.04% | +0.4 pp |
| 2001 | 9.64% | -0.1 pp |
| 2000 | 9.72% | -0.0 pp |
| 1999 | 9.74% | -0.2 pp |
| 1998 | 9.9% | -0.1 pp |
| 1997 | 10% | -0.2 pp |
| 1996 | 10.19% | +0.0 pp |
| 1995 | 10.15% | +0.1 pp |
| 1994 | 10.04% | +0.1 pp |
| 1993 | 9.92% | +0.0 pp |
| 1992 | 9.89% | +0.1 pp |
| 1991 | 9.78% | — |
Frequently asked questions
What was Gambia, The’s Unemployment in 1992?
9.89% (1992). The full year-by-year table above lists every published year, most recent first.
Are changes in this series measured in percentage points?
Yes. The series is a share expressed in % of total labor force, so year-over-year movements in the Change column are percentage points (pp), not percent.
Is Gambia, The’s Unemployment growing or shrinking?
Between 1991 and 2025 the series was shrinking overall: -33.3% in total — about 1.2% a year compounded.
Where does this data come from?
World Bank Open Data (CC BY-4.0), indicator SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS. Values are reproduced as published; this page only computes summary statistics such as change, CAGR and extremes.
What are the most recent published figures?
The last five published years: 2025: 6.52%; 2024: 6.48%; 2023: 6.48%; 2022: 6.07%; 2021: 6.21%. Earlier years are in the full-history table below.
Related data
SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS — Unemployment Rate. Data licensed under CC BY 4.0. Values are reproduced as published; this page computes the summary statistics (change, CAGR, extremes) from the underlying annual series. View the original dataset on data.worldbank.org.