Where Gambians move
72.5K Gambians live abroad — #157 largest source of emigrants worldwide
Considering a move from the Gambia? — See top destinations, regional flows, and how it's changed since 1990.
Where emigrants go
The top 3 countries receive 85% of all emigrants
↑↓ — change vs 2020
| Country | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| Spain | 29653 |
| Italy | 26164 |
| Senegal | 5764 |
| Ghana | 2109 |
| Mali | 1629 |
| Norway | 1392 |
| Togo | 1079 |
| Finland | 1062 |
| Guinea-Bissau | 917 |
| Denmark | 733 |
| Liberia | 519 |
| Sierra Leone | 487 |
| Guinea | 259 |
| Portugal | 144 |
| Australia | 141 |
| Namibia | 93 |
| Luxembourg | 88 |
| Brazil | 78 |
| Greece | 52 |
| Iceland | 29 |
| Slovenia | 22 |
| Hungary | 15 |
| Bulgaria | 12 |
| Cape Verde | 4 |
| Slovakia | 4 |
| Estonia | 2 |
| Latvia | 1 |
| Lithuania | 0 |
| Liechtenstein | 0 |
By destination region
Europe is the leading destination region at 82%
59.4K
12.9K
141
78
Interesting facts
Notable statistics about emigration from the Gambia.
The share of emigrants going to Africa has declined since 1990
The share of emigrants going to Africa has shifted from 92.8% to 17.7% since 1990.
Spain is the primary destination for emigrants
Spain attracts 41% of all emigrants from the Gambia, while the second-largest destination receives just 36%.
Spain is the fastest-growing major destination
Emigration to Spain has increased by 61% since 2015, rising from 18.4K to 29.7K in 9 years.
Emigration has accelerated notably since 2020
The emigrant population grew 18% from 61.4K to 72.5K, indicating an acceleration in emigration flows following COVID and recent geopolitical shifts.
How emigration changed over time
Total emigrant population by year
| Year | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 14218 |
| 1995 | 16789 |
| 2000 | 19940 |
| 2005 | 27073 |
| 2010 | 34151 |
| 2015 | 38925 |
| 2020 | 61390 |
| 2024 | 72452 |
Top destinations over time
Emigration to the 5 largest destination countries
| Year | Spain | Italy | Senegal | Ghana | Mali |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0 | 112 | 4263 | 19 | 595 |
| 1995 | 1578 | 190 | 4458 | 19 | 621 |
| 2000 | 4871 | 307 | 4029 | 21 | 570 |
| 2005 | 11940 | 983 | 4335 | 30 | 2333 |
| 2010 | 18817 | 1075 | 4849 | 1337 | 1006 |
| 2015 | 18367 | 4921 | 5386 | 1645 | 1237 |
| 2020 | 23430 | 21662 | 5622 | 1888 | 1451 |
| 2024 | 29653 | 26164 | 5764 | 2109 | 1629 |
Fastest-changing destinations
How emigration to each country has changed since the selected year
Gambia as an emigration source
Share of immigrants in each country who originate from the Gambia