Gambia: jobs and pay
13 answers, 4 from the Gambia's own official bodies, with a link to each figure.
What is the unemployment rate in The Gambia?
The unemployment rate was 6.2% in the first quarter of 2026, down from 8.3% a year earlier, according to the Gambia Labour Force Survey 2026 (Q1) published by the Gambia Bureau of Statistics. Labour force participation rose from 47.1% to 54.5%.
Unemployment was 7.5% for women and 5.2% for men. Under the international definition used by GBoS, a person is unemployed only if they had no work at all, were available and were looking for a job. Many people in The Gambia work in farming or petty trade, which counts as employment, so the rate does not capture underemployment. GBoS also reports that 85.8% of employment is informal.
What is youth unemployment in The Gambia?
Youth unemployment was 8.7% in the first quarter of 2026, down from 11.5% a year earlier, according to the Gambia Labour Force Survey 2026 (Q1). GBoS defines youth as people aged 15 to 35, a wider band than the 15 to 24 used in many countries.
Youth participation in the labour force rose from 40.0% to 48.3%. Adult unemployment, for people aged 36 and over, was 3.0%. Informal work is even more common among young workers: 88.6% of employed youth were in informal jobs. In the 2025 survey GBoS estimated that 41.3% of young people were not in employment, education or training.
What is the average salary in The Gambia?
Employees earned an average of GMD 9,455 a month in the first quarter of 2026, with a median of GMD 6,500, according to the Gambia Labour Force Survey 2026 (Q1). Across all workers, including the self-employed, mean monthly income was GMD 6,238 and the median GMD 3,000.
The median is the better guide to a typical income, because a small number of high earners pull the average up. Self-employed workers reported a mean of GMD 4,609 and a median of only GMD 1,750. Among employees, men earned a mean of GMD 10,058 a month and women GMD 8,031. The survey measures employment-related income reported by workers, so it is not the same as wage rates set by employers.
How many Gambians work in the informal sector?
85.8% of employment in The Gambia was informal in the first quarter of 2026, according to the Gambia Labour Force Survey 2026 (Q1) by the Gambia Bureau of Statistics. Among employed young people aged 15 to 35, the share was 88.6%.
A job is informal when it lacks basic protections such as a written contract, social security contributions or paid leave, or when the business is not registered. Informal work includes most farming, street trade and domestic work. GBoS reports that agriculture accounts for 17.8% of total employment, and that 97.7% of agricultural jobs are informal. The report also breaks down informality by sex, area and sector.
International comparisons
The figures below use one definition for every country, so they can differ from national figures.
How much is the minimum wage in the Gambia?
According to the ILO, the statutory minimum wage in the Gambia was 1,300 GMD a month (about $19) in 2024. The figure has been the same every year since 2012.
What is the average monthly salary in the Gambia?
In 2018, average monthly earnings of employees in the Gambia was $83 a month, according to the ILO. Across Sub-Saharan Africa the middle value was $264 a month, and the Gambia placed 9th highest of 9. Worldwide: 98th of 98.
What is the Gambia's unemployment rate?
In 2025, the unemployment rate in the Gambia was 6.5%, according to the ILO. Its high point since 2005 was 2007, at 10.4%; its low point was 2018, at 4.1%. Sub-Saharan Africa median: 5.2%; the Gambia is 17th highest of 45. World rank, highest first: 62nd of 174.
What is youth unemployment in the Gambia?
10.9%: that is unemployment among 15 to 24 year olds in the Gambia for 2025, according to the ILO. Its high point since 2005 was 2007, at 14.9%; its low point was 2018, at 7.2%. It is 18th highest of 45 in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the median is 8.8%. Worldwide: 96th of 174.
What is the labour force participation rate in the Gambia?
In 2025, the labour force participation rate in the Gambia was 47.5%, according to the ILO. That is the lowest since at least 2005. It is 42nd highest of 45 in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the median is 64.3%. Of 174 countries with 2025 data, 156th highest.
How many women in the Gambia are working or looking for work?
In 2025, the labour force participation rate for women in the Gambia was 45.5%, according to the ILO. The peak was 45.5% in 2010 and the low 44.4% in 2016. Sub-Saharan Africa median: 57.3%; the Gambia is 39th highest of 45. Of 174 countries with 2025 data, 128th highest.
What is the employment rate in the Gambia?
The latest figure from the ILO, for 2025, is 44.4%. Since 2005 it has ranged from 43.0% (2012) to 45.8% (2018). Across Sub-Saharan Africa the middle value was 58.8%, and the Gambia placed 39th highest of 45. Of 174 countries with 2025 data, 151st highest.
What is vulnerable employment in the Gambia?
The latest figure from the ILO, for 2025, is 63.5%. It is the bottom of the series, which starts in 2005. It is 27th highest of 45 in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the median is 67.6%. Worldwide: 35th of 174.
What share of workers in the Gambia earn a wage or salary?
According to the ILO, the share of workers who are paid employees in the Gambia was 31.4% in 2025. That is the highest since at least 2005. Across Sub-Saharan Africa the middle value was 29.0%, and the Gambia placed 20th highest of 45. Of 174 countries with 2025 data, 140th highest.
Official bodies in the Gambia
More about the Gambia
Read on 14 October 2026. Definitions · Report an error