By: Kebba Ansu Manneh
The Gambia Bureau of Statistics has reported that the country’s population has reached an impressive 2,422,712, marking an increase of over 300,000 since the last census in 2013. However, according to the World Population Review, the current population is 2,770,371.
This announcement was made at the launch of the 2024 Population and Housing Census preliminary report on Wednesday at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Center by Muhamadou Jallow, Vice President of the Republic of The Gambia, who presided over the launching ceremony.
The preliminary report indicated that one million two hundred and forty-four (1.24 million) comprised the female population, while the male population stood at one million one hundred and nine thousand (1.19 million), representing 52 percent females and 49 percent males.
The report continues to reveal that the Brikama Administrative Region remains the most populated Local Government Area in the country, hosting 47.5 percent of the population, while Kanifing, Banjul, Mansakonko, Kerewan, Kuntaur, Janjanbureh, and Basse respectfully stood at 15.7 percent, 1.1 percent, 3.7 percent, 10.3 percent, 4.9 percent, 6.1 percent, and 10.8 percent of the population, respectively.
The report also highlighted that Gambians make up the majority of The Gambia’s population, adding that Senegalese nationals remain the largest foreign nationals in the country at 1.7 percent (40, 849), followed by Guineans at 1.5 percent (36, 077), while other nationals, including Nigerians, Sierra Leoneans, and others, each represent 1 percent of the population.
The report also outlined that household sizes in The Gambia differ significantly by Local Government Area, noting that Banjul has the smallest average size, at 4.6, while Kuntaur and Basse have much larger sizes, 10.7 and 12, respectively. The national average household size stands at 8.0.
The report also stipulated that the total population of Mandinkas was 34.4 percent of the total population, Fulas was 25.0 percent, Wollof was 15.4 percent, Jola was 9.5 percent, Sarahule was 8.2 percent, Serere was 2.9 percent, Aku was 0.4 percent, Manjago was 1.7 percent, Bambara was 1.2 percent, and others were 1.3 percent of the total population of 2, 422, 712 people.
