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News release

Gambians decry economic conditions, say the country is heading in the wrong direction

17 Apr 2023 Gambia
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News release
Key findings
  • Almost eight in 10 Gambians (79%) say the country is heading in “the wrong direction,” a 50-percentage-point increase since 2018 (29%) (Figure 1).
  • ewer than two in 10 Gambians (17%) describe the country’s economic condition as “fairly good” or “very good,” a 41-point drop since 2018 (58%) (Figure 2).
  • Only about one-third (32%) of Gambians describe their personal living conditions as “fairly good” or “very good,” a 34-percentage point drop since 2018 (66%) (Figure 3).
  • Three-fourths (75%) of Gambians say economic conditions in the country have gotten “worse or “much worse” over the last year, and only 25% expect things to improve over the next 12 months (Figure 4).

A large majority of Gambians say their country is heading in the wrong direction, and few believe that economic conditions will improve in the next year, the latest Afrobarometer survey shows.

Only one in three citizens view their personal living conditions as good, and even fewer assess the country’s economic condition favourably.

Gambia is currently developing a “green recovery-focused” national development plan (2023-2027) that prioritises recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic along with forward-looking climate and environmental policies. The plan outlines development goals for democratic governance, macroeconomic stability and growth, human capital development, natural resource management, and other areas.