Editing The Gambia (section)

==Demographics==

{{Main|Demographics of the Gambia}}

[[File:Bevölkerungspyramide Gambia 2016.png|thumb|Population pyramid]]

{|class="wikitable" style="float: right; margin-left: 10px"
! colspan="4" style="text-align:center; background:#cfb;"|Population<br />in The Gambia{{UN_Population|ref}}
|-
! style="background:#cfb;"|Year
! style="background:#cfb;"|Million
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|1950 ||style="text-align:right;"|0.27
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|2000 ||style="text-align:right;"|1.2
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|{{UN_Population|Year}} ||style="text-align:right;"|{{#expr:{{formatnum:{{UN_Population|Gambia}}|R}}/1e6 round 1}}
|}
The urbanisation rate {{as of| 2011| lc = on}} was 57.3%.<ref name=ciageography/> Provisional figures from the 2003 census show the gap between the urban and rural populations narrowing as more areas are declared urban. While urban migration, development projects, and modernisation are bringing more Gambians into contact with Western habits and values, indigenous forms of dress and celebration and the traditional emphasis on the extended family remain integral parts of everyday life.<ref name="bn" />

The [[United Nations Development Programme]] (UNDP) Human Development Report for 2010 ranks The Gambia 151st out of 169 countries on its [[Human Development Index]], putting the country in the "Low Human Development" category. This index compares [[Life expectancy|life-expectancy]], years of schooling, [[gross national income]] (GNI) ''per capita'' and other factors.<ref>{{Cite book |date=31 December 2010 |title=Human Development Report 2010 |doi=10.18356/e5a0500a-en |isbn=978-92-1-057698-7 |issn=2412-3129}}</ref>

The [[total fertility rate]] (TFR) was estimated at 3.98 children per woman in 2013.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2127rank.html |title=TOTAL FERTILITY RATE |publisher=CIA World Factbook |access-date=13 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091028133713/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2127rank.html |archive-date=28 October 2009}}</ref>

===Ethnic groups===

{{bar box
|title=Ethnic Groups in the Gambia
|titlebar=#ddd
|left1=Ethnic Groups
|right1=percent
|float=right
|bars=
{{bar percent|Mandinka|darkgreen|34}}
{{bar percent|Fula|purple|31}}
{{bar percent|Wolof|red|11}}
{{bar percent|Jola|black|9}}
{{bar percent|Sarahule|orange|7}}
{{bar percent|Serere|darkblue|3}}
{{bar percent|Mangajo|maroon|2}}
{{bar percent|Bambara|darkgray|1}}
{{bar percent|Aku|white|.5}}
{{bar percent|Other|gray|1.5}}
}}

A variety of [[ethnic group]]s live in The Gambia, each preserving its own language and traditions. The [[Mandinka people|Mandinka]] ethnicity is the most numerous, followed by the [[Fula people|Fula]], [[Wolof people|Wolof]], [[Jola people|Jola]]/[[Karoninka people|Karoninka]], [[Soninke people|Serahule / Jahanka]], [[Serer people|Serers]], [[Manjago people|Manjago]], [[Bambara people|Bambara]], [[Oku people (Sierra Leone)|Aku Marabou]], [[Bainuk people|Bainunka]] and others,<ref name=2013Census>{{cite web |url=https://www.gbos.gov.gm/uploads/census/2013/Spatial-distribution-report_%20Final.pdf |title=2013 Population and Housing Census: Spatial Distribution |publisher=The Republic of The Gambia |last=National Population Commission Secretariat |date=30 April 2005 |website=Gambia Bureau of Statistics |access-date=29 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180103134831/https://www.gbos.gov.gm/uploads/census/2013/Spatial-distribution-report_%20Final.pdf |archive-date=3 January 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> such as [[Toucouleur people|Tukulor]]. The Krio people, locally known as [[Aku people|Akus]], constitute one of the smallest ethnic minorities in The Gambia. They descend from [[Sierra Leone Creole people]] and have traditionally concentrated in the capital.

The roughly 3,500 non-African residents include Europeans and families of [[Lebanese diaspora|Lebanese]] origin (0.23% of the total population).<ref name="bn" /> Most of the European minority is<!-- most is singular --> [[British people|British]], although many of the British left after independence.

===Languages===

{{Main| Languages of the Gambia}}

English is the official language of The Gambia and is thus used for official purposes and education. Other languages include [[Mandinka language|Mandinka]], [[Wolof language|Wolof]], [[Fula language|Fula]], [[Serer language|Serer]], [[Soninke language|Soninke]], [[Krio language|Krio]], [[Jola languages|Jola]] and other indigenous vernaculars.<ref name=ciageography/> Owing to the country's geographical setting, knowledge of [[French language|French]] (an official language in much of West Africa) is relatively widespread.

[[Mandinka language|Mandinka]] is spoken as a first language by 38% of the population, [[Pulaar language|Pulaar]] by 21%, [[Wolof language|Wolof]] by 18%, [[Soninke language|Soninke]] by 9%, [[Jola languages|Jola]] by 4.5%, [[Serer language|Serer]] by 2.4%, [[Manjak language|Manjak]] and [[Bainouk language|Bainouk]] by 1.6% each, [[Guinea-Bissau Creole|Guinean Creole]] by 1%, and [[English language|English]] by 0.5%. Several other languages are spoken by smaller numbers. [[Gambian Sign Language]] is used by the deaf.<ref>[https://www.ethnologue.com/country/GM Gambia.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205225838/https://www.ethnologue.com/country/GM |date=2021-12-05 }} ''Ethnologue'' 24, 2021</ref>

===Education===

{{Main|Education in the Gambia}}

[[File:The National Archives UK - CO 1069-28-13.jpg|thumb|1969 photo lableled "Science Dept. Gambia High School" in [[Banjul]], which was then called Bathurst]]

The constitution mandates free and compulsory primary education in The Gambia. Lack of resources and of educational infrastructure has made implementation of this difficult.<ref name=ilab>[https://web.archive.org/web/20131007165653/http://www.dol.gov/ilab/media/reports/iclp/tda2001/gambia.htm "The Gambia"]. ''2001 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor''. [[Bureau of International Labor Affairs]], [[U.S. Department of Labor]] (2002). This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the [[public domain]].</ref> In 1995 the gross primary enrolment rate was 77.1% and the net primary enrolment rate was 64.7%<ref name=ilab/> [[School fee]]s long prevented many children from attending school, but in February 1998 President [[Yahya Jammeh|Jammeh]] ordered the termination of fees for the first six years of schooling.<ref name=ilab/> Girls make up about 52% of primary-school pupils. The figure may be lower for girls in rural areas, where cultural factors and poverty prevent parents from sending girls to school.<ref name=ilab/> Approximately 20% of school-age children attend [[Quranic school]]s.<ref name=ilab/>

====Higher education====

There are various public and private tertiary educational institutions in the [[The Gambia College|Gambia]]. [[The Gambia College]], one of the oldest post-secondary education, was established in 1978.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gambia, The |url=https://www.aacrao.org/edge/country/gambia-the#:~:text=Gambia%20College%20was%20established%20in,level%20degrees%20in%20the%20country. |access-date=6 May 2024 |website=www.aacrao.org }}</ref> It offers certificate and diploma programmes in public health, education, nursing, and agriculture. [[University of the Gambia|The University of the Gambia]] was established by the Act of the National Assembly of the Gambia in 1999. Since its establishment the UTG offers both undergraduate, post-graduate and PhD in different faculties. The university used to be housed at the MDI in [[Kanifing]] and [[The Gambia College|The Gambia Collège]] in [[Brikama]]. The new campus in Faraba was inaugurated on 12 March 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Grand Inauguration: UTG Faraba Campus Marks a New Era in Higher Education – University Of The Gambia |url=https://www.utg.edu.gm/grand-inauguration-utg-faraba-campus-marks-a-new-era-in-higher-education/ |access-date=6 May 2024 }}</ref>

The [[International Open University]] (until January 2020 known as the Islamic Online University), a higher-education institution having more than 435,000 enrolled students from over 250 countries worldwide, has its global headquarters in The Gambia.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://ayvnewspaper.com/index.php/k2-categories/politics/item/5024-islamic-online-university-signs-agreement-with-fbc |title=Islamic Online University Signs Agreement with FBC |last=Admini |website=ayvnewspaper.com |access-date=11 April 2019 |archive-date=23 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190923170413/http://ayvnewspaper.com/index.php/k2-categories/politics/item/5024-islamic-online-university-signs-agreement-with-fbc }}</ref>

===Health===
{{Main| Health in the Gambia}}
In the 2024 [[Global Hunger Index]] (GHI), the Gambia ranks 88th out of 127 countries, with a score of 19.9. This score indicates a moderate level of hunger.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Global Hunger Index Scores by 2024 GHI Rank |url=https://www.globalhungerindex.org/ranking.html |access-date=2024-12-18 |website=Global Hunger Index (GHI) - peer-reviewed annual publication designed to comprehensively measure and track hunger at the global, regional, and country levels |language=en}}</ref>

===Religion===
{{Main| Religion in the Gambia}}
{{bar box
|title=Religions in the Gambia<ref name=DHS>{{cite web |title=The Gambia: Demographic and Health Survey, 2013 |publisher=Gambia Bureau of Statistics |page=32 |url=https://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR289/FR289.pdf |access-date=25 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161225150115/http://dhsprogram.com/pubs/pdf/FR289/FR289.pdf |archive-date=25 December 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|titlebar= #ddd
|left1= '''Religions'''
|right1= '''Percent'''
|float= right
|bars=
{{bar percent|[[Islam in the Gambia|Islam]]|green|96.4}}
{{bar percent|[[Christianity in the Gambia|Christianity]]|blue|3.5}}
{{bar percent|Other|red|0.1}}
}}

Approximately 96% of the population identify as [[Sunni Islam|Sunni Muslim]], mostly Malikite [[Sufism|Sufi]]. Except for a tiny fraction of one percent, the remainder of the population are Christian. Article 25 of the Constitution protects the rights of citizens to practise any religion that they choose and intermarriage between Muslims and Christians is common.<ref name="chap4con">{{cite web |year=1997 |title=Chapter IV – Protection of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms |url=http://www.commonlii.org/gm/legis/const/1997/5.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081212164817/http://www.commonlii.org/gm/legis/const/1997/5.html |archive-date=12 December 2008 |access-date=14 January 2009 |work=Constitution of the Republic of the Gambia |quote=25. Freedom of speech, conscience, assembly, association and movement <br/> (1) Every person shall have the right to – [...] (c) freedom to practice any religion and to manifest such practice; }}</ref><ref name="irfr07">{{cite web |date=14 September 2007 |title=Gambia, The |url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2007/90099.htm |access-date=14 January 2009 |work=International Religious Freedom Report 2007 |publisher=Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor |archive-date=21 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220521133723/https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2007/90099.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=19 April 2023 |title=Religions' Roles in Peacebuilding in The Gambia |url=https://talkabout.iclrs.org/2023/04/19/religions-roles-in-peacebuilding-in-the-gambia%EF%BF%BC/ |access-date=29 May 2024 |website=Talk About: Law and Religion |archive-date=28 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240728053651/https://talkabout.iclrs.org/2023/04/19/religions-roles-in-peacebuilding-in-the-gambia%EF%BF%BC/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Islam====

Virtually all commercial life in The Gambia comes to a standstill during major Muslim holidays, which include [[Eid al-Adha]] and [[Eid ul-Fitr]].<ref>Burke, Andrew and Else, David (2002) ''The Gambia & Senegal''. Lonely Planet. p. 35. {{ISBN|1-74059-137-2}}.</ref> Most Muslims in The Gambia follow the [[Maliki]] school of [[jurisprudence]].<ref>Sait, Siraj and Lim, Hilary (2011) [http://www.gltn.net/jdownloads/GLTN%20Documents/land_law_and_islam.pdf ''Land, Law and Islam''] {{Webarchive|url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160813191050/http://gltn.net/jdownloads/GLTN%20Documents/land_law_and_islam.pdf |date= 13 August 2016}}. Zed Books. p. 42. {{ISBN|1-84277-813-7}}.</ref> There is also a significant presence of the [[Ahmadiyya]] movement in the country.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Breach of Faith |publisher=Human Rights Watch |page=8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yi8ONIe1fv4C&pg=PA8 |date=June 2005 |access-date=20 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170314122619/https://books.google.com/books?id=yi8ONIe1fv4C&pg=PA8 |archive-date=14 March 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=irfr07/> A [[Shiite]] Muslim community exists in The Gambia, mainly due to [[Lebanese people|Lebanese]] and other [[Arab people|Arab]] [[immigrants]] to the region.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wow.gm/africa/gambia/article/2008/6/23/shia-presence-in-gambia |title=Shia Presence in Gambia |publisher=Wow.gm |access-date=7 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130914182148/http://wow.gm/africa/gambia/article/2008/6/23/shia-presence-in-gambia |archive-date=14 September 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> The vast majority of South-Asian immigrants are also Muslims.<ref name=irfr07/>

====Christianity====

The Christian community comprises about 4% of the population.<ref name=DHS/> Residing in the western and southern parts of The Gambia, most members of the Christian community identify themselves as [[Roman Catholic]]. However, smaller Christian denominations are also present, including [[Anglicanism|Anglicans]], [[Methodism|Methodists]], [[Baptists]], [[Seventh-day Adventist Church|Seventh-day Adventists]], [[Jehovah's Witnesses]], and small evangelical congregations.<ref name=irfr07/>

====Traditional religions====

It is unclear to what extent [[Traditional African religion|indigenous]] beliefs, such as the [[Serer religion]], continue to be practised. Serer religion encompasses cosmology and a belief in a supreme deity called [[Roog]]. Some of its religious festivals include the ''[[Xooy]]'', ''Mbosseh'', and ''Randou Rande''. Each year, adherents of Serer religion make the annual pilgrimage to [[Kingdom of Sine|Sine]] in Senegal for the ''Xooy'' divination ceremony.<ref>Kalis, Simone (1997). ''Medecine Traditionnele Religion et Divination Chez Les Seereer Siin Du Senegal''. L'Harmattan. {{ISBN| 2-7384-5196-9 }}</ref> Serer religion also has a rather significant imprint on Senegambian Muslim society in that [[Senegambian]] Muslim festivals such as "Tobaski", "Gamo", "Koriteh" and "Weri Kor" have names representing [[loanword]]s from the Serer religion – they were ancient Serer festivals.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Diouf, Niokhobaye |year=1972 |title=Chronique du royaume du Sine, suivie de Notes sur les traditions orales et les sources écrites concernant le royaume du Sine par Charles Becker et Victor Martin (1972) |journal=Bulletin de l'IFAN |volume=34B |issue=4 |pages=706–7, 713–14 }}</ref> {{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}

Like the Serers, the [[Jola people]] have their own religious customs, including a major religious ceremony, [[Boukout]].

====Other religions====

Owing to a small number of immigrants from [[South Asia]], [[Hindus]] and followers of the [[Baháʼí Faith]] are also present.<ref name=irfr07/>

There is also a small [[History of the Jews in the Gambia|Jewish]] community in the Gambia.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://jpost.com/jewish-world/jewish-news/tiny-gambia-community-draws-close-to-judaism|title= Tiny Gambia community draws close to Judaism}}</ref>