Page 8 - Economic transformation

Figure 4 below illustrates the trend in Gambia’s GDP expressed in terms of 2011

PPP US$ terms. From the figure, it can be seen that when expressed in PPP terms, the

Gambian economy has witnessed up and down swings in its GDP; which grew 1 percent

overall between 2000; from US$1,550 in 2000 to US$1,560 in 2017. This suggests that, at

least compared internationally, the nation’s purchasing power has been largely

unchanged.

Figure 4: Gambia GDP - PPP (2000 to 2017)

Source: IMF World Economic Outlook 2018 database (2011 PPP US$)

Comparing Gambia’s GDP (PPP) with that of other African countries casts

further light at the lackluster performance over the years. Figure 5 below compares

Gambia’s PPP GDP with that of Senegal (its only neighbor, Guinea (a regional economy

of comparable size) and Lesotho (a country of comparable geographical and population

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size context ). As illustrated by the graph, the PPP GDP of Lesotho was approximately

double that of The Gambia in 2017. Similarly, albeit at a lesser magnitude, the PPP GDP

of its only neighbor is significantly greater than that of The Gambia. The Figure also

5 Like The Gambia, Lesotho is entirely surrounded by South Africa. It also has a population profile size similar to
that of The Gambia.
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