Gambia, The: Claims on central government, etc. (% of GDP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Gambia, The's claims on central government, etc. (% of GDP) fell 0.58 percentage points on 2023 (from 28.13% to 27.55%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2023), the average change was +1.13 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 3.05 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 6.45 percentage points in 1983 and the biggest yearly fall was 19.66 percentage points in 1986. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2017 to 2024 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 1% of the movement over 8 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2024, Gambia, The had the 6th highest value of the 40 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Gambia, The in the 2024 ranking

• France — 3rd of 40: 29.02%
• Portugal — 4th of 40: 28.29%
• Malawi — 5th of 40: 27.94%
• Bahamas, The — 7th of 40: 23.45%
• United Kingdom — 8th of 40: 21.86%
• Belgium — 9th of 40: 21.15%

What this measures

Claims on central government include loans to central government institutions net of deposits. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 57 values

Claims on central government, etc. (% of GDP) in nearby economies

• Angola — 7.84% (2025)
• Benin — 1.94% (2025)
• Botswana — 17.38% (2025)
• Burkina Faso — 6.48% (2025)
• Burundi — 23.01% (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 8.46% (2025)
• Cameroon — 3.69% (2019)
• Central African Republic — 25.54% (2022)
• Chad — 12.63% (2021)
• Comoros — 4.16% (2024)

More financial sector data for Gambia, The

• DEC alternative conversion factor (LCU per US$) — US$71.74 (2025)
• Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) — US$71.29 (2025)
• Consumer price index (2010 = 100) — 285.9 (2024)
• Inflation, consumer prices (annual % growth) — 11.56% (2024)
• GDP deflator (base year varies by country) — 227.82 (2025)
• Net domestic credit (current LCU) — 64.61 billion (2024)
• Net foreign assets (current LCU) — 32.07 billion (2024)
• Broad money (current LCU) — 76.35 billion (2024)
• Broad money to total reserves ratio — 1.79 (2024)
• Inflation, GDP deflator (annual % growth)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Gambia, The's claims on central government, etc. (% of GDP)?

27.55% in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1966?

It is up 38.03 percentage points from -10.47% in 1966. The highest value was 33.93% in 2021 and the lowest -11.44% in 1967.

How does Gambia, The rank?

6th highest of 40 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in claims on central government, etc. (% of GDP) unusual for Gambia, The?

In 2024, Gambia, The's claims on central government, etc. (% of GDP) fell 0.58 percentage points on 2023 (from 28.13% to 27.55%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2023), the average change was +1.13 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 3.05 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.6 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator FS.AST.CGOV.GD.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF); World Development Indicators Database, World Bank (WB); National Accounts data files, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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