Gambia, The: Vitamin A supplementation coverage rate (% of children ages 6-59 months)

Key figures

Over five years it is down 2 percentage points from 30% in 2018. Since 2000 it is up 28 percentage points from 0% in 2000. The World Bank has no value for 4 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2023, Gambia, The's vitamin A supplementation coverage rate (% of children ages 6-59 months) rose 4 percentage points on 2022 (from 24% to 28%).

Across the 15 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2022), the average change was −3 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 23.01 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations above 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 42 percentage points in 2006 and the biggest yearly fall was 54 percentage points in 2008. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains less than 1% of the movement over 10 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 2023, Gambia, The had the 31st highest value of the 43 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 2023 ranking

• Zimbabwe — 29th of 43: 37%
• São Tomé and Principe — 30th of 43: 35%
• Bolivia — 31st of 43: 28%
• Togo — 33rd of 43: 24%
• Madagascar — 34th of 43: 19%
• Liberia — 35th of 43: 14%

What this measures

Vitamin A supplementation coverage rate refers to the percentage of children ages 6-59 months old receiving two high-dose vitamin A supplements in a calendar year.

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

All 20 values

Vitamin A supplementation coverage rate (% of children ages 6-59 months) in nearby economies

• Angola — 7% (2020)
• Benin — 7% (2023)
• Botswana — 0% (2022)
• Burkina Faso — 99% (2023)
• Burundi — 77% (2023)
• Cameroon — 94% (2023)
• Central African Republic — 76% (2023)
• Chad — 95% (2023)
• Comoros

More health data for Gambia, The

• Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 13.67% (2025)
• Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 14.1% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female — 554,785 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 39.16% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male — 566,242 (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 40.29% (2025)
• Population ages 0-14, total — 1.12 million (2025)
• Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 39.72% (2025)
• Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 12.88% (2025)

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Questions people ask

What is Gambia, The's vitamin A supplementation coverage rate (% of children ages 6-59 months)?

28% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2000?

It is up 28 percentage points from 0% in 2000. The highest value was 99% in 2010 and the lowest 0% in 2000.

How does Gambia, The rank?

31st highest of 43 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in vitamin A supplementation coverage rate (% of children ages 6-59 months) unusual for Gambia, The?

In 2023, Gambia, The's vitamin A supplementation coverage rate (% of children ages 6-59 months) rose 4 percentage points on 2022 (from 24% to 28%). Across the 15 yearly changes before that (2001 to 2022), the average change was −3 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 23.01 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 standard deviations above 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 SN.ITK.VITA.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: UNICEF Global Databases, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), uri: https://data.unicef.org/topic/nutrition/vitamin-a-deficiency/, note: based on administrative reports from countries 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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