Primary energy use in Gambia
Gambia: Primary energy use was 2.3 terawatt-hours in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
2.3 terawatt-hours
Change on year
up 3.1%
World rank
188th
of 219 countries
All-time high
2.37 terawatt-hours
in 2017
All-time low
0.6439 terawatt-hours
in 1986
Years of data
45
1980–2024
Primary energy use in Gambia, 1980–2024
Source: Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
Gambia recorded 2.3 terawatt-hours for primary energy use in 2024.
That represents a change of up 3.1% on the previous year and up 1.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary energy use in Gambia peaked at 2.37 terawatt-hours in 2017 and was at its lowest, 0.6439 terawatt-hours, in 1986.
Gambia ranks 188th of 219 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Primary energy use in Gambia, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 0.6548 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1981 | 0.653 terawatt-hours | -0.3% |
| 1982 | 0.653 terawatt-hours | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.653 terawatt-hours | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.7143 terawatt-hours | +9.4% |
| 1985 | 0.7123 terawatt-hours | -0.3% |
| 1986 | 0.6439 terawatt-hours | -9.6% |
| 1987 | 0.7839 terawatt-hours | +21.7% |
| 1988 | 0.786 terawatt-hours | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 0.7839 terawatt-hours | -0.3% |
| 1990 | 0.7877 terawatt-hours | +0.5% |
| 1991 | 0.7839 terawatt-hours | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 0.786 terawatt-hours | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 0.8462 terawatt-hours | +7.7% |
| 1994 | 0.9754 terawatt-hours | +15.3% |
| 1995 | 0.9024 terawatt-hours | -7.5% |
| 1996 | 0.9049 terawatt-hours | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 0.9024 terawatt-hours | -0.3% |
| 1998 | 0.9631 terawatt-hours | +6.7% |
| 1999 | 0.9631 terawatt-hours | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 1.27 terawatt-hours | +31.4% |
| 2001 | 1.38 terawatt-hours | +8.9% |
| 2002 | 1.37 terawatt-hours | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 1.37 terawatt-hours | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 1.45 terawatt-hours | +5.5% |
| 2005 | 1.46 terawatt-hours | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 1.59 terawatt-hours | +8.7% |
| 2007 | 1.65 terawatt-hours | +3.6% |
| 2008 | 1.71 terawatt-hours | +3.9% |
| 2009 | 1.84 terawatt-hours | +7.3% |
| 2010 | 2 terawatt-hours | +9.1% |
| 2011 | 2.1 terawatt-hours | +5.1% |
| 2012 | 2.05 terawatt-hours | -2.5% |
| 2013 | 2.04 terawatt-hours | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 2.26 terawatt-hours | +10.6% |
| 2015 | 2.31 terawatt-hours | +2.4% |
| 2016 | 2.33 terawatt-hours | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 2.37 terawatt-hours | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 1.93 terawatt-hours | -18.5% |
| 2019 | 1.98 terawatt-hours | +2.3% |
| 2020 | 1.78 terawatt-hours | -10.0% |
| 2021 | 2.04 terawatt-hours | +14.7% |
| 2022 | 2.1 terawatt-hours | +2.9% |
| 2023 | 2.23 terawatt-hours | +6.3% |
| 2024 | 2.3 terawatt-hours | +3.1% |
Gambia compared with similar countries
- Gambia's 2.3 terawatt-hours is below the median for low income countries, which is 13.82 terawatt-hours, 17% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Gambia's 2.3 terawatt-hours is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 20.78 terawatt-hours, 11% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Primary energy use in Gambia changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | +31.4% | 0.9631 terawatt-hours | 1.27 terawatt-hours |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0.7038 terawatt-hours | 0.6439 terawatt-hours | 0.786 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.8815 terawatt-hours | 0.7839 terawatt-hours | 0.9754 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.51 terawatt-hours | 1.27 terawatt-hours | 1.84 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.14 terawatt-hours | 1.93 terawatt-hours | 2.37 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.09 terawatt-hours | 1.78 terawatt-hours | 2.3 terawatt-hours | 5 |
Countries ranked near Gambia
- 185 Saint Lucia 2.65 terawatt-hours compare
- 186 Bermuda 2.41 terawatt-hours compare
- 187 American Samoa 2.32 terawatt-hours compare
- 189 Turks and Caicos Islands 1.91 terawatt-hours compare
- 190 Central African Republic 1.9 terawatt-hours compare
- 191 Grenada 1.68 terawatt-hours compare
More energy & mining data for Gambia
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 3.08 % change on previous year (2024)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Fuel imports 31.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary energy use in Gambia?
- Primary energy use in Gambia was 2.3 terawatt-hours in 2024, according to Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest primary energy use recorded in Gambia?
- The highest recorded value was 2.37 terawatt-hours in 2017.
- What is the lowest primary energy use recorded in Gambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6439 terawatt-hours in 1986.
- How does Gambia rank for primary energy use?
- Gambia ranks 188th out of 219 countries with data for 2024.
- Is primary energy use rising or falling in Gambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Gambia data come from?
- The figures come from Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Primary energy use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours of total energy supply.