Gambia
As a least-developed country (LDC), the Gambia is a beneficiary of the EU's "Everything but Arms" (EBA) arrangement. The World Bank classifies the Gambia as a low-income economy with a per-capita income of $888 in 2023. Total EU imports from the Gambia amounted to about €48 million in 2023; preferential EBA imports reached €16.8 million.
What is the EBA?
The EBA arrangement covers all LDCs as classified by the United Nations. This arrangement enables duty-free and quota-free access for all products originating in LDCs except for arms and ammunition. Unlike beneficiaries of the Standard GSP and GSP+, LDCs are not excluded from the scheme if they benefit from other preferential arrangements or agreements with the EU.
At a glance: EU preferential imports from EBA beneficiary countries (2023, € million)
2.7M (2023)
Population
Presidential Republic
Government
4.8% (2023)
GDP Growth
17.0% (2023)
Inflation
$ 2.4B (2023)
GDP
Facts about the Gambia's economy
A Small Country
The Gambia is the smallest and one of the most densely populated countries on the African continent, with the majority of the population living in urban areas. Nonetheless, agriculture remains the backbone of the economy and secures the livelihood of about 66% of the workforce.
Export Products
The Gambia's most important export products in 2023 were petroleum oils, sugar, and other agricultural products.
Trade Partners
The Gambia's most important trading partners are Togo, the EU and Côte d'Ivoire. The largest share of exports, over 60%, goes to Mali, followed by China and the EU. The most important source of imports is Togo, followed by the EU, Côte d'Ivoire and China.
Economic Structure
The agricultural sector remains the mainstay of the Gambia's economy and supplies the livelihoods of the majority of the population. Peanuts are the most important crop. A small manufacturing sector mainly focusses on the processing of peanuts, fish, textiles and food and beverages. Remittances account for about 16% of the GDP.
Usage of EBA Preferences
About 35% of the EU's imports from the Gambia use EBA preferences. The preference utilisation rate, which represents the ratio of preferential imports to GSP eligible imports, currently stands at 76%.
Trade with the EU
Total trade with the EU amounted to €132 million in 2023. The EU is the Gambia's second most important trading partner and ranks second as a source of imports and third as a destination for exports.
The Gambia and the EU
Imports from the Gambia by product section (2023, € million)
Imports from the Gambia over time (€ million)
THE GAMBIA AND THE EU GSP
Economic Impact
46%
Share of the Gambia's exports to the EU that were eligible for EBA preferences.
77%
Gambia's preference utilisation rate in 2023.
89%
Share of zero-duty imports from The Gambia.
Preference utilisation and export diversification
EU imports from The Gambia (€ million)
Preference utilisation (%) vs. total eligible imports (in € million)
Most of the EU's imports from The Gambia are eligible for EBA preferences. Eligible imports have shown an upward trend with 2022 and to some extent 2023 being particularly good years. In most years, The Gambia was among the highest users of GSP preferences across all three arrangements: The preference utilisation rate stood above 95% until 2022. In 2023, it dropped to 77%. Eligible exports are highly concentrated in one product section, fish, which shows the same preference utilisation rate values as the country's overall exports to the EU.
The largest product sections under EBA (€ million, 2023)
The majority of exports under the EBA is accounted for by fish and crustaceans, followed by animal and vegetable fats. These sections account for more than 98% of exports under the EBA, suggesting a limited degree of diversification at the sectoral level. Nonetheless, the number of product sections exported to the EU has increased in recent years, including for example rising exports of essential oils, machinery, and pearls. Overall volumes, however, remain small.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
As a beneficiary of the EBA, the Gambia is not obligated to ratify any conventions to be able to benefit from preferential access to the EU market. Nonetheless, the Gambia maintains a high level of ratification and has ratified all 15 core international conventions on human and labour rights. This includes 7 UN human rights conventions and 8 ILO conventions on labour standards. Additionally, the Gambia has ratified 8 conventions on environmental protection and 4 conventions on good governance aspects.
Core international conventions on human rights and labour standards
Ratified
- Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948)
- International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (1969)
- International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1976)
- International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights (1976)
- Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (1981)
- Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (1987)
- Convention on the Rights of the Child (1990)
- Convention concerning Forced or Compulsory Labour, No 29 (1930)
- Convention concerning Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise, No 87 (1948)
- Convention concerning the Application of the Principles of the Right to Organise and to Bargain Collectively, No 98 (1949)
- Convention concerning Equal Remuneration of Men and Women Workers for Work of Equal Value, No 100 (1951)
- Convention concerning the Abolition of Forced Labour, No 105 (1957)
- Convention concerning Discrimination in Respect of Employment and Occupation, No 111 (1958)
- Convention concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment, No 138 (1973)
- Convention concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour, No 182 (1999)
Additional Conventions
- Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (1973)
- Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (1987)
- Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal (1989)
- Convention on Biological Diversity (1992)
- The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (1992)
- Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (2000)
- Stockholm Convention on persistent Organic Pollutants (2001)
- Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (1998)
- United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs (1961)
- United Nations Convention on Psychotropic Substances (1971)
- United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (1988)
- United Nations Convention against Corruption (2004)
EU-The Gambia Bilateral Development Cooperation
DG INTPA
Access all info about EU-The Gambia relations on the International Partnerships website.