By Nelson Manneh
The recent Afrobarometer study findings have revealed that economic challenges are pushing more Gambians to consider emigration.
The new study finds: “About seven in 10 Gambians have considered emigrating, with the proportion of citizens who have given it “a lot” of thought almost doubling since 2018, a new Afrobarometer survey shows.”
The study shows that the most common reasons cited by potential migrants are the desire to escape economic hardship and the search for work opportunities.
“Those who are most likely to emigrate are young adults, part-time workers, unemployed individuals, and those with post-secondary education. North America and Europe are the most popular destinations for citizens considering migration,” the report stated.
As the world observes International Migrants Day (18 December), the Gambia and other African countries contend with “brain drain,” high-risk irregular migration, and other emigration-related challenges while also benefiting from remittances by citizens working abroad.
Key findings of the reports show that more than two-thirds (68%) of Gambians say they have considered leaving their country, a 12-percentage-point increase compared to 2018 (56%).
The key finding of the report further states that: “The share of citizens who say they have given “a lot” of thought to emigration has almost doubled, from 29% to 53%. Thoughts of emigrating are most common among part-time workers (83%), unemployed citizens (80%), and those with post-secondary education (81%),”
The report states that young adults (75% of those aged 18-35) are more likely than older cohorts (37%- 70%) to consider emigrating. “Among those who have considered emigrating, three in 10 (30%) cite the desire to escape economic hardship or poverty, while a similar proportion point to the search for work opportunities (28%). The most popular destinations for potential emigrants are North America (30%) and Europe (28%).”
Afrobarometer is a pan-African, non-partisan survey research network that provides reliable data on African experiences and evaluations of democracy, governance, and quality of life.
Nine survey rounds in up to 42 countries have been completed since 1999. Round 10 was launched in January 2024. Afrobarometer’s national partners conduct face-to-face interviews in the language of the respondent’s choice.
