Military profile
Gambia Military Strength
Gambia is not covered by the Global Firepower ranking. It spent $15 million on its military in 2025 (0.6% of GDP).
Gambia armed forces in numbers
Finance
- Military spending
- $15 million#153 of 156
- Military spending as % of GDP
- 0.6%#139 of 156
Equipment and personnel: Global Firepower 2023 military strength ranking (2023). Spending: World Bank / SIPRI military expenditure data (CC BY 4.0).
Gambia military spending 2012–2025
Military spending of Gambia grew by 32% between 2012 and 2025, from $11 million to $15 million (current US dollars), and stood at 0.6% of GDP in 2025.
Armed forces of Gambia
Branches and forces
Gambian Armed Forces (GAF; aka Armed Forces of the Gambia): the Gambian National Army (GNA), Gambia Navy, Gambia Air Force, Republican National Guard (RNG) Ministry of Interior: Gambia Police Force (GPF) (2025)
Personnel
estimated 3,000-4,000 active Gambian Armed Forces (2025)
Service age and conscription
18-28 years of age for men and women depending on enlisted, officer, or specialized positions (2025)
Equipment and suppliers
the military of Gambia has a limited inventory of mostly older, obsolescent, or donated equipment originating from several suppliers, including Taiwan, Turkey, the UK, and the US (2025)
Good to know
the Gambian Armed Forces (GAF) are responsible for external defense and aiding civil authorities in internal emergencies and natural disaster relief; they participate in multinational peacekeeping missions, as well as domestic support activities such as agricultural development, construction, education, and health services; the Gambian security forces have a history of involvement in domestic politics, including multiple coup attempts and mutinies, with the latest being an attempted coup in 2022 since January 2017, several members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have provided security forces for Gambia's stability, plus assistance and training for the GAF and other Gambian security forces through the ECOWAS Mission in the Gambia (ECOMIG); as of 2025, Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal were providing military and gendarmerie personnel for ECOMIG (2025)
Military expenditure (% of GDP)
2024: 0.6% · 2023: 0.6% · 2022: 0.7% · 2021: 0.8% · 2020: 0.8%
Forces and service: CIA World Factbook (public domain).
Gambia compared with its neighbours
| Country | Strength rank | Military spending |
|---|---|---|
| Gambia | — | $15 million |
 Senegal | #125 | $567 million |