The Gambia has been counted among the ten African countries where polygamy is thriving, ranking number 3 with a polygamy rate of 30% after Burkina Faso number 1 with 36%, and Mali number 2 with a polygamy rate of 34%.
According to Business Insider Africa “Polygamy is banned throughout much of the world, and the United Nations Human Rights Committee, which has said that “polygamy violates the dignity of women,” called for it to “be definitely abolished wherever it continues to exist.” But there often are limits to government administration of marriages.”
Other countries in African where polygamy is thriving is Niger (4) rate 29%, Nigeria (5) 28%; Guinea (6) 26%; Guinea-Bissau (7) 23%, Senegal (8) 23%; Togo (9) 17% and Chad (10) 15%.
It continued in Business Insider Africa that in many countries, marriages are governed by religious or customary law, which means that oversight is in the hands of clerics or community leaders.
The “recent data reveal that polygamy rates are high in parts of West and Central Africa, where it remains legal. The share of individuals living in polygamous households is highest in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Gambia,” stated Business Insider Africa.
Notwithstanding, polygamy also tends to vary based on religious affiliation. Muslims in Africa are more likely than Christians to live in this type of arrangement (25% vs. 3%), but in some countries, the practice is also widespread among adherents of folk religions and people who do not identify with a religion, the report noted.
