Italy now has the biggest Gambian community in Europe.

According to a statistical portrait of Gambians living abroad by US-based Gambian economist, Cherno Omar Kebbeh, Italy has recorded a huge increase in the number of Gambians settled there.

At present, 33, 904 Gambian migrants live in various parts of Italy, well ahead oSpain and Germany. Most of them arrived in the European country by boat from Libya.

The portrait confirms that The Gambia accounts for the highest proportion of Sub Saharan Africans that crossed the Mediterranean Sea to Italy in the past five years.

“In 2013 to 2016, more than 40,000 young Gambians applied for asylum in Europe, “disclosed Mr. Kebbeh.

The statistical portrait of Gambians living abroad is part of a dataset that he is currently compiling.

Who is Cherno Omar Kebbeh?

He is an economist who is currently working in the Balance of Payments Division, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). Prior to joining BEA, he worked as a Statistician for the State of North Carolina. His research interests are in remittances, international labor movements, economic growth, international trade, and debt sustainability.

Cherno received his B.S in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, a Masters in Applied Economics from North Carolina State University and a Masters in International Development Policy from Duke University.