This 2013 Gambia Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS) was conducted by the Gambia Bureau of Statistics (GBoS) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the National Population Secretariat Commission. The National Public Health Laboratory Services was responsible for HIV testing of dried blood samples. This is the first Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) conducted in The Gambia under the worldwide DHS programme, a project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) that provides support and technical assistance in the implementation of population and health surveys in countries worldwide. The main objective of the survey was to provide comprehensive data on fertility and mortality, family planning, maternal and child health and nutrition, as well as information on maternal mortality and domestic violence. The survey also provides household-based data on the prevalence of malaria and HIV, two of the most life-threatening infectious diseases in sub-Saharan Africa. The survey was intentionally planned to be fielded at the beginning of the last term of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) reporting period so that it would provide information on progress towards the attainment of set MDG targets in The Gambia. Furthermore, the 2013 GDHS, in conjunction with statistical information obtained from the Integrated Household Survey (2010), provides critical information for monitoring and evaluating targets set in the Programme for Accelerated Growth and Employment as well as various sector development policies and programmes.