Gabon
Gabon⌘K
Overview
- Background
- Gabon, a sparsely populated country known for its dense rainforests and vast petroleum reserves, is one of the most prosperous and stable countries in central Africa. Approximately 40 ethnic groups are represented, the largest of which is the Fang, a group that covers the northern third of Gabon and expands north into Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon. From about the early 1300s, various kingdoms emerged in present-day Gabon and the surrounding area, including the Kingdoms of Loango and Orungu. Because most early Bantu languages spoken in these kingdoms did not have a written form, much of Gabon's early history was lost over time. Portuguese traders who arrived in the mid-1400s gave the area its name of Gabon. At that time, indigenous trade networks began to engage with European traders, exchanging goods such as ivory and wood. For a century beginning in the 1760s, trade came to focus mostly on enslaved people. While many groups in Gabon participated in the slave trade, the Fang were a notable exception. As the slave trade declined in the late 1800s, France colonized the country and directed a widespread extraction of Gabonese resources. Anti-colonial rhetoric by Gabon’s educated elites increased significantly in the early 1900s, but no widespread rebellion materialized. French decolonization after World War II led to the country’s independence in 1960.
Within a year of independence, the government changed from a parliamentary to a presidential system, and Leon M’BA won the first presidential election in 1961. El Hadj Omar BONGO Ondimba was M’BA’s vice president and assumed the presidency after M’BA’s death in 1967. BONGO went on to dominate the country's political scene for four decades (1967-2009). In 1968, he declared Gabon a single-party state and created the still-dominant Parti Democratique Gabonais (PDG). In the early 1990s, he reintroduced a multiparty system under a new constitution in response to growing political opposition. He was reelected by wide margins in 1995, 1998, 2002, and 2005 against a divided opposition and amidst allegations of fraud. After BONGO's death in 2009, a new election brought his son, Ali BONGO Ondimba, to power, and he was reelected in 2016. He won a third term in the August 2023 election but was overthrown in a military coup a few days later. Gen. Brice OLIGUI Nguema led a military group called the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions that arrested BONGO, canceled the election results, and dissolved state institutions. In September 2023, OLIGUI was sworn in as transitional president of Gabon.
Geography
Area
- Land
- 257,667 sq km
- Water
- 10,000 sq km
- Total
- 267,667 sq km
- Climate
- tropical; always hot, humid
- Terrain
- narrow coastal plain; hilly interior; savanna in east and south
Land Use
- Other
- 0.2% (2023 est.)
- Forest
- 91.5% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land
- 8.4% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land: arable land
- arable land: 1.3% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land: permanent crops
- permanent crops: 0.7% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land: permanent pasture
- permanent pasture: 6.4% (2023 est.)
- Location
- Central Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean at the Equator, between Republic of the Congo and Equatorial Guinea
- Coastline
- 885 km
Elevation
- Lowest point
- Atlantic Ocean 0 m
- Highest point
- Mont Bengoue 1,050 m
- Mean elevation
- 377 m
- Irrigated land
- 40 sq km (2012)
- Major aquifers
- Congo Basin
- Map references
- Africa
Land Boundaries
- Total
- 3,261 km
- Border countries
- Cameroon 349 km; Republic of the Congo 2,567 km; Equatorial Guinea 345 km
Maritime Claims
- Contiguous zone
- 24 nm
- Territorial sea
- 12 nm
- Exclusive economic zone
- 200 nm
- Natural hazards
- none
- Geography note
- the country has maintained its pristine rain forest and rich biodiversity
- Natural resources
- petroleum, natural gas, diamond, niobium, manganese, uranium, gold, timber, iron ore, hydropower
- Area comparative
- slightly smaller than Colorado
- Geographic coordinates
- 1 00 S, 11 45 E
- Population distribution
- the relatively small population is spread in pockets throughout the country; the largest urban center is the capital of Libreville, located along the Atlantic coast in the northwest, as shown in this population distribution map
Major Watersheds (Area Sq Km)
- Atlantic ocean drainage
- Congo (3,730,881 sq km)
People & Society
Literacy
- Male
- 90.8% (2021 est.)
- Female
- 87.1% (2021 est.)
- Total population
- 88.9% (2021 est.)
- Languages
- French (official), Fang, Myene, Nzebi, Bapounou/Eschira, Bandjabi
- Religions
- Protestant 46.4% (Revival Church 37%, other Protestant 9.4%), Roman Catholic 29.8%, other Christian 4%, Muslim 10.8%, traditional/animist 1.1%, other 0.9%, none 7% (2019-21 est.)
Sex Ratio
- At birth
- 1.03 male(s)/female
- 0 14 years
- 1.02 male(s)/female
- 15 64 years
- 1.11 male(s)/female
- Total population
- 1.07 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
- 65 years and over
- 1.03 male(s)/female
- Birth rate
- 25.51 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
- Death rate
- 5.44 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Median Age
- Male
- 22.5 years
- Total
- 22.3 years (2025 est.)
- Female
- 21.5 years
Population
- Male
- 1,299,085
- Total
- 2,513,738 (2025 est.)
- Female
- 1,214,653
Nationality
- Noun
- Gabonese (singular and plural)
- Adjective
- Gabonese
Urbanization
- Urban population
- 91% of total population (2023)
- Rate of urbanization
- 2.27% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Age Structure
- 0 14 years
- 34.6% (male 429,133/female 421,120)
- 15 64 years
- 61.1% (male 787,480/female 711,913)
- 65 years and over
- 4.3% (2024 est.) (male 53,410/female 52,049)
- Ethnic groups
- Fang 23.5%, Shira-Punu'Vii 20.6%, Nzabi-Duma 11.2%, Mbede-Teke 5.6%, Myene 4.4%, Kota-Kele 4.3%, Okande-Tsogho 1.6%, other 12.6%, foreigner 16.2% (2021 est.)
Child Marriage
- Men married BY age 18
- 4.8% (2021)
- Women married BY age 15
- 2.9% (2021)
- Women married BY age 18
- 13.3% (2021)
Dependency Ratios
- Total dependency ratio
- 63 (2025 est.)
- Youth dependency ratio
- 55.8 (2025 est.)
- Potential support ratio
- 13.9 (2025 est.)
- Elderly dependency ratio
- 7.2 (2025 est.)
- Physician density
- 0.52 physicians/1,000 population (2022)
Health Expenditure
- Health expenditure (as % of GDP)
- 2.7% of GDP (2021)
- Health expenditure (as % of national budget)
- 9.6% of national budget (2022 est.)
- Net migration rate
- 3.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
- Total fertility rate
- 3.16 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Drinking Water Source
- Improved: rural
- rural: 54.9% of population (2022 est.)
- Improved: total
- total: 86.9% of population (2022 est.)
- Improved: urban
- urban: 90.2% of population (2022 est.)
- Unimproved: rural
- rural: 45.1% of population (2022 est.)
- Unimproved: total
- total: 13.1% of population (2022 est.)
- Unimproved: urban
- urban: 9.8% of population (2022 est.)
Education Expenditure
- Education expenditure (% GDP)
- 2.3% of GDP (2023 est.)
- Education expenditure (% national budget)
- 13.6% national budget (2023 est.)
Infant Mortality Rate
- Male
- 29.7 deaths/1,000 live births
- Total
- 26 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
- Female
- 24 deaths/1,000 live births
- Population growth rate
- 2.35% (2025 est.)
- Gross reproduction rate
- 1.56 (2025 est.)
- Population distribution
- the relatively small population is spread in pockets throughout the country; the largest urban center is the capital of Libreville, located along the Atlantic coast in the northwest, as shown in this population distribution map
Life Expectancy at Birth
- Male
- 68.6 years
- Female
- 72.1 years
- Total population
- 70.4 years (2024 est.)
- Maternal mortality ratio
- 233 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Sanitation Facility Access
- Improved: rural
- rural: 55.1% of population (2022 est.)
- Improved: total
- total: 78.9% of population (2022 est.)
- Improved: urban
- urban: 81.3% of population (2022 est.)
- Unimproved: rural
- rural: 44.9% of population (2022 est.)
- Unimproved: total
- total: 21.1% of population (2022 est.)
- Unimproved: urban
- urban: 18.7% of population (2022 est.)
Alcohol Consumption Per Capita
- Beer
- 5.31 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- Wine
- 0.62 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- Total
- 6.47 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- Spirits
- 0.5 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- Other alcohols
- 0.04 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
- Major urban areas population
- 870,000 LIBREVILLE (capital) (2023)
- Obesity adult prevalence rate
- 15% (2016)
- Mother's mean age at first birth
- 19.6 years (2012 est.)
- Currently married women (ages 15 49)
- 48.5% (2020 est.)
- Children under the age of 5 years underweight
- 5.4% (2020 est.)
Government
Civica · structure
How power is organised
ExecutiveLegislative
- Flag
- description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and blue
meaning: green stands for the country's forests and natural resources, gold for the equator and the sun, and blue for the sea
Capital
- Name
- Libreville
- Etymology
- the city was founded in 1849 by freed slaves, and the name means "free town" in French
- Time difference
- UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
- Geographic coordinates
- 0 23 N, 9 27 E
- Suffrage
- 18 years of age; universal
Citizenship
- Citizenship BY birth
- no
- Citizenship BY descent only
- at least one parent must be a citizen of Gabon
- Dual citizenship recognized
- no
- Residency requirement for naturalization
- 10 years
Constitution
- History
- previous 1961, 1991; latest approved in November 2024 referendum
- Amendment process
- proposed by the president of the republic, by the Council of Ministers, or by one third of either house of Parliament; passage requires Constitutional Court evaluation, at least two-thirds majority vote of two thirds of the Parliament membership convened in joint session, and approval in a referendum; constitutional articles on Gabon’s democratic form of government cannot be amended
Country Name
- Etymology
- name originates from the Portuguese word gabão, meaning "cloak," possibly used by early explorers to describe the shape of the Komo River estuary
- Local long form
- République Gabonaise
- Local short form
- Gabon
- Conventional long form
- Gabonese Republic
- Conventional short form
- Gabon
- Independence
- 17 August 1960 (from France)
- Legal system
- mixed system of French civil law and customary law
- Government type
- presidential republic
Judicial Branch
- Highest court(s)
- Supreme Court (consists of 4 permanent specialized supreme courts - Supreme Court or Cour de Cassation, Administrative Supreme Court or Conseil d'Etat, Accounting Supreme Court or Cour des Comptes, Constitutional Court or Cour Constitutionnelle, and the non-permanent Court of State Security, initiated only for cases of high treason by the president and criminal activity by executive branch officials)
- Subordinate courts
- Courts of Appeal; county courts; military courts
- Judge selection and term of office
- appointment and tenure of Supreme, Administrative, Accounting, and State Security courts NA; Constitutional Court judges appointed - 3 by the national president, 3 by the president of the Senate, and 3 by the president of the National Assembly; judges serve single renewable 7-year terms
Executive Branch
- Cabinet
- cabinet appointed by president
- Chief of state
- President Brice OLIGUI Nguema (since 3 May 2025)
- Election results
2025: Brice OLIGUI Nguema elected president; percent of vote - Brice OLIGUI Nguema (Ind.) 90.35%, Alain Claude Bilie By Nze (EPG) 3.02%, other 6.63%
2016: Ali BONGO Ondimba reelected president; percent of vote - Ali BONGO Ondimba (PDG) 49.8%, Jean PING (UFC) 48.2%, other 2.0%- Head of government
- President Brice OLIGUI Nguema (since 3 May 2025)
- Most recent election date
- 12 April 2025
- Election/appointment process
- the president directly elected by plurality vote to a 7-year term (no term limits)
- National holiday
- Independence Day, 17 August (1960)
- National color(s)
- green, yellow, blue
National Heritage
- Total world heritage sites
- 2 (1 natural, 1 mixed)
- Selected world heritage site locales
- Ecosystem and Relict Cultural Landscape of Lopé-Okanda (m); Ivindo National Park (n)
- Political parties
- Gabonese Democratic Party or PDG
Restoration of Republican Values or RV
The Democrats or LD
Legislative Branch
- Legislature name
- Parliament
- Legislative structure
- bicameral
National Anthem(s)
- Title
- "La Concorde" (The Concorde)
- History
- adopted 1960
- Lyrics/music
- Georges Aleka DAMAS
- National symbol(s)
- black panther
- National coat of arms
- the panthers represent vigilance and courage, and they support a shield with a ship and an okoume tree, which is a symbol of the timber trade; the ribbon below the shield has the national motto in French, Union, Travail, Justice ("Union, Work, Justice"), and the ribbon above the shield has the Latin phrase Uniti Progrediemur ("We shall go forward united")
- Administrative divisions
- 9 provinces; Estuaire, Haut-Ogooue, Moyen-Ogooue, Ngounie, Nyanga, Ogooue-Ivindo, Ogooue-Lolo, Ogooue-Maritime, Woleu-Ntem
Legislative Branch Lower Chamber
- Chamber name
- National Assembly (Assemblée nationale)
- Term in office
- 5 years
- Number of seats
- 145 (all directly elected)
- Electoral system
- plurality/majority
- Scope of elections
- full renewal
- Most recent election date
- 10/6/2023
- Expected date of next election
- November 2030
- Percentage of women in chamber
- 21.6%
Legislative Branch Upper Chamber
- Chamber name
- Senate (Senate)
- Term in office
- 5 years
- Number of seats
- 70 (all indirectly elected)
- Scope of elections
- full renewal
- Most recent election date
- 9/27/2025 to 10/11/2025
- Expected date of next election
- November 2025
- Percentage of women in chamber
- 20.3%
Diplomatic Representation in the US
- Fax
- [1] (301) 332-0668
- Chancery
- 2034 20th Street NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20009
- Telephone
- [1] (202) 797-1000
- Chief of mission
- Ambassador Noël Nelson MESSONE (12 December 2022)
- Consulate(s) general
- New York
- Email address and website
info@gaboneembassyusa.org
https://gabonembassyusa.org/en/
Diplomatic Representation from the US
- Fax
- [241] 011-45-71-05
- Embassy
- Sabliere, B.P. 4000, Libreville
- Telephone
- [241] 011-45-71-00
- Mailing address
- 2270 Libreville Place, Washington, DC 20521-2270
- Chief of mission
- Ambassador Vernelle Trim FITZPATRICK (since 26 January 2024); note - also accredited to Sao Tome and Principe
- Email address and website
ACSLibreville@state.gov
https://ga.usembassy.gov/
- International organisations
- ACP, AfDB, AU (suspended), BDEAC, CEMAC, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINUSCA, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
- International law organization participation
- has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
Legislature
GABON · LOWER HOUSE
National Assembly
145 seats · hover a seat for the party
Total seats
145
Majority line
74
Largest party
Gabonese Democratic Party
Parties
9
All political parties
Upper house
GABON · UPPER HOUSE
Senate
70 seats · hover a seat for the party
Total seats
70
Majority line
36
Largest party
Gabonese Democratic Party
Parties
9
All political parties
Leaders
Current
Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema
- Head of State
Raymond Ndong Sima
- Head of Government
Economy
Budget
- Note
- note: central government revenues and expenses (excluding grants/extrabudgetary units/social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
- Revenues
- $2.939 billion (2021 est.)
- Expenditures
- $3.226 billion (2021 est.)
Exports
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- $13.5B
- Note
- note: GDP expenditure basis - exports of goods and services in current dollars
- Exports 2022
- $13.814 billion (2022 est.)
- Exports 2023
- $12.869 billion (2023 est.)
- Exports 2024
- $13.622 billion (2024 est.)
Imports
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- $5.7B
- Note
- note: GDP expenditure basis - imports of goods and services in current dollars
- Imports 2022
- $5.005 billion (2022 est.)
- Imports 2023
- $5.38 billion (2023 est.)
- Imports 2024
- $6.094 billion (2024 est.)
- Industries
- petroleum extraction and refining; manganese, gold; chemicals, ship repair, food and beverages, textiles, lumbering and plywood, cement
- Labor force
- 824,400 (2024 est.)
Public Debt
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- 64.2% of GDP (2016 est.)
- Public debt 2016
- 64.2% of GDP (2016 est.)
Remittances
- Note
- note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities
- Remittances 2021
- 0.1% of GDP (2021 est.)
- Remittances 2022
- 0.1% of GDP (2022 est.)
- Remittances 2023
- 0.1% of GDP (2023 est.)
Exchange Rates
- Currency
- Coopération Financière en Afrique Centrale francs (XAF) per US dollar -
- Exchange rates 2020
- 575.586 (2020 est.)
- Exchange rates 2021
- 554.531 (2021 est.)
- Exchange rates 2022
- 623.76 (2022 est.)
- Exchange rates 2023
- 606.57 (2023 est.)
- Exchange rates 2024
- 606.345 (2024 est.)
Debt External
- Note
- note: present value of external debt in current US dollars
- Debt external 2023
- $6.442 billion (2023 est.)
- Economic overview
- natural-resource-rich, upper-middle-income, Central African economy; significant reliance on oil and mineral exports; highly urbanized population; high levels of poverty and unemployment; uncertainty on institutional and development reform progress following 2023 military coup
Unemployment Rate
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- 20.2%
- Note
- note: % of labor force seeking employment
- Unemployment rate 2022
- 20.4% (2022 est.)
- Unemployment rate 2023
- 20.3% (2023 est.)
- Unemployment rate 2024
- 20.1% (2024 est.)
- Exports partners
- China 26%, Indonesia 8%, Spain 7%, Israel 6%, Congo, Republic of the 5% (2023)
- Imports partners
- France 14%, China 13%, S. Korea 13%, USA 7%, India 4% (2023)
Real GDP Per Capita
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- $21,510
- Note
- note: data in 2021 dollars
- Real GDP per capita 2022
- $18,700 (2022 est.)
- Real GDP per capita 2023
- $18,700 (2023 est.)
- Real GDP per capita 2024
- $18,900 (2024 est.)
Real GDP Growth Rate
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- 3.4%
- Note
- note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency
- Real GDP growth rate 2022
- 3% (2022 est.)
- Real GDP growth rate 2023
- 2.4% (2023 est.)
- Real GDP growth rate 2024
- 3.4% (2024 est.)
- Agricultural products
- oil palm fruit, plantains, cassava, sugarcane, yams, taro, vegetables, maize, groundnuts, game meat (2023)
- Exports commodities
- crude petroleum, ships, manganese ore, refined petroleum, wood (2023)
- Imports commodities
- ships, refined petroleum, iron pipes, cars, packaged medicine (2023)
Current Account Balance
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- -$1.9B
- Note
- note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars
- Current account balance 2013
- $1.463 billion (2013 est.)
- Current account balance 2014
- $1.112 billion (2014 est.)
- Current account balance 2015
- $140.996 million (2015 est.)
- Taxes and other revenues
- 9.5% (of GDP) (2021 est.)
- GDP (official exchange rate)
- $20.867 billion (2024 est.)
GDP Composition, BY End Use
- Note
- note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection
- Household consumption
- 33.7% (2024 est.)
- Government consumption
- 12.2% (2024 est.)
- Investment in inventories
- 0% (2024 est.)
- Investment in fixed capital
- 18.1% (2024 est.)
- Exports of goods and services
- 65.3% (2024 est.)
- Imports of goods and services
- -29.2% (2024 est.)
- Population below poverty line
- 33.4% (2017 est.)
Inflation Rate (Consumer Prices)
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- 1.2%
- Note
- note: annual % change based on consumer prices
- Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022
- 4.2% (2022 est.)
- Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023
- 3.6% (2023 est.)
- Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024
- 1.2% (2024 est.)
- Industrial production growth rate
- 2.8% (2024 est.)
Real GDP (Purchasing Power Parity)
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- $48.045 billion (2024 est.)
- Note
- note: data in 2021 dollars
- Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022
- $45.363 billion (2022 est.)
- Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023
- $46.472 billion (2023 est.)
- Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2024
- $48.045 billion (2024 est.)
Youth Unemployment Rate (Ages 15 24)
- Male
- 31.1% (2024 est.)
- Note
- note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment
- Total
- 36% (2024 est.)
- Female
- 42.3% (2024 est.)
Reserves of Foreign Exchange and Gold
- Note
- note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars
- Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2021
- $1.304 billion (2021 est.)
- Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2022
- $1.415 billion (2022 est.)
- Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2023
- $1.447 billion (2023 est.)
GDP Composition, BY Sector of Origin
- Note
- note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data
- Industry
- 50.9% (2024 est.)
- Services
- 37.5% (2024 est.)
- Agriculture
- 6.2% (2024 est.)
Household Income or Consumption BY Percentage Share
- Note
- note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population
- Lowest 10%
- 2.2% (2017 est.)
- Highest 10%
- 27.7% (2017 est.)
Gini Index Coefficient Distribution of Family Income
- Note
- note: index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality
- Gini index coefficient distribution of family income 2017
- 38 (2017 est.)
Energy
Coal
- Imports
- 75,000 metric tons (2023 est.)
Petroleum
- Total petroleum production
- 204,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
- Crude oil estimated reserves
- 2 billion barrels (2021 est.)
- Refined petroleum consumption
- 14,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Electricity
- Imports
- 584.039 million kWh (2023 est.)
- Consumption
- 3.173 billion kWh (2023 est.)
- Installed generating capacity
- 785,000 kW (2023 est.)
- Transmission/distribution losses
- 604 million kWh (2023 est.)
Natural Gas
- Production
- 463 million cubic meters (2023 est.)
- Consumption
- 463 million cubic meters (2023 est.)
- Proven reserves
- 25.995 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)
Electricity Access
- Electrification rural areas
- 29%
- Electrification urban areas
- 98.5%
- Electrification total population
- 93.5% (2022 est.)
Energy Consumption Per Capita
- Total energy consumption per capita 2023
- 22.101 million Btu/person (2023 est.)
Electricity Generation Sources
- Fossil fuels
- 51.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
- Hydroelectricity
- 47.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
- Biomass and waste
- 0.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Communications
Internet Users
- Percent of population
- 72% (2023 est.)
- Broadcast media
- 2 state-run TV stations and 2 state-run radio stations; a few private radio and TV stations; transmissions of at least 2 international broadcasters are accessible; satellite service subscriptions are available
- Internet country code
- .ga
Telephones Fixed Lines
- Total subscriptions
- 67,100 (2024 est.)
- Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
- 3 (2024 est.)
Telephones Mobile Cellular
- Total subscriptions
- 3.18 million (2024 est.)
- Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
- 125 (2024 est.)
Broadband Fixed Subscriptions
- Total
- 80,000 (2022 est.)
- Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
- 3 (2022 est.)
Transport
Ports
- Large
- 0
- Small
- 2
- Medium
- 2
- Key ports
- Libreville, Oguendjo Terminal, Port Gentil, Port Owendo
- Very small
- 5
- Total ports
- 9 (2024)
- Ports with oil terminals
- 7
- Airports
- 42 (2025)
Railways
- Total
- 649 km (2014)
- Standard gauge
- 649 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge
Merchant Marine
- Total
- 87 (2023)
- BY type
- bulk carrier 1, general cargo 19, oil tanker 30, other 37
- Civil aircraft registration country code prefix
- TR
Environment
- Climate
- tropical; always hot, humid
Land Use
- Other
- 0.2% (2023 est.)
- Forest
- 91.5% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land
- 8.4% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land: arable land
- arable land: 1.3% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land: permanent crops
- permanent crops: 0.7% (2023 est.)
- Agricultural land: permanent pasture
- permanent pasture: 6.4% (2023 est.)
Urbanization
- Urban population
- 91% of total population (2023)
- Rate of urbanization
- 2.27% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Methane Emissions
- Other
- 5.4 kt (2019-2021 est.)
- Waste
- 18.6 kt (2019-2021 est.)
- Energy
- 272.4 kt (2022-2024 est.)
- Agriculture
- 4.9 kt (2019-2021 est.)
Waste and Recycling
- Municipal solid waste generated annually
- 238,100 tons (2024 est.)
- Percent of municipal solid waste recycled
- 22.4% (2022 est.)
- Environmental issues
- deforestation from logging; solid-waste disposal; water pollution from oil industry; wildlife poaching
Total Water Withdrawal
- Municipal
- 84.7 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
- Industrial
- 14.1 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
- Agricultural
- 40.3 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
Carbon Dioxide Emissions
- Total emissions
- 3.144 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
- From consumed natural gas
- 908,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
- From coal and metallurgical coke
- 230,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
- From petroleum and other liquids
- 2.005 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
- Particulate matter emissions
- 29.6 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
- Total renewable water resources
- 166 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
International Environmental Agreements
- Party to
- Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling
- Signed, but not ratified
- none of the selected agreements
Military & Security
- Military note
- the Gabonese military is a small and lightly armed force that is responsible for both external and internal security; the military may also participate in the economic and social development work of the nation; key defense priorities include securing the country's borders and maritime domain; it has contributed to regional peacekeeping and joint security operations; in August 2023, officers from the Republican Guard seized control of the government and placed the president under arrest (2025)
Military Expenditures
- Civica canonical (reconciled)
- 1.5%
- Military expenditures 2020
- 1.8% of GDP (2020 est.)
- Military expenditures 2021
- 1.7% of GDP (2021 est.)
- Military expenditures 2022
- 1.3% of GDP (2022 est.)
- Military expenditures 2023
- 1.3% of GDP (2023 est.)
- Military expenditures 2024
- 1.5% of GDP (2024 est.)
- Military and security forces
- Gabonese Armed Forces (Force Armées Gabonaise or FAG; aka National Defense and Security Forces of Gabon or des Forces Nationales de Défense et de Sécurité (FNDS) du Gabon): Army, Navy, Air Force, Light Aviation, Fire Brigade; Gabon National Gendarmerie (GENA); Republican Guard (GR); Military Health Service; Military Engineering (2025)
- Military service age and obligation
- 18-24 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2025)
- Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
- the Gabonese military has a mix of older and limited quantities of more modern armaments; suppliers include Brazil, China, France, Germany, Russia/former Soviet Union, South Africa, and Spain (2025)
- Military and security service personnel strengths
- approximately 7,000 active-duty Armed Forces including the Republican Guard and Gendarmerie (2025)
Space
- Space agency/agencies
- Gabonese Studies and Space Observations Agency (Agence Gabonaise d’Etudes et d’Observations Spatiales or AGEOS; established 2015) (2025)
- Space program overview
- has a small space program focused on using data from remote sensing (RS) satellites for environmental and natural-resource management, mapping, land-use planning, maritime surveillance, and research; member of the African Space Agency; has relationships with Brazil, China, the ESA, individual ESA member states (particularly France), and the US, as well as African countries such as Kenya, Niger, Rwanda, and South Africa; shares RS satellite data with neighboring countries (2025)
- Key space program milestones
- 1986 - ESA established a ground station in Gabon
2018 - completed mapping Gabon’s forests
2019 - founding member of the Space Climate Observatory
2021 - began acquisition process for first satellite in joint project with Japan, known as BIRDs
2025 - became member of new African Space Agency
Transnational Issues
Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons
- Refugees
- 261 (2024 est.)
Scores & Rankings
ScoreValueGlobal rankTrendAs of
Civica Index21.0 / 100as of 2024-Q4163 / 1902024-Q4
V-Dem Liberal Democracy0.15as of 2024-Q4119 / 1702024-Q4
Freedom House StatusNot Free (17/100)as of 2024-Q4—2024-Q4
Press Freedom (RSF)Partly free (50/100)as of 2024—2024
Cite this page
Cite this page
Civica. (2026). Civica Atlas — Gabon — vintage 2026-Q1: Gabon factbook. Civica Atlas. Retrieved May 7, 2026, from https://civicaatlas.org/factbook/gabon
Sources: FAO FAOSTAT, ILO ILOSTAT, IMF (WEO), UN Statistics Division, UNDP HDR, UNESCO Institute for Statistics, V-Dem, WHO Global Health Observatory, World Bank, WTO Stats, CIA World Factbook, Wikidata