Gabon
Country in Africa
CountryScope
In brief
Population: 2.6M (2025). World rank 142 of 216; in Africa, 43 of 54. Area: 267,668 km². World rank 78 of 249; in Africa, 30 of 59. Life expectancy: 68.5 years (2024). World rank 164 of 216 (1 = best); in Africa, 14 of 54. From 2015 to 2025: population 2M → 2.6M, GDP $14.4B → $21.4B, and GDP per person $7,047 → $8,263. Better than all its neighbours (Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, and Equatorial Guinea): life expectancy and GDP per person.
State
- Official name
- Gabonese Republic
- Local name
- Gabon
- Capital
- Libreville
- Region
- Africa
- Form of government
- Presidential republic
- UN member
- Yes
- Head of state
- Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema
- Head of government
- Raymond Ndong Sima
- Independence
- August 17, 1960
- Women in parliament
- 21.6% 2025
Key figures
- Population
- 2,593,130 2025
- Area
- 267,668 km²
- GDP
- $21.4B 2025
- GDP per person
- $8,263 2025
- Life expectancy
- 68.5 years 2024
Practical information
- Languages
- French
- Currency
- Central African CFA Franc (XAF)
- Time zones
- UTC+1
- Calling code
- +241
- Emergency numbers
- 18, 1300, 1722
- Driving side
- Right
- Plug types
- C
- Mains voltage
- 220 V
Territory
- Sea access
- Has a coastline
- Coastline, km
- 885
- Neighbours
- Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea
- Agricultural land
- 6.9% 2024
Elevation
- Highest point
- Mont Bengoué, 1,050 m
- Lowest point
- Atlantic Ocean, 0 m
- Mean elevation, m
- 377
Climate
- Average temperature in the capital, °C
- 26
- Warmest month in the capital
- March, 27°C
- Coldest month in the capital
- July, 24°C
- Precipitation, mm per year
- 1,831 2022
Population and migration
- Population density
- 9.7 per km² 2025
- Population growth per year
- +2.1% 2025
- Living in cities
- 92.1% 2025
- Net migration per year
- +1.1K 2025
- Born in another country
- 17.7% 2024
Age and life expectancy
- Aged 0–14
- 36.2% 2025
- Aged 15–64
- 59.6% 2025
- Aged 65 and over
- 4.1% 2025
- Life expectancy, women
- 71.2 years 2024
- Life expectancy, men
- 66.1 years 2024
Births and deaths
- Children per woman
- 3.6 2024
- Births per 1,000 people
- 27.1 2024
- Deaths per 1,000 people
- 6.2 2024
Society
- Religions
- Protestant 46.4%, Catholic 29.8%, Muslim 10.8%, no religion 7%, and other Christian 4%
Quality of governance (100 = best)
- Rule of law, score 0–100
- 41.8 2025
- Control of corruption, score 0–100
- 32.4 2025
- Government effectiveness, score 0–100
- 41.1 2025
- Regulatory quality, score 0–100
- 42.9 2025
- Voice and accountability, score 0–100
- 42.6 2025
Size and growth
- GDP per person at purchasing power parity
- $22,218 2025
- GDP growth per year
- +2.5% 2025
Income and prices
- Income level (World Bank)
- Upper-middle income
- Gross national income per person
- $8,090 2025
- Inflation
- +1.8% 2025
- Price level, USA = 100
- 37 2025
Structure and jobs
- Agriculture, share of GDP
- 6.8% 2025
- Industry, share of GDP
- 47.2% 2025
- Services, share of GDP
- 42.3% 2025
- Unemployment
- 20.1% 2025
- Youth unemployment, ages 15–24
- 36.3% 2025
- Women in work or seeking work
- 41.6% 2025
Trade and finance
- Exports, share of GDP
- 55.5% 2025
- Imports, share of GDP
- 29.4% 2025
- Current account balance, share of GDP
- +1% 2015
- Foreign direct investment, share of GDP
- +1.8% 2025
- Remittances received, share of GDP
- 0.1% 2015
- Tax revenue, share of GDP
- 9.5% 2021
Poverty and inequality
- Gini index (0 = full equality)
- 38 2017
- Living on under $3 a day
- 3.8% 2017
Education
- Adult literacy
- 88.9% 2021
- Primary school enrolment
- 100% 2019
- Secondary school enrolment
- 70.3% 2019
- Higher education enrolment
- 7.7% 2003
- Public spending on education, share of GDP
- 2.3% 2023
Healthcare
- Health spending, share of GDP
- 3.1% 2023
- Health spending per person
- $253 2023
- Out-of-pocket health spending, share of total
- 17.3% 2023
- Doctors per 1,000 people
- 0.5 2022
- Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people
- 2.4 2022
- Hospital beds per 1,000 people
- 2 2011
- Children vaccinated against measles
- 57% 2024
Public health
- Infant deaths per 1,000 births
- 25.9 2024
- Deaths under age 5 per 1,000 births
- 32.6 2024
- Maternal deaths per 100,000 births
- 233 2023
- HIV prevalence, ages 15–49
- 2.8% 2024
- Diabetes prevalence, ages 20–79
- 8.5% 2024
- Overweight adults
- 46.9% 2022
- Adults who use tobacco
- 13.3% 2024
Living conditions
- Access to safe drinking water
- 88.6% 2024
- Access to basic sanitation
- 57.4% 2024
- Access to clean cooking fuels
- 93% 2024
Safety
- Road deaths per 100,000 people
- 23.9 2019
- Suicides per 100,000 people
- 7.3 2021
- Political stability and absence of violence, score 0–100
- 67.7 2025
Air and emissions
- Air pollution PM2.5, µg/m³
- 31.3 2023
- CO₂ emissions, tonnes per person
- 2.1 2024
- All greenhouse gases, tonnes CO₂e per person
- 8.6 2024
Nature and water
- Forest cover
- 91.4% 2024
- Protected areas
- 24.4% 2025
- Renewable fresh water, m³ per person
- 67,469 2022
- Water stress, share of fresh water withdrawn
- 0.5% 2022
Internet and communications
- Using the internet
- 68.7% 2024
- Mobile subscriptions per 100 people
- 125 2024
- Home broadband per 100 people
- 4.7 2024
- Internet domain
- .ga
Energy
- Access to electricity
- 95.1% 2024
- Electricity use, kWh per person
- 1,016 2024
- Renewable share of energy use
- 91.3% 2021
- Electricity from renewables
- 33% 2021
- Electricity from fossil fuels
- 55.6% 2024
Transport
- Air passengers per year
- 77,320 2016
- Airports
- 42 2025
- Railways, km
- 649 2014
Science and innovation
- Research spending, share of GDP
- 0.6% 2009
- Scientific articles per year
- 91 2023
- High-tech share of manufactured exports
- 1.8% 2023