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 and surrounding present-day Gabon, including the Kingdoms of Loango and Orungu. Because most early Bantu languages spoken in these kingdoms did not have a written form, historical traditions were passed on orally, resulting in much of Gabon's early history being 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 following World War II led to the country’s independence in 1960.

Geographic coordinates: 1 00 S, 11 45 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 267,667 km²
Land: 257,667 km²
Water: 10,000 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Colorado

Land boundaries
Total: 3,261 km
Border countries: (3) Cameroon 349 km; Republic of the Congo 2,567 km; Equatorial Guinea 345 km

Coastline: 885 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate: tropical; always hot, humid

Terrain: narrow coastal plain; hilly interior; savanna in east and south

Elevation
Highest point: Mont Bengoue 1,050 m
Lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Mean elevation: 377 m

Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, diamond, niobium, manganese, uranium, gold, timber, iron ore, hydropower

Land use
Agricultural land: 19% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 1.2% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 0.6% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 17.2% (2018 est.)
Forest: 81% (2018 est.)
Other: 0% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 40 km² (2012)

Major watersheds area km²: Atlantic Ocean drainage: Congo (3,730,881 km²)

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 80 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial: 10 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Agricultural: 40 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 166 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Natural hazards: none

Geography
Note: a small population and oil and mineral reserves have helped Gabon become one of Africa's wealthier countries; in general, these circumstances have allowed the country to maintain and conserve its pristine rain forest and rich biodiversity

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: 2,397,368 (2023 est.)
Growth rate: 2.39% (2023 est.)
Below poverty line: 33.4% (2017 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Gabonese (singular and plural)
Adjective: Gabonese

Ethnic groups: Gabonese-born 80.1% (includes Fang 23.2%, Shira-Punu/Vili 18.9%, Nzabi-Duma 11.3%, Mbede-Teke 6.9%, Myene 5%, Kota-Kele 4.9%, Okande-Tsogo 2.1%, Pygmy 0.3%, other 7.5%), Cameroonian 4.6%, Malian 2.4%, Beninese 2.1%, acquired Gabonese nationality 1.6%, Togolese 1.6%, Senegalese 1.1%, Congolese (Brazzaville) 1%, other 5.5% (includes Congolese (Kinshasa), Equatorial Guinean, Nigerian) (2012 est.)

Languages: French (official), Fang, Myene, Nzebi, Bapounou/Eschira, Bandjabi

Religions: Roman Catholic 42.3%, Protestant 12.3%, other Christian 27.4%, Muslim 9.8%, animist 0.6%, other 0.5%, none/no answer 7.1% (2012 est.)

Demographic profile: Gabon’s oil revenues have given it one of the highest per capita income levels in Sub-Saharan Africa, but the wealth is not evenly distributed and poverty is widespread. Unemployment is especially prevalent among the large youth population; more than 60% of the population is under the age of 25 as of 2020. With a fertility rate still averaging more than 3 children per woman, the youth population will continue to grow and further strain the mismatch between Gabon’s supply of jobs and the skills of its labor force.

Age structure
0-14 years: 35.04% (male 424,741/female 415,342)
15-64 years: 60.76% (male 765,729/female 690,931)
65 years and over: 4.2% (2023 est.) (male 50,920/female 49,705)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 67.6
Youth dependency ratio: 61
Elderly dependency ratio: 6.5
Potential support ratio: 15.3 (2021 est.)

Median age
Total: 21.8 years (2023 est.)
Male: 22.2 years
Female: 21.3 years

Population growth rate: 2.39% (2023 est.)

Birth rate: 25.9 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate: 5.6 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Net migration rate: 3.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 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

Urbanization
Urban population: 91% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 2.27% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 870,000 LIBREVILLE (capital) (2023)

Environment
Current issues: deforestation (the forests that cover three-quarters of the country are threatened by excessive logging); burgeoning population exacerbating disposal of solid waste; oil industry contributing to water pollution; wildlife poaching
International 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
International agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 26.29 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 5.32 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 1.13 megatons (2020 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
65 years and over: 1.02 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth: 19.6 years (2012 est.)
Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 20-49

Maternal mortality ratio: 227 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 27.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Male: 30.6 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 24.7 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 70 years (2023 est.)
Male: 68.3 years
Female: 71.8 years

Total fertility rate: 3.26 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 31.1% (2012)

Drinking water source
Improved urban: 97.2% of population
Improved rural: 55.3% of population
Improved total: 93.1% of population
Unimproved urban: 2.8% of population
Unimproved rural: 44.7% of population
Unimproved total: 6.9% of population (2020 est.)

Current health expenditure: 3.4% of GDP (2020)

Physicians density: 0.65 physicians/1,000 population (2018)

Hospital bed density: 6.3 beds/1,000 population

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: very high (2023)
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: malaria and dengue fever
Water contact diseases: schistosomiasis
Animal contact diseases: rabies

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 15% (2016)

Alcohol consumption
Per capita total: 6.47 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita beer: 5.31 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita wine: 0.62 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita spirits: 0.5 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita other alcohols: 0.04 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 6.4% (2019/20)

Education expenditures: 3.2% of GDP (2020 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 85.5%
Male: 86.2%
Female: 84.7% (2021)

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 38.4% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 33.7%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 44.4%

Country name
Conventional long form: Gabonese Republic
Conventional short form: Gabon
Local long form: Republique Gabonaise
Local short form: Gabon
Etymology: name originates from the Portuguese word "gabao" meaning "cloak," which is roughly the shape that the early explorers gave to the estuary of the Komo River by the capital of Libreville

Government type: presidential republic

Capital
Name: Libreville
Geographic coordinates: 0 23 N, 9 27 E
Time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Etymology: original site settled by freed slaves and the name means "free town" in French; named in imitation of Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone

Administrative divisions: 9 provinces; Estuaire, Haut-Ogooue, Moyen-Ogooue, Ngounie, Nyanga, Ogooue-Ivindo, Ogooue-Lolo, Ogooue-Maritime, Woleu-Ntem

Independence: 17 August 1960 (from France)

National holiday: Independence Day, 17 August (1960)

Constitution
History: previous 1961; latest drafted May 1990, adopted 15 March 1991, promulgated 26 March 1991
Amendments: 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; amended several times, last in 2023 (presidential term reduced to 5 years and election reduced to a single vote)

Legal system: mixed legal system of French civil law and customary law

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

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

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state:
Head of government: Interim Prime Minister Raymond Ndong SIMA (since 8 September 2023)
Cabinet: formerly the Council of Ministers, appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the president
Elections/appointments: formerly, the president directly elected by plurality vote for a 5-year term (no term limits); election last held on 26 August 2023; prime minister appointed by the president; note - on 30 August 2023, Gen. Brice OLIGUI Nguema led a military group called Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions in a coup in which President Ali BONGO Ondimba was arrested and detained, election results were canceled, and state institutions dissolved; on 4 September 2023, OLIGUI was sworn in as transitional president; a general election is planned for August 2025
Election results:

Judicial branch
Highest courts: 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)
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
Subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal; county courts; military courts

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: 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

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Noel Nelson MESSONE (12 December 2022)
In the us chancery: 2,034 20th Street NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20,009
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 797-1000
In the us FAX: [1] (301) 332-0668
In the us email address and website:
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires Ellen B. THORBURN (since 27 October 2022); note - also accredited to Sao Tome and Principe
From the us embassy: Sabliere, B.P. 4,000, Libreville
From the us mailing address: 2,270 Libreville Place, Washington, DC 20,521-2,270
From the us telephone: [241] 011-45-71-00
From the us FAX: [241] 011-45-71-05
From the us email address and website:

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and blue; green represents the country's forests and natural resources, gold represents the equator (which transects Gabon) as well as the sun, blue represents the sea

National symbols: black panther; national colors: green, yellow, blue

National anthem
Name: "La Concorde" (The Concorde)
Lyrics/music: Georges Aleka DAMAS
Note: adopted 1960

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 2 (1 natural, 1 mixed)
Selected World Heritage Site locales:

Economy overview: natural resource-rich, upper-middle-income, Central African economy; sparsely populated but high urbanization; young labor force; oil, manganese, and rubber exporter; foreign investment dependent; data integrity issue on poverty and income

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 37.6% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 14.1% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 29% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: -0.6% (2016 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 46.7% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -26.8% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 5% (2017 est.)
Industry: 44.7% (2017 est.)
Services: 50.4% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: plantains, cassava, sugar cane, yams, taro, vegetables, maize, groundnuts, game meat, rubber

Industries: petroleum extraction and refining; manganese, gold; chemicals, ship repair, food and beverages, textiles, lumbering and plywood, cement

Industrial production growth rate: 3.2% (2021 est.)

Labor force: 718,400 (2021 est.)

Unemployment rate:

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 38.4% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 33.7%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 44.4%

Population below poverty line: 33.4% (2017 est.)

Gini index
Coefficient distribution of family income: 38 (2017 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10%: 2.5%
Highest 10%: 32.7% (2005)

Budget
Revenues: $3.296 billion (2019 est.)
Expenditures: $2.937 billion (2019 est.)
Surplus  or deficit: -1.9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues: 11.48% (of GDP) (2019 est.)

Public debt:

Revenue
From forest resources: 2.6% of GDP (2018 est.)
From coal: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:

Current account balance:

Exports:
Partners: China 63%, Singapore 5% (2019)
Commodities: crude petroleum, manganese, lumber, veneer sheeting, refined petroleum (2021)

Imports:
Partners: France 22%, China 17%, Belgium 6%, United States 6%, United Arab Emirates 5% (2019)
Commodities: poultry meats, excavation machinery, packaged medicines, cars, rice (2019)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

Debt external:

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Access population without electricity: (2020) less than 1 million
Access electrification-total population: 91.8% (2021)
Access electrification-urban areas: 98.6% (2021)
Access electrification-rural areas: 26.7% (2021)
Installed generating capacity: 784,000 kW (2020 est.)
Consumption: 3.134 billion kWh (2019 est.)
Exports: 0 kWh (2019 est.)
Imports: 511 million kWh (2019 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 389 million kWh (2019 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 40.6% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources solar: 0.1% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources wind: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 59% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 0.3% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Coal
Production: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Consumption: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Imports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 175,000 bbl/day (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 14,400 bbl/day (2019 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate exports: 178,400 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate imports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 2 billion barrels (2021 est.)

Refined petroleum
Products production: 16,580 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products exports: 4,662 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports: 10,680 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 319.102 million cubic meters (2019 est.)
Consumption: 319.102 million cubic meters (2019 est.)
Exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Imports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Proven reserves: 25.995 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 2.651 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 2.025 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 626,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 26.786 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 43,395 (2022 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 3,144,609 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 134 (2021 est.)

Broadcast media: state owns and operates 2 TV stations and 2 radio broadcast 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
Users total: 1.656 million (2021 est.)
Users percent of population: 72% (2021 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 44,607 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 2 (2020 est.)

Military expenditures:

Military and security forces: Gabonese Armed Forces (Force Armées Gabonaise or FAG; aka Gabonese Defense and Security Forces): Land Forces (Army), National Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie (includes Coast Guard), Corps of Firemen; Republican Guard (2023)
Note: the National Police Forces, under the Ministry of Interior, and the National Gendarmerie, under the Ministry of Defense, are responsible for law enforcement and public security; elements of the armed forces and the Republican Guard, an elite unit that protects the president under his direct authority, sometimes perform internal security functions

Military service age and obligation: 18-26 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2023)

Space program
Overview: has a small space program focused on the acquisition, processing, analysis, and furnishing of data from foreign remote sensing (RS) satellites for environmental management, mapping, natural resources, land use planning, and maritime surveillance, as well as research and innovation; has relationships with Brazil, China, the European Space Agency (ESA) and its member states (particularly France), Kenya, Niger, Rwanda, South Africa, and the US; shares RS data with neighboring countries (2023)
Overview note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in space programs

National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 3 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 8

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: TR

Airports: 44 (2021)
With paved runways: 14
With paved runways note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
With unpaved runways: 30
With unpaved runways note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control

Pipelines: 807 km gas, 1,639 km oil, 3 km water (2013)

Railways
Total: 649 km (2014)
Standard gauge: 649 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge

Roadways
Total: 14,300 km (2001)
Paved: 900 km (2001)
Unpaved: 13,400 km (2001)

Waterways: 1,600 km (2010) (310 km on Ogooue River)

Merchant marine
Total: 71 (2022)
By type: bulk carrier 2, general cargo 19, oil tanker 20, other 30

Ports and terminals
Major seaports: Libreville, Owendo, Port-Gentil
Oil terminals: Gamba, Lucina

Disputes international: dispute with Equatorial Guinea over Mbane Island and lesser islands in the Corisco Bay submitted to ICJ in 2016