Background: Equatorial Guinea consists of a continental territory and five inhabited islands; it is one of the smallest countries by area and population in Africa. The mainland region was most likely predominantly inhabited by Pygmy ethnic groups prior to the migration of various Bantu-speaking ethnic groups around the second millennium BC. The island of Bioko, the largest of Equatorial Guinea’s five inhabited islands and the location of the country’s capital of Malabo, has been occupied since at least 1000 B.C. In the early 1470s, Portuguese explorers landed on Bioko Island, and Portugal soon after established control of the island and other areas of modern Equatorial Guinea. In 1778, Portugal ceded its colonial hold over present-day Equatorial Guinea to Spain in the Treaty of El Pardo. The borders of modern-day Equatorial Guinea would evolve between 1778 and 1968 as the area remained under European colonial rule. In 1968, Equatorial Guinea was granted independence from Spain and elected Francisco MACIAS NGUEMA as its first president. MACIAS consolidated power soon after his election and ruled brutally for over a decade. Under his regime, Equatorial Guinea experienced mass suppression, purges, and killings. Some estimates indicate that a third of the population either went into exile or was killed under MACIAS’ rule. In 1979, present-day President OBIANG Nguema Mbasogo, then a senior military officer, deposed MACIAS in a violent coup. OBIANG has ruled since and has been elected in non-competitive contests several times, most recently in 2022. The president exerts near-total control over the political system. Equatorial Guinea experienced rapid economic growth in the early years of the 21st century due to the discovery of large offshore oil reserves in 1996. Production peaked in 2004 and has declined since. The country's economic windfall from oil production resulted in massive increases in government revenue, a significant portion of which was earmarked for infrastructure development. Systemic corruption, however, has hindered socio-economic development, and the population has seen only limited improvements to living standards. Equatorial Guinea continues to seek to diversify its economy, increase foreign investment, and assume a greater role in regional and international affairs. 

Area
Total: 28,051 km²
Land: 28,051 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries
Total: 528 km
Border countries (2): (2) Cameroon 183 km; Gabon 345 km

Coastline: 296 km

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

Climate: tropical; always hot, humid

Terrain: coastal plains rise to interior hills; islands are volcanic

Elevation
Highest point: Pico Basile 3,008 m
Lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Mean elevation: 577 m

Land use
Agricultural land: 3.7% (2023 est.)
Arable land: 1.9% (2023 est.)
Permanent crops: 1.7% (2023 est.)
Permanent pasture: 0.2% (2023 est.)
Forest: 86.4% (2023 est.)
Other: 9.9% (2023 est.)

Irrigated land: NA

Natural hazards: violent windstorms; flash floods
Volcanism: Santa Isabel (3,007 m), which last erupted in 1923, is the country's only historically active volcano; Santa Isabel and two dormant volcanoes form Bioko Island in the Gulf of Guinea

Geography
Note: insular and continental regions widely separated; despite its name, no part of the equator passes through Equatorial Guinea -- the mainland part of the country is located just north of the equator

Population
Total: 1,795,834 (2024 est.)
Male: 962,385
Female: 833,449
Distribution: the two large cities are Bata on the mainland and the capital Malabo on the island of Bioko; small communities are scattered throughout the mainland and the five inhabited islands, as shown in this population distribution map
Growth rate: 3.23% (2024 est.)

Languages: Spanish (official) 67.6%, other (includes Fang, Bubi, Portuguese (official), French (official), Fa d'Ambo spoken in Annobon) 32.4% (1994 est.)
Major-language sample(s): ; La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de información básica. (Spanish); The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions: Roman Catholic 88%, Protestant 5%, Muslim 2%, other 5% (animist, Baha'i, Jewish) (2015 est.)

Age structure
0-14 years: 35.6% (male 330,636/female 309,528)
15-64 years: 59.4% (male 585,139/female 481,121)
65 years and over: 5% (2024 est.) (male 46,610/female 42,800)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 68.4 (2024 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 60 (2024 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 8.4 (2024 est.)
Potential support ratio: 11.9 (2024 est.)

Median age
Total: 22.1 years (2024 est.)
Male: 22.7 years
Female: 21.5 years

Population growth rate: 3.23% (2024 est.)

Birth rate: 29 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Death rate: 8.9 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Population distribution: the two large cities are Bata on the mainland and the capital Malabo on the island of Bioko; small communities are scattered throughout the mainland and the five inhabited islands, as shown in this population distribution map

Urbanization
Urban population: 74.4% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 3.62% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 297,000 MALABO (capital) (2018)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.22 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.09 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.16 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio: 174 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 77.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 83.3 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 71.3 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 63.9 years (2024 est.)
Male: 61.6 years
Female: 66.2 years

Total fertility rate: 4.12 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 7.9% (2024 est.); 8.4% (2023 est.); 8.5% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Capital
Name: Malabo; note - Malabo is on the island of Bioko; some months of the year, the government operates out of Bata on the mainland region.
Geographic coordinates: 3 45 N, 8 47 E
Time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Etymology: English settlers who founded the city in 1827 named it Port Clarence after the Duke of CLARENCE; the Spanish renamed it Santa Isabel in 1843, for Queen ISABELLA II of Spain; it was renamed again in 1973 after King MALABO (1837–1937), the last king of the Bubi (local ethnic group)

Administrative divisions: 8 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Annobon, Bioko Norte, Bioko Sur, Centro Sur, Djibloho, Kie-Ntem, Litoral, Wele-Nzas

Legal system: mixed system of civil and customary law

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Executive branch
Chief of state: President OBIANG Nguema Mbasogo (since 3 August 1979)
Head of government: Prime Minister Manuel Osa Nsue Nsua (since 17 August 2024)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president and overseen by the prime minister
Election/appointment process: president directly elected by simple-majority popular vote for a 7-year term (eligible for a second term); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president
Most recent election date: 20 November 2022
2022: OBIANG Nguema Mbasogo reelected president; percent of vote - OBIANG Nguema Mbasogo (PDGE) 95%, other 6.1%
2016: OBIANG Nguema Mbasogo reelected president; percent of vote - OBIANG Nguema Mbasogo (PDGE) 93.5%, other 6.5%
Expected date of next election: 2,029

Legislative branch
Legislature name: Parliament (Parlamento)
Legislative structure: bicameral

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red, with a blue isosceles triangle based on the left side and the coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms has six six-pointed yellow stars (representing the mainland and five offshore islands) above a gray shield with a silk-cotton tree; below is a scroll with the motto UNIDAD, PAZ, JUSTICIA (Unity, Peace, Justice)

National anthem
Title: 'Caminemos pisando la senda' (Let Us Tread the Path)
Lyrics/music: Atanasio Ndongo MIYONO/Atanasio Ndongo MIYONO or Ramiro Sanchez LOPEZ (disputed)
History: adopted 1968

Real gdp growth rate: 0.9% (2024 est.); -5.1% (2023 est.); 3.2% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real gdp per capita: 0.9% (2024 est.); -5.1% (2023 est.); 3.2% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 52.9% (2024 est.)
Government consumption: 28.3% (2024 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 9.1% (2024 est.)
Investment in inventories: -0.1% (2024 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 35.2% (2024 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -25.4% (2024 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 3.1% (2024 est.)
Industry: 45.8% (2024 est.)
Services: 51.1% (2024 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

Industries: petroleum, natural gas, sawmilling

Industrial production growth rate: 0.8% (2024 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

Labor force: 715,000 (2024 est.)
Note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

Unemployment rate: 7.9% (2024 est.); 8.4% (2023 est.); 8.5% (2022 est.)
Note: % of labor force seeking employment

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 7.9% (2024 est.); 8.4% (2023 est.); 8.5% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Budget
Revenues: $3.62 billion (2022 est.)
Expenditures: $2.051 billion (2022 est.)
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

Taxes and other revenues: 6.6% (of GDP) (2022 est.)
Note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

Exports: $4.489 billion (2024 est.); $4.516 billion (2023 est.); $7.25 billion (2022 est.)
Note: GDP expenditure basis - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: crude petroleum, natural gas, alcohols, wood, scrap iron (2023)
Commodities note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Imports: $3.24 billion (2024 est.); $3.065 billion (2023 est.); $3.948 billion (2022 est.)
Note: GDP expenditure basis - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: ships, poultry, plastic products, beer, valves (2023)
Commodities note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Electricity
Installed generating capacity: 349,000 kW (2023 est.)
Consumption: 1.402 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 170.527 million kWh (2023 est.)
Access electrification - total population: 67% (2022 est.)
Access electrification - urban areas: 89.8%
Access electrification - rural areas: 1.4%
Generation sources fossil fuels: 68.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 31.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Coal
Imports: 8 metric tons (2023 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 98,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 6,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 1.1 billion barrels (2021 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 6.013 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Consumption: 2.332 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Exports: 3.63 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Proven reserves: 139.007 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 5.471 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 1 metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 896,000 metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 4.575 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 54.509 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 11,000 (2022 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1 (2022 est.) less than 1
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 893,000 (2022 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 53 (2022 est.)

Internet
Users percent of population: 60% (2023 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 2,000 (2022 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2022 est.) less than 1

Military expenditures: 1% of GDP (2024); 1.6% of GDP (2023 est.); 1.3% of GDP (2022 est.); 1.3% of GDP (2021 est.); 1.6% of GDP (2020 est.)

Airports: 7 (2025)

Merchant marine
Total: 53 (2023)
By type: bulk carrier 1, general cargo 16, oil tanker 7, other 29