Gabon

total: 80,000 (2022 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 3 (2022 est.)

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

.ga

percent of population: 72% (2023 est.)

total subscriptions: 67,100 (2024 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 3 (2024 est.)

total subscriptions: 3.18 million (2024 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 125 (2024 est.)

oil palm fruit, plantains, cassava, sugarcane, yams, taro, vegetables, maize, groundnuts, game meat (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

revenues: $2.939 billion (2021 est.) expenditures: $3.226 billion (2021 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

$140.996 million (2015 est.) $1.112 billion (2014 est.) $1.463 billion (2013 est.) note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars

$6.442 billion (2023 est.) note: present value of external debt in current US dollars

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

Coop ration Financi re en Afrique Centrale francs (XAF) per US dollar - 606.345 (2024 est.) 606.57 (2023 est.) 623.76 (2022 est.) 554.531 (2021 est.) 575.586 (2020 est.)

$13.622 billion (2024 est.) $12.869 billion (2023 est.) $13.814 billion (2022 est.) note: GDP expenditure basis - exports of goods and services in current dollars

crude petroleum, ships, manganese ore, refined petroleum, wood (2023) note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

China 26%, Indonesia 8%, Spain 7%, Israel 6%, Congo, Republic of the 5% (2023) note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

$20.867 billion (2024 est.) note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate

household consumption: 33.7% (2024 est.) government consumption: 12.2% (2024 est.) investment in fixed capital: 18.1% (2024 est.) investment in inventories: 0% (2024 est.) exports of goods and services: 65.3% (2024 est.) imports of goods and services: -29.2% (2024 est.) note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

agriculture: 6.2% (2024 est.) industry: 50.9% (2024 est.) services: 37.5% (2024 est.) note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

38 (2017 est.) note: index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality

lowest 10%: 2.2% (2017 est.) highest 10%: 27.7% (2017 est.) note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

$6.094 billion (2024 est.) $5.38 billion (2023 est.) $5.005 billion (2022 est.) note: GDP expenditure basis - imports of goods and services in current dollars

ships, refined petroleum, iron pipes, cars, packaged medicine (2023) note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

France 14%, China 13%, S. Korea 13%, USA 7%, India 4% (2023) note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

2.8% (2024 est.) note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

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

1.2% (2024 est.) 3.6% (2023 est.) 4.2% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

824,400 (2024 est.) note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

33.4% (2017 est.) note: % of population with income below national poverty line

64.2% of GDP (2016 est.)

$48.045 billion (2024 est.) $46.472 billion (2023 est.) $45.363 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

3.4% (2024 est.) 2.4% (2023 est.) 3% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

$18,900 (2024 est.) $18,700 (2023 est.) $18,700 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

0.1% of GDP (2023 est.) 0.1% of GDP (2022 est.) 0.1% of GDP (2021 est.) note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities

$1.447 billion (2023 est.) $1.415 billion (2022 est.) $1.304 billion (2021 est.) note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars

9.5% (of GDP) (2021 est.) note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

20.1% (2024 est.) 20.3% (2023 est.) 20.4% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

total: 36% (2024 est.) male: 31.1% (2024 est.) female: 42.3% (2024 est.) note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

imports: 75,000 metric tons (2023 est.)

installed generating capacity: 785,000 kW (2023 est.) consumption: 3.173 billion kWh (2023 est.) imports: 584.039 million kWh (2023 est.) transmission/distribution losses: 604 million kWh (2023 est.)

electrification - total population: 93.5% (2022 est.) electrification - urban areas: 98.5% electrification - rural areas: 29%

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.)

22.101 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

production: 463 million cubic meters (2023 est.) consumption: 463 million cubic meters (2023 est.) proven reserves: 25.995 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

total petroleum production: 204,000 bbl/day (2023 est.) refined petroleum consumption: 14,000 bbl/day (2023 est.) crude oil estimated reserves: 2 billion barrels (2021 est.)

3.144 million 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.) from consumed natural gas: 908,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

tropical; always hot, humid

deforestation from logging; solid-waste disposal; water pollution from oil industry; wildlife poaching

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

agricultural land: 8.4% (2023 est.) arable land: 1.3% (2023 est.) permanent crops: 0.7% (2023 est.) permanent pasture: 6.4% (2023 est.) forest: 91.5% (2023 est.) other: 0.2% (2023 est.)

energy: 272.4 kt (2022-2024 est.) agriculture: 4.9 kt (2019-2021 est.) waste: 18.6 kt (2019-2021 est.) other: 5.4 kt (2019-2021 est.)

29.6 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

166 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

municipal: 84.7 million cubic meters (2022 est.) industrial: 14.1 million cubic meters (2022 est.) agricultural: 40.3 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

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

municipal solid waste generated annually: 238,100 tons (2024 est.) percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 22.4% (2022 est.)

total : 267,667 sq km land: 257,667 sq km water: 10,000 sq km

slightly smaller than Colorado

tropical; always hot, humid

885 km

highest point: Mont Bengoue 1,050 m lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 377 m

1 00 S, 11 45 E

the country has maintained its pristine rain forest and rich biodiversity

40 sq km (2012)

total: 3,261 km border countries (3): Cameroon 349 km; Republic of the Congo 2,567 km; Equatorial Guinea 345 km

agricultural land: 8.4% (2023 est.) arable land: 1.3% (2023 est.) permanent crops: 0.7% (2023 est.) permanent pasture: 6.4% (2023 est.) forest: 91.5% (2023 est.) other: 0.2% (2023 est.)

Central Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean at the Equator, between Republic of the Congo and Equatorial Guinea

Congo Basin

Atlantic Ocean drainage: Congo (3,730,881 sq km)

Africa

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

none

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

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

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

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

name: Libreville geographic coordinates: 0 23 N, 9 27 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: the city was founded in 1849 by freed slaves, and the name means "free town" in French

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

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

conventional long form: Gabonese Republic conventional short form: Gabon local long form: R publique Gabonaise local short form: Gabon etymology: name originates from the Portuguese word gab o, meaning "cloak," possibly used by early explorers to describe the shape of the Komo River estuary

chief of mission: Ambassador Vernelle Trim FITZPATRICK (since 26 January 2024); note - also accredited to Sao Tome and Principe embassy: Sabliere, B.P. 4000, Libreville mailing address: 2270 Libreville Place, Washington, DC 20521-2270 telephone: [241] 011-45-71-00 FAX: [241] 011-45-71-05 email address and website: ACSLibreville@state.gov https://ga.usembassy.gov/

chief of mission: Ambassador No l Nelson MESSONE (12 December 2022) chancery: 2034 20th Street NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 797-1000 FAX: [1] (301) 332-0668 email address and website: info@gaboneembassyusa.org https://gabonembassyusa.org/en/ consulate(s) general: New York

chief of state: President Brice OLIGUI Nguema (since 3 May 2025) head of government: President Brice OLIGUI Nguema (since 3 May 2025) cabinet: cabinet appointed by president election/appointment process: the president directly elected by plurality vote to a 7-year term (no term limits) most recent election date: 12 April 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%

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

presidential republic

17 August 1960 (from France)

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

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

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) 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

mixed system of French civil law and customary law

legislature name: Parliament legislative structure: bicameral

chamber name: National Assembly (Assemblée nationale) number of seats: 145 (all directly elected) electoral system: plurality/majority scope of elections: full renewal term in office: 5 years most recent election date: 10/6/2023 percentage of women in chamber: 21.6% expected date of next election: November 2030

chamber name: Senate (Senate) number of seats: 70 (all indirectly elected) scope of elections: full renewal term in office: 5 years most recent election date: 9/27/2025 to 10/11/2025 percentage of women in chamber: 20.3% expected date of next election: November 2025

title: "La Concorde" (The Concorde) lyrics/music: Georges Aleka DAMAS history: adopted 1960

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")

green, yellow, blue

total World Heritage Sites: 2 (1 natural, 1 mixed) selected World Heritage Site locales: Ecosystem and Relict Cultural Landscape of Lop -Okanda (m); Ivindo National Park (n)

Independence Day, 17 August (1960)

black panther

Gabonese Democratic Party or PDG Restoration of Republican Values or RV The Democrats or LD Paul Mba Abessole

18 years of age; universal

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.

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)

Gabonese Armed Forces (Force Arm es Gabonaise or FAG; aka National Defense and Security Forces of Gabon or des Forces Nationales de D fense et de S curit (FNDS) du Gabon ): Army, Navy, Air Force, Light Aviation, Fire Brigade; Gabon National Gendarmerie (GENA); Republican Guard (GR); Military Health Service; Military Engineering (2025) note: the National Police Forces, under the Ministry of Interior, and the National Gendarmerie (GENA), 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; the GENA is organized into regionally-based legions, mobile forces, a national parks security unit, and a special intervention group

approximately 7,000 active-duty Armed Forces including the Republican Guard and Gendarmerie (2025)

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)

1.5% of GDP (2024 est.) 1.3% of GDP (2023 est.) 1.3% of GDP (2022 est.) 1.7% of GDP (2021 est.) 1.8% of GDP (2020 est.)

18-24 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2025)

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)

total: 6.47 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) beer: 5.31 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) wine: 0.62 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.)

25.51 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

women married by age 15: 2.9% (2021) women married by age 18: 13.3% (2021) men married by age 18: 4.8% (2021)

5.4% (2020 est.)

48.5% (2020 est.)

5.44 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

total dependency ratio: 63 (2025 est.) youth dependency ratio: 55.8 (2025 est.) elderly dependency ratio: 7.2 (2025 est.) potential support ratio: 13.9 (2025 est.)

urban: 90.2% of population (2022 est.) rural: 54.9% of population (2022 est.) total: 86.9% of population (2022 est.) urban: 9.8% of population (2022 est.) rural: 45.1% of population (2022 est.) total: 13.1% of population (2022 est.)

2.3% of GDP (2023 est.) 13.6% national budget (2023 est.)

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.)

1.56 (2025 est.)

2.7% of GDP (2021) 9.6% of national budget (2022 est.)

total: 26 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.) male: 29.7 deaths/1,000 live births female: 24 deaths/1,000 live births

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

total population: 70.4 years (2024 est.) male: 68.6 years female: 72.1 years

total population: 88.9% (2021 est.) male: 90.8% (2021 est.) female: 87.1% (2021 est.)

870,000 LIBREVILLE (capital) (2023)

233 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

total: 22.3 years (2025 est.) male: 22.5 years female: 21.5 years

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

noun: Gabonese (singular and plural) adjective: Gabonese

3.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

15% (2016)

0.52 physicians/1,000 population (2022)

total: 2,513,738 (2025 est.) male: 1,299,085 female: 1,214,653

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

2.35% (2025 est.)

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.)

urban: 81.3% of population (2022 est.) rural: 55.1% of population (2022 est.) total: 78.9% of population (2022 est.) urban: 18.7% of population (2022 est.) rural: 44.9% of population (2022 est.) total: 21.1% of population (2022 est.)

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: 1.03 male(s)/female total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

3.16 children born/woman (2025 est.)

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

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

Gabonese Studies and Space Observations Agency (Agence Gabonaise d Etudes et d Observations Spatiales or AGEOS; established 2015) (2025)

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)

refugees: 261 (2024 est.)

42 (2025)

TR

total: 87 (2023) by type: bulk carrier 1, general cargo 19, oil tanker 30, other 37

total ports: 9 (2024) large: 0 medium: 2 small: 2 very small: 5 ports with oil terminals: 7 key ports: Libreville, Oguendjo Terminal, Port Gentil, Port Owendo

total: 649 km (2014) standard gauge: 649 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge