Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Gabon. 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. Mother's mean age at first birth is 19.6 years (2012 est.) (Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 20-49), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 227 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
Location | Central Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean at the Equator, between Republic of the Congo and Equatorial Guinea |
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Geographic coordinates | 1 00 S, 11 45 E |
Map references | Africa |
Tarrain | narrow coastal plain; hilly interior; savanna in east and south |
Natural Resources | petroleum, natural gas, diamond, niobium, manganese, uranium, gold, timber, iron ore, hydropower |
Natural Hazards | none |
Irrigated Land | 40 sq km (2012) |
Major rivers (by length in km) | |
Major aquifers | Congo Basin |
Land Boundaries | 3,261 km |
Border Countries | Cameroon 349 km; Republic of the Congo 2,567 km; Equatorial Guinea 345 km |
Coastline | 885 km |
Climate | tropical; always hot, humid |
Area | |
Total Area | |
Land Area | 257,667 sq km |
Water Area | 10,000 sq km |
comparative Area | slightly smaller than Colorado |
Maritime Claims | |
Territorial sea | 12 nm |
Contiguous zone | 24 nm |
Exclusive economic zone | 200 nm |
Elevations | |
Highest point | Mont Bengoue 1,050 m |
Lowest point | Atlantic Ocean 0 m |
Mean elevation | 377 m |
Land Use | |
Agricultural land | 19% (2018 est.) |
Agricultural land: arable land | arable land: 1.2% (2018 est.) |
Agricultural land: permanent crops | permanent crops: 0.6% (2018 est.) |
Agricultural land: permanent pasture | permanent pasture: 17.2% (2018 est.) |
Forest | 81% (2018 est.) |
Other | 0% (2018 est.) |
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
In Gabon, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: 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.)
Population | |
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Pop growth rate | 2.37% (2024 est.) |
Birth rate | 25.7 births/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
Death rate | 5.5 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
Health expenditure | 3.4% of GDP (2020) |
Physicians Density | |
Hospital bed Density | 6.3 beds/1,000 population |
Total fertility rate | 3.21 children born/woman (2024 est.) |
Gross reproduction rate | 1.58 (2024 est.) |
Contraceptive prevalence rate | 31.1% (2012) |
Est married women (ages 15-49) | 49.7% (2023 est.) |
Literacy | age 15 and over can read and write |
Education expenditures | 3.2% of GDP (2020 est.) |
Net Migration rate | 3.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
Nationality | Gabonese | Gabonese (singular and plural) |
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.) |
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) |
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 | 22 years (2024 est.) |
Male | 22.5 years |
Female | 21.5 years |
Urbanization | |
Urban population | 91% of total population (2023) |
Rate of urbanization | 2.27% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) |
Major urban areas (Pop) | 870,000 LIBREVILLE (capital) (2023). |
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 | 1.03 male(s)/female |
Total population | 1.07 male(s)/female (2024 est.) |
Infant Motality | |
Total | 26.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.) |
Male | 29.7 deaths/1,000 live births |
Female | 24 deaths/1,000 live births |
Life Expectancy at birth | |
Total population | 70.4 years (2024 est.) |
Male | 68.6 years |
Female | 72.1 years |
Drinking Water Sources | |
Improved: urban | urban: 97.2% of population |
Improved: rural | rural: 55.3% of population |
Improved: total | total: 93.1% of population |
Unimproved: urban | urban: 2.8% of population |
Unimproved: rural | rural: 44.7% of population |
Unimproved: total | total: 6.9% of population (2020 est.) |
Sanitation facility acess | |
Improved: urban | urban: 81.3% of population |
Improved: rural | rural: 55.1% of population |
Improved: total | total: 78.7% of population |
Unimproved: urban | urban: 18.7% of population |
Unimproved: rural | rural: 44.9% of population |
Unimproved: total | total: 21.3% of population (2020 est.) |
Alcohol consumption per capita | |
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.) |
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.
Gabon has been a magnet to migrants from neighboring countries since the 1960s because of the discovery of oil, as well as the country’s political stability and timber, mineral, and natural gas resources. Nonetheless, income inequality and high unemployment have created slums in Libreville full of migrant workers from Senegal, Nigeria, Cameroon, Benin, Togo, and elsewhere in West Africa. In 2011, Gabon declared an end to refugee status for 9,500 remaining Congolese nationals to whom it had granted asylum during the Republic of the Congo’s civil war between 1997 and 2003. About 5,400 of these refugees received permits to reside in Gabon.
Want to know more about Gabon? Check all different factbooks for Gabon below.