World Factbook
Gabon
République Gabonaise
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Literacy
male
90.8% (2021 est.)
female
87.1% (2021 est.)
total population
88.9% (2021 est.)
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.)
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
total population
1.07 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
65 years and over
1.03 male(s)/female
Birth rate
25.51 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate
5.44 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Median age
male
22.5 years
total
22.3 years (2025 est.)
female
21.5 years
Population
male
1,299,085
total
2,513,738 (2025 est.)
female
1,214,653
Nationality
noun
Gabonese (singular and plural)
adjective
Gabonese
Urbanization
urban population
91% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization
2.27% annual rate of change (2020-25 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)
Ethnic groups
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.)
Child marriage
men married by age 18
4.8% (2021)
women married by age 15
2.9% (2021)
women married by age 18
13.3% (2021)
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio
63 (2025 est.)
youth dependency ratio
55.8 (2025 est.)
potential support ratio
13.9 (2025 est.)
elderly dependency ratio
7.2 (2025 est.)
Physician density
0.52 physicians/1,000 population (2022)
Health expenditure
Health expenditure (as % of GDP)
2.7% of GDP (2021)
Health expenditure (as % of national budget)
9.6% of national budget (2022 est.)
Net migration rate
3.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Total fertility rate
3.16 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Drinking water source
improved: rural
rural: 54.9% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total
total: 86.9% of population (2022 est.)
improved: urban
urban: 90.2% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural
rural: 45.1% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 13.1% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban
urban: 9.8% of population (2022 est.)
Education expenditure
Education expenditure (% GDP)
2.3% of GDP (2023 est.)
Education expenditure (% national budget)
13.6% national budget (2023 est.)
Infant mortality rate
male
29.7 deaths/1,000 live births
total
26 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
female
24 deaths/1,000 live births
Population growth rate
2.35% (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
1.56 (2025 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 population distribution map
Life expectancy at birth
male
68.6 years
female
72.1 years
total population
70.4 years (2024 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio
233 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Sanitation facility access
improved: rural
rural: 55.1% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total
total: 78.9% of population (2022 est.)
improved: urban
urban: 81.3% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural
rural: 44.9% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 21.1% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban
urban: 18.7% of population (2022 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
beer
5.31 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine
0.62 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
total
6.47 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.)
Major urban areas - population
870,000 LIBREVILLE (capital) (2023)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
15% (2016)
Mother's mean age at first birth
19.6 years (2012 est.)
note: data represents median age at first birth among women 20-49
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
48.5% (2020 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
5.4% (2020 est.)