Browse a full set of economic indicators

Gabon

Includes Gabon real Gross Domestic Product growth rate, with latest forecasts and historical data, GDP per capita, GDP composition and breakdown by sector.

Browse additional economic indicators and data sets, selected by Global Finance editors, to learn more about Gabon economic outlook, debt to GDP ratio, international trade performance and population trends. Rankings of Gabon best banks and safest banks are also available.

Basic Information

Government Type: Presidential republic

Capital City: Libreville

GDP & Economic Information

Macroeconomy & Sovereign Data

Central Bank Bank of Central African States
Currency Cooperation Financiere en Afrique Centrale francs (XAF)

International Reserves USD 1.3 billion (2018)

International Monetary Fund (IMF), data retrieved October 2019
Gross Domestic Product – GDP USD 17.0 billion (2018, estimate)
GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) Intl$ 38.0 billion (2018, estimate)

GDP Data

Real GDP growth 2007: 6.3%
2008: 1.7%
2009: -2.3%
2010: 6.3%
2011: 7.1%
2012: 5.3%
2013: 5.5%
2014: 4.4%
2015: 3.9%
2016: 2.1%
2017*: 0.5%
2018*: 1.2%
*Estimate
GDP per capita – current prices USD 8,297.4 (2018, estimate)
GDP per capita – PPP Intl$ 18,495.9 (2018, estimate)
GDP (PPP) – share of world total 1980: 0.06%
1990: 0.05%
2000: 0.04%
2010: 0.03%
2019*: 0.03%
*Estimate
GDP – composition by sector agriculture: 5.3%
industry: 45.5%
services: 42.6%
(2017 estimate)
Gross domestic expenditure on R&D; (% of GDP) N/A
Inflation 2015: -0.1%
2016: 2.1%
2017: 2.7%
2018*: 4.8%
2019*: 3%
*Estimate

Inflation & Debt

Inflation 2015: -0.1%
2016: 2.1%
2017: 2.7%
2018*: 4.8%
2019*: 3%
*Estimate
Government Bond Ratings Standard & Poor’s: N/A

Moody’s: Caa1

Standard & Poor’s / Moody’s
Unemployment rate N/A
Household saving rates N/A
Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP) 2015: 44.7%
2016: 64.2%
2017: 62.6%
2018*: 60.7%
2019*: 56.4%
*Estimate
Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP) 2015: -1.1%
2016: -4.7%
2017: -1.7%
2018*: -0.2%
2019*: 1.6%
*Estimate
Market value of publicly traded shares N/A
Largest Companies N/A

Import/Export

Exports as percent of GDP (Exports of goods and services) 50.2% (2017)
Shares in world total merchandising export 0.04% (2018)
Shares in world total commercial services export 0.01% (2016)
Total exports USD 5.4 billion (2015)
Export commodities Crude oil, timber, manganese, uranium
Total imports USD 5.0 billion (2015 estimate)
Import commodities Machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, construction materials
Exports – major partners China 36.4%, US 10%, Ireland 8.5%, Netherlands 6.3%, South Korea 5.1%, Australia 5%, Italy 4.6% (2017)
Imports – major partners France 23.6%, Belgium 19.6%, China 15.2% (2017)

Competitiveness & Trade

Current account balance USD -0.4 billion (2018 estimate)
Current account balance by percentage of GDP
-2.4 % (2018 estimate)
FDI inflows 2016: USD 1,241 million
2017: USD 1,498 million
2018: USD 846 million
FDI Outflows 2016: USD 45 million
2017: USD -84 million
2018: USD -63 million
Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser N/A


United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) – World Investment Report
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2014 N/A
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2015 N/A
Best countries for doing business
Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business. A high ease of doing business ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm.

Overall ranking:

169 out of 190 countries

​Subcategories:
Starting a Business: 96 out of 190 countries
Dealing with Construction Permits: 141 out of 190 countries
Getting Electricity: 164 out of 190 countries
Registering Property: 171 out of 190 countries
Getting Credit: 132 out of 190 countries
Protecting Minority Investors: 170 out of 190 countries
Paying Taxes: 182 out of 190 countries
Trading across Borders: 170 out of 190 countries
Enforcing Contracts: 180 out of 190 countries
Resolving Insolvency: 130 out of 190 countries
World Bank – Doing Business 2019
Global competitiveness ranking
119 out of 141 countries

(2019)
Index of Economic Freedom Ranking: 118 / Score: 56.3 (Mostly unfree)

(100=totally free 0=totally repressed)

Population & Geographic Data

Time Zone UTC+1

Total Area 267,667 sq km
Total Population 1990: 0.93 million
2000: 1.21 million
2010*: 1.61 million
2015*: 1.93 million
2020*: 2.11 million
*Estimate
Urban population as % of total population 1960: 17.4%
1980: 54.7%
2000: 78.9%
2015: 89.4%
Population median age 20.5 years
Population growth rate 2.73% (2018 estimate)
Life expectancy 68 years (2018 estimate)
% of population living on less than $3.10 a day
11.2% (last available estimate, 2017)
Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index) 38 (last available estimate, 2017)
Freedom House rating
Not Free
Political Rights: 7
Civil Liberties: 5 (2019)

(1 represents the most free, 7 the least free rating)
Total telephone subscribers as % of population Fixed: 1% Mobile: 138.3% (2018)
(fixed-telephone subscribers and mobile-cellular subscribers)
Internet users as % of total population 62 % (2017)

Language & Religon

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

Literacy Total population: 83.2%
Male: 85.3%
Female: 81%
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.)
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.)

World Rankings

Population 2.11 M
Mercer Cost of living index Libreville: 24th (2019)

C02 Emissions per capita 2.76 metric tons per capita (2014)

Global Finance Rankings & Awards: Gabon

Global Finance Magazine holds several conferences and awards ceremonies throughout the year to recognize the winning financial institutions and companies in a host of categories including World’s Best Trade Finance Banks, World's Biggest Banks, World's Safest Banks, World's Best Developed & Emerging Markets Banks, World's Best Internet Banks, and World’s Best Investment Banks.


Data Sources:

IMF World Economic Outlook

UN World Population Prospects

World Inequality Report

S&P Global Ratings

Moody’s

Fitch Ratings

IMF Direction of Trade Statistics (DOTS)

UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

CIA The World Factbook

World Bank’s World Integrated Trade Solution

Forbes Global 2000

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