Gabon Demographics

What is the population of Gabon?

Population	2,230,908
Population - note	note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected
Population Growth Rate	1.96%
Urban Population	86.2%
Population in Major Urban Areas	LIBREVILLE (capital) 686,000
Nationality Noun	Gabonese (singular and plural)
Nationality Adjective	Gabonese
Ethnic Groups	Bantu tribes including four major tribal groupings (Fang, Bapounou, Nzebi, Obamba), other Africans and Europeans 154,000, including 10,700 French and 11,000 persons of dual nationality
Languages Spoken	French (official), Fang, Myene, Nzebi, Bapounou/Eschira, Bandjabi

Gabon Health Information

What are the health conditions in Gabon?

Animal Contact Disease (s)	rabies
Contraceptive Prevalence Rate - female 15-49	31.1%
Death Rate - deaths/1,000 population	13.11
Drinking Water Source - percent of rural population improved	63%
Drinking Water Source - percent of total population unimproved	7.8%
Drinking Water Source - percent of urban population improved	96.8%
Food or Waterborne Disease (s)	bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Health Expenditures - percent of GDP	3.2%
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate	5.2%
HIV/Aids Deaths	2,300
Hospital Bed Density - beds/1,000 population	6.3
Infant Mortality Rate - female deaths/1,000 live births	40.32
Infant Mortality Rate - male deaths/1,000 live births	55.49
Infant Mortality Rate - total deaths/1,000 live births	48.02
Major Infectious Diseases - degree of risk	very high
Maternal Mortality Rate - deaths/100,000 live births	230
Mean Age for Mother's First Birth	20.3
Obesity - adult prevalence rate	13.9%
People Living with HIV/AIDS	46,000
Physicians Density - physicians/1,000 population	.2
Sanitation Facility Access - percent of total population unimproved	58.6%
Sanitation Facility Access - percent of urban population improved	42.9%
Sanitation Facility Access - percent of rural population improved	32%
Total Fertility Rate - children born/woman	4.52
Underweight - percent of children under five years	6.5%
Vectorborne Disease (s)	malaria and dengue fever
Water contact disease (s)	schistosomiasis

Gabon Life Expectancy

How long do people live in Gabon?

Life Expectancy at Birth	52 Years
Life Expectancy at Birth - female	52 Years
Life Expectancy at Birth - male	51 Years
Median Age	18 Years
Median Age - female	18 Years
Median Age - male	18 Years

Gabon Infant Mortality - per 1,000 live births

Gabon median age, birth rate and death rates

Birth Rate - births/1,000 population	35
Death Rate - deaths/1,000 population	13.11
Median Age	18 Years
Median Age - female	18 Years
Median Age - male	18 Years
Net Migration Rate - migrant(s)/1,000 population	-2.11
Population Growth Rate	1.96%
Sex Ratio 0-14 Years - male/female	1.01
Sex Ratio 15-24 Years - male/female	1
Sex Ratio 25-54 Years - male/female	1
Sex Ratio 55-64 Years - male/female	.99
Sex Ratio at Birth - male/female	1.03
Sex Ratio of Total Population - male/female	.99
Sex Ratio Over 64 Years - male/female	.73

Gabon Medical Information

What are the health conditions in Gabon?

Medical Facilities and Health Information

Medical facilities in Gabon's major cities are limited, but may be adequate for routine or basic needs. Medical services in rural areas are either unavailable or of very poor quality. Additionally, some medicines are not available; you should carry your own supply of properly-labeled medications to cover your entire stay. For medical emergencies in Libreville, the emergency room at El Rapha Polyclinic, a private clinic, can be reached at 07-98-66-60, and an ambulance can be requested through them. You must speak French when calling this phone number.

Cerebral malaria is endemic in all areas of Gabon. Travelers should discuss prophylaxis with a physician well before planned travel as some prophylactic medications must be started two weeks before arriving in a malarial zone. Even with prophylaxis you should familiarize yourself with the symptoms of malaria and seek medical treatment immediately if you experience symptoms.

Tap water may not be potable and you should drink and cook with bottled water only. Schistosomiasis, also known as bilharzia, is endemic to Gabon.

Tuberculosis (TB) is an increasingly serious health concern in Gabon.

Gabon Education

What is school like in Gabon?

Literacy - female	53.3%
Literacy - male	73.7%
Literacy - total population	63.2%
Literacy Definition	age 15 and over can read and write

Gabon Literacy

Can people in Gabon read?

Literacy - female	53.3%
Literacy - male	73.7%
Literacy - total population	63.2%
Literacy Definition	age 15 and over can read and write
Predominant Language	French (official), Fang, Myene, Nzebi, Bapounou/Eschira, Bandjabi

Gabon Crime

Is Gabon a safe place to visit?

Crime Information

Petty theft is common in Gabon. Violent crime is more common in urban areas, and there have been armed robberies in homes, restaurants, and at beaches frequented by foreigners. U.S. citizens and Europeans have been the victims of crime.

The U.S. Embassy in Gabon encourages you to take extra precautions when traveling in Libreville. To prevent carjacking and petty theft, you should travel with your car windows up, doors locked, and items of value hidden from view. The Embassy has received reports of scams where thieves cause a distraction to motorists, such as stepping in front of cars in tight traffic, in order to create opportunities for cohorts to snatch and grab from unlocked passenger doors. These incidents have occurred during daylight hours. Riding in a taxi alone or during late hours of the evening is not recommended and increases your risk of becoming the victim of crime. Carjackings and violent incidents of road rage have also been reported to the Embassy. These incidents have also occurred during daylight hours. We have also received reports of police harassment of U.S. citizens at checkpoints, and U.S. citizens should carry identification at all times, as described more fully below.

You should avoid poorly lit streets, and unfamiliar areas of the city, especially at night. You should not walk, run, or stay on the beach alone or in groups after dusk. When dining in restaurants or visiting markets, you should carry a minimal amount of cash and avoid wearing flashy or expensive jewelry. If you are the victim of an attempted robbery or carjacking, you are encouraged to comply with the attacker to avoid injury and to report all incidents to the police and the U.S. Embassy. Police response time to reports of crime is often slow.

Scams or confidence schemes do occur in Gabon. For general information on scams, see the Department of State’s Financial Scams web page.

Credit cards are not widely accepted except at hotels, and because of the high rate of credit card fraud, you should exercise caution when using them. Some hotels only accept credit cards with a European-style microchip. While withdrawing funds from ATMs, you should exercise the same safety precautions as in the U.S. as they are targeted by thieves.

Don’t buy counterfeit and pirated goods, even if they are widely available. Not only are the bootlegs illegal in the United States, if you purchase them you may also be breaking local law.

Gabon Penalties for Crime

Criminal Penalties

While you are traveling in Gabon, you are subject to its laws even if you are a U.S. citizen. Foreign laws and legal systems can be vastly different than our own, and criminal penalties will vary from country to country. There are also some things that might be legal in the country you visit, but still illegal in the United States.You can be prosecuted under U.S. law if you buy pirated goods. Engaging in sexual conduct with children or using or disseminating child pornography in a foreign country is a crime prosecutable in the United States. If you break local laws in Gabon, your U.S. passport won’t help you avoid arrest or prosecution. It’s very important to know what’s legal and what’s not wherever you go.

While some countries will automatically notify the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate if a U.S. citizen is detained or arrested in a foreign country, that might not always be the case. To ensure that the United States is aware of your circumstances, request that the police and prison officials notify the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate as soon as you are arrested or detained overseas.

Gabon Population Comparison

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