The Demographics of Gabon is the makeup of the population of Gabon. As of 2020, Gabon has a population of 2,225,287. Gabon's population is relatively young with 35.5% of its population under 15 years of age and only 4.3% of its population over 65 years old. Gabon has a nearly even split between males and females with 0.99 males for every female in the population. In the age range of 15–65, the ration is exactly 1 male to 1 female. The life expectancy of Gabon is lower than the world average. Gabon's population's life expectancy at birth is 53.11 years while the world average is 67.2 years as of 2010. Ethnically, the biggest group in Gabon are the Fang people with over 500,000 people, or about a third of Gabon's population, belonging to this ethnic group. The biggest religion in Gabon is Christianity, with between 55–75% of the population of Gabon being Christian.

According to the 2022 revision of the World Population Prospects^[1][2] the total population was 2,341,179 in 2021, compared to only 469,000 in 1950. The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2010 was 35.5%, 60.2% was between 15 and 65 years of age, while 4.3% was 65 years or older .^[3]

Structure of the population (DHS 2012; males 19,318, females 20,636, total 39,955):

Registration of vital events is in Gabon not complete. The Population Department of the United Nations prepared the following estimates. Population estimates account for under numeration in population censuses.^[4]

Fertility and births

Total Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and Crude Birth Rate (CBR):^[5]

More information Year, CBR (Total) ...

Year	CBR (Total)	TFR (Total)	CBR (Urban)	TFR (Urban)	CBR (Rural)	TFR (Rural)
2000	33.1	4.3 (3.5)	33.3	3.9 (3.2)	32.4	5.7 (4.7)
2012	33.3	4.1 (3.2)	33.2	3.9 (3.0)	33.4	6.1 (4.6)
2019-2021	31.3	3.9 (3.2)	31.6	3.8 (3.1)	28.9	5.4 (4.1)

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Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.

Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.

Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.

Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.

Fertility data as of 2012 (DHS Program):^[6]

More information Province, Total fertility rate ...

Province	Total fertility rate	Percentage of women age 15–49 currently pregnant	Mean number of children ever born to women age 40–49
Libreville/Port-Gentil	3.5	9.3	4.4
Estuaire (except Libreville)	4.1	8.6	5.2
Haut-Ogooué	4.9	10.3	5.8
Moyen-Ogooué	4.9	8.9	5.4
Ngounié	5.7	10.9	6.0
Nyanga	5.7	10.7	6.2
Ogooué Maritime (except Port-Gentil)	4.8	9.8	4.6
Ogooué-Ivindo	6.7	14.0	6.6
Ogooué-Lolo	5.3	11.3	5.9
Woleu-N’tem	5.0	9.8	4.7

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Life expectancy

More information Period, Life expectancy in Years ...

Period	Life expectancy in Years[7]
1950–1955	37.00
1955–1960	39.00
1960–1965	40.50
1965–1970	44.65
1970–1975	48.78
1975–1980	52.91
1980–1985	57.03
1985–1990	60.70
1990–1995	61.01
1995–2000	60.03
2000–2005	59.07
2005–2010	61.34
2010–2015	64.45

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Demographic statistics according to the World Population Review in 2019.^[8]

• One birth every 8 minutes
• One death every 35 minutes
• One net migrant every 360 minutes
• Net gain of one person every 10 minutes

The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook.^[9]

Broad ethnic groups in Gabon are:

1. Bantu groups including four major groupings (Fang, Eshira, Punu, Teke)
2. Other Africans, notably 'forest people' (pygmy, now sedentary) such as the Babongo tribe
3. Europeans, including 10,700 French and 11,000 persons of dual nationality

Religions include Roman Catholic 43.5%, Protestant and other Christian 36%, Muslim 10%, animist 3.3%, other 6%, and none 1.2% (2020 figures).^[12]

Languages include French (official since colonial rule), Fang, Myene, the Teke group, Punu, and Njebi.

According to research conducted in 2011 at the University of Western Cape:

"It has been noted that French is increasingly be-coming the mother tongue and the initial language of the younger generations in urban Gabon (Pambou, 1998:147; Ndinga-Koumba-Binza, 2005a:72 & 2005b:141; Idiata, 2008:85; cf. Blanchon, 1994). In fact, studies by Ntong Amvame (1984), Bouché (1998), Mbondzi (1998), Ompoussa (1998), Itembo (1999) and Mouloungui Nguimbyt (2002) have shown that pupils of various ages and grades at schools learn French more efficiently than any other Gabonese language. Idiata (2008:200 & 2009:126) has also noted that some pupils do not speak any of the Gabonese native languages at all. One of the reasons for this phenomenon (i.e. French being the mother tongue of younger generations) is cross-ethnic marriages.

"In fact, many couples of mixed ethnicity prefer French rather than Gabonese native languages as the code for better communication within the family. Children from a family of this kind have no choice but to acquire French as their first language. The children learn the language at home from the parents before they even get to school, therefore lessening the chances of learning any of the Gabonese native languages.

"This urbanisation is also to be considered as a cause for French being the initial language of Gabonese younger generations. In fact, “in certain urban contexts there is a large degree of learning by contact at an early age” (Lafage, 1993:216)."^[13]

Literacy rates are as follows: ^[14]
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 83.2%
male: 85.3%
female: 81% (2015 est.)