PEOPLE & SOCIETY : GABON

Nationality:

noun: Gabonese (singular and plural) 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:

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

Religions:

Christian 55%-75%, animist, Muslim less than 1%

Population:

1,608,321 (July 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 153 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

Age structure:

0-14 years: 42.2% (male 340,483/ female 337,491) 15-64 years: 54% (male 433,251/ female 435,162) 65 years and over: 3.9% (male 26,155/ female 35,779) (2012 est.)

Median age:

total: 18.6 years male: 18.4 years female: 18.9 years (2012 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.977% (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 57

Birth rate:

35 births/1,000 population (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 28

Death rate:

13.07 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 21

Net migration rate:

-2.16 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 168

Urbanization:

urban population: 86% of total population (2010) rate of urbanization: 2.1% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Major cities - population:

LIBREVILLE (capital) 619,000 (2009)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

Maternal mortality rate:

230 deaths/100,000 live births (2010) country comparison to the world: 49

Infant mortality rate:

total: 49 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 44 male: 56.68 deaths/1,000 live births female: 41.09 deaths/1,000 live births (2012 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 52.29 years country comparison to the world: 210 male: 51.65 years female: 52.93 years (2012 est.)

Total fertility rate:

4.56 children born/woman (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 31

Health expenditures:

6% of GDP (2009) country comparison to the world: 106

Physicians density:

0.29 physicians/1,000 population (2004)

Hospital bed density:

1.25 beds/1,000 population (2008)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

5.2% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 14

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

46,000 (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 59

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

2,400 (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 52

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk: very high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne disease: malaria and chikungunya water contact disease: schistosomiasis animal contact disease: rabies (2009)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight:

8.8% (2001) country comparison to the world: 68

Education expenditures:

NA

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 88.4% male: 91.9% female: 84.9% (2010 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total: 13 years male: 12 years female: 12 years (2002)    Source : CIA " The World factbook "

GABON PROFILE - OVERVIEW

Gabon is one of West Africa's more stable countries. Between independence from France in 1960 and 2009, Gabon had just two presidents. The late president Omar Bongo was in power for over four decades.

Despite being made up of more than 40 ethnic groups, Gabon has escaped the strife afflicting other West African states.

This is partly down to its relative prosperity due to oil and to the presence of French troops, which in 1964 reinstated President Leon Mba after he had been overthrown in a coup.

Gabon's dependence on oil has made its economy - and political stability - hostage to fluctuations in oil prices. When oil prices fell in the late 1980s, opposition to President Bongo increased, culminating in demonstrations in 1990.

These ushered in political liberalisation. A multi-party system was introduced in 1991.

Government critics have pointed to the wealth gap between the urban elite and the rural poor.

Thanks to its oil exports and a small population it enjoys more wealth per head of population than many of its neighbours. However, most of its people live in poverty.

As oil reserves diminish, eco-tourism could grow in economic importance. 

Gabon's rainforests teem with wildlife, including lowland gorillas and forest elephants. National parks make up around one tenth of the land

At a glance

• Politics: Gabon was ruled by just two presidents between 1960 and 2009. The current president succeeded his father
• Economy: The country is trying to diversify away from oil, whose earnings
• have been decreasing. Most of the population remains poor
• International: Tension persists over three small islands in oil-rich off-shore waters claimed by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. France has a military base in Gabon.

Gabon's forests teem with wildlife. However, their habitat is under threat

Country profiles compiled by BBC Monitoring