Burkina Faso vs Gabon
Burkina Faso and Gabon are almost exactly the same size.
Burkina FasoGabonBurkina Faso moved onto Gabon · Equal-area projection
1.02×
Burkina Faso is 1.02× the area of Gabon.
 Burkina Faso |  Gabon | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAbout the same area | 274,200 km²#73 of 194 | 267,667 km²#75 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 6 | 3 |
| People | ||
| PopulationBurkina Faso: 9.28× the population | 24,074,580#59 of 194 · 2025 | 2,593,130#140 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityBurkina Faso: 9.06× the density | 88 / km²#97 of 194 | 9.7 / km²#181 of 194 |
| Urban populationGabon: 3.19× the urban share | 29%#173 of 192 · 2025 | 92%#16 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateBurkina Faso: 1.14× the births per woman | 4.11 per woman#23 of 192 · 2024 | 3.59 per woman#40 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthBurkina Faso: 0.10 points higher | +2.21%#37 of 192 · 2025 | +2.11%#41 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateBurkina Faso: 1.15× the birth rate | 31.3 per 1,000#25 of 192 · 2024 | 27.1 per 1,000#42 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateBurkina Faso: 1.27× the death rate | 7.9 per 1,000#72 of 192 · 2024 | 6.2 per 1,000#129 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Burkina Faso: 5.0 points higher | 41.2%#15 of 192 · 2025 | 36.2%#46 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Gabon: 1.4 points higher | 2.7%#176 of 192 · 2025 | 4.1%#139 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationGabon: 1.5 per 1,000 higher | −1.1 per 1,000#119 of 192 · 2025 | +0.4 per 1,000#60 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadBurkina Faso: 38.4× the refugees for its size | 14.59 per 1,000#15 of 190 · 2025 | 0.38 per 1,000#82 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyGabon: 7.2 years longer | 61.3 years#183 of 192 · 2024 | 68.5 years#141 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityBurkina Faso: 1.68× the infant mortality | 43.6 per 1,000 births#20 of 191 · 2024 | 25.9 per 1,000 births#55 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsGabon: 3.47× the doctors per person | 0.15 per 1,000#159 of 178 · 2022 | 0.52 per 1,000#127 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolment | 10.0%#133 of 145 · 2024 | — |
| Human Development IndexGabon: 0.274 higher | 0.459#183 of 190 · 2023 | 0.733#107 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaGabon: 8.26× the income per person | $980#170 of 185 · 2025 | $8,090#87 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPBurkina Faso: 1.29× the economy | $27.63B2025 | $21.43B2025 |
| Income group | Low income | Upper-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Gabon: 7.23× the output per person | $3,072#171 of 184 · 2025 | $22,218#88 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthBurkina Faso: 2.8 points higher | +5.3%#41 of 187 · 2025 | +2.5%#118 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationGabon: 2.4 points higher | −0.6%#171 of 176 · 2025 | +1.8%#124 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentGabon: 5.77× the unemployment | 3.5%#121 of 178 · 2025 | 20.2%#5 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyBurkina Faso: 11.1× the share in extreme poverty | 42.1%#15 of 149 · 2021 | 3.8%#60 of 149 · 2017 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Gabon: 0.6 higher | 37.4#56 of 149 · 2021 | 38.0#52 of 149 · 2017 |
| Jobs in agricultureBurkina Faso: 22.9 points higher | 51.8% of jobs#22 of 178 · 2025 | 28.9% of jobs#63 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryGabon: 2.2 points higher | 16.7% of jobs#121 of 178 · 2025 | 18.9% of jobs#90 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesGabon: 20.7 points higher | 31.6% of jobs#164 of 178 · 2025 | 52.3% of jobs#108 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentGabon: 0.7 points higher | 1.1% of GDP#125 of 184 · 2025 | 1.8% of GDP#100 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsGabon: 20.5 points higher | 35.0% of GDP#85 of 168 · 2025 | 55.5% of GDP#36 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingBurkina Faso: 1.99× the military spending | 3.3% of GDP#21 of 155 · 2025 | 1.7% of GDP#79 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersGabon: 2.43× the share online | 28%#168 of 184 · 2024 | 69%#121 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsGabon: 1.07× the mobile subscriptions | 117 per 100#91 of 191 · 2024 | 125 per 100#69 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaGabon: 7.43× the forest share | 12% of land#142 of 192 · 2024 | 91% of land#3 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personGabon: 7.59× the CO₂ per person | 0.27 t a year#165 of 185 · 2024 | 2.05 t a year#101 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyGabon: 19.9 points higher | 71.4%#26 of 190 · 2022 | 91.3%#4 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityGabon: 61.1 points higher | 34.0%#185 of 192 · 2024 | 95.1%#131 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Burkina Faso: 1.19× the air pollution | 37.3 µg/m³#28 of 191 · 2023 | 31.3 µg/m³#44 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landGabon: 5.8 points higher | 16.8% of land#102 of 191 · 2025 | 22.6% of land#64 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landBurkina Faso: 27.6 points higher | 28.9% of land#32 of 190 · 2024 | 1.3% of land#169 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressBurkina Faso: 15.6× the water stress | 7.8%#102 of 176 · 2022 | 0.5%#165 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationGabon: 2.45× the rain and snow | 748 mm#110 of 180 · 2022 | 1,831 mm#39 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityGabon: 1.92 higher | −1.80#181 of 193 · 2025 | +0.12#93 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionBurkina Faso: 0.56 higher | −0.22#94 of 193 · 2025 | −0.78#140 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | 1.3 per 100,000#92 of 146 · 2017 | — |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Presidential republic |
| Member of | — | OPEC |
| Capital | Ouagadougou | Libreville |
| Currency | West African CFA franc (XOF) | Central African CFA franc (XAF) |
| Official languages | French, Mooré, Dioula, Bissa | French |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC | UTC+1 |
| Calling code | +226 | +241 |
| Region | Western Africa, Africa | Middle Africa, Africa |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Burkina Faso sits at about 12° N and is stretched to 1.05× its true area; Gabon at 1° S is stretched to 1.0×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Burkina Faso bigger than Gabon?
- Yes. Burkina Faso and Gabon are almost exactly the same size. Burkina Faso covers 274,200 km² and Gabon covers 267,667 km².
- How many times does Gabon fit into Burkina Faso?
- About 1.0 times: Burkina Faso has 1.02× the area of Gabon.
- Why do Burkina Faso and Gabon look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Burkina Faso is drawn about 1.05× its true area there and Gabon about 1.0×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Burkina Faso or Gabon?
- Burkina Faso: 24,074,580 people against 2,593,130. Density: Burkina Faso 88 per km², Gabon 9.7 per km².
- Which is richer, Burkina Faso or Gabon?
- By gross national income per person, Gabon: $8,090 against $980 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 8.26× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Burkina Faso or Gabon?
- In Gabon: life expectancy at birth is 68.5 years, against 61.3 — 7.2 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Burkina Faso and Gabon have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: presidential republic (CIA World Factbook).