Congo vs Gabon
Congo is 28% larger than Gabon.
CongoGabonCongo moved onto Gabon · Equal-area projection
1.28×
Congo is 1.28× the area of Gabon.
 Congo |  Gabon | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaCongo: 1.28× the area | 342,000 km²#65 of 194 | 267,667 km²#75 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 5 | 3 |
| People | ||
| PopulationCongo: 2.5× the population | 6,484,437#110 of 194 · 2025 | 2,593,130#140 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityCongo: 1.96× the density | 19 / km²#169 of 194 | 9.7 / km²#181 of 194 |
| Urban populationGabon: 1.44× the urban share | 64%#92 of 192 · 2025 | 92%#16 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateCongo: 1.14× the births per woman | 4.11 per woman#23 of 192 · 2024 | 3.59 per woman#40 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthCongo: 0.25 points higher | +2.36%#31 of 192 · 2025 | +2.11%#41 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateCongo: 1.12× the birth rate | 30.4 per 1,000#28 of 192 · 2024 | 27.1 per 1,000#42 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateAbout the same death rate | 6.2 per 1,000#129 of 192 · 2024 | 6.2 per 1,000#129 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Congo: 3.7 points higher | 39.9%#26 of 192 · 2025 | 36.2%#46 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Gabon: 1.0 points higher | 3.1%#166 of 192 · 2025 | 4.1%#139 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationGabon: 0.9 per 1,000 higher | −0.5 per 1,000#100 of 192 · 2025 | +0.4 per 1,000#60 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadCongo: 5.34× the refugees for its size | 2.03 per 1,000#42 of 190 · 2025 | 0.38 per 1,000#82 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyGabon: 2.5 years longer | 66.0 years#163 of 192 · 2024 | 68.5 years#141 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityCongo: 1.04× the infant mortality | 27.0 per 1,000 births#54 of 191 · 2024 | 25.9 per 1,000 births#55 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsGabon: 3.06× the doctors per person | 0.17 per 1,000#155 of 178 · 2022 | 0.52 per 1,000#127 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolment | 10.4%#130 of 145 · 2023 | — |
| Human Development IndexGabon: 0.084 higher | 0.649#135 of 190 · 2023 | 0.733#107 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaGabon: 3.55× the income per person | $2,280#144 of 185 · 2025 | $8,090#87 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPGabon: 1.31× the economy | $16.31B2025 | $21.43B2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Gabon: 3.07× the output per person | $7,248#140 of 184 · 2025 | $22,218#88 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthCongo: 0.6 points higher | +3.1%#96 of 187 · 2025 | +2.5%#118 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationCongo: 0.6 points higher | +2.4%#103 of 176 · 2025 | +1.8%#124 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentAbout the same unemployment | 19.9%#6 of 178 · 2025 | 20.2%#5 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | — | 3.8%#60 of 149 · 2017 |
| Income inequality (Gini) | — | 38.0#52 of 149 · 2017 |
| Jobs in agricultureCongo: 7.5 points higher | 36.4% of jobs#44 of 178 · 2025 | 28.9% of jobs#63 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryCongo: 0.6 points higher | 19.5% of jobs#84 of 178 · 2025 | 18.9% of jobs#90 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesGabon: 8.1 points higher | 44.2% of jobs#138 of 178 · 2025 | 52.3% of jobs#108 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentCongo: 1.9 points higher | 3.7% of GDP#52 of 184 · 2025 | 1.8% of GDP#100 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsGabon: 7.5 points higher | 48.0% of GDP#49 of 168 · 2025 | 55.5% of GDP#36 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingGabon: 1.27× the military spending | 1.3% of GDP#97 of 155 · 2025 | 1.7% of GDP#79 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersGabon: 1.45× the share online | 47%#146 of 184 · 2024 | 69%#121 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsGabon: 1.3× the mobile subscriptions | 96 per 100#135 of 191 · 2024 | 125 per 100#69 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaGabon: 1.43× the forest share | 64% of land#21 of 192 · 2024 | 91% of land#3 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personGabon: 1.53× the CO₂ per person | 1.34 t a year#118 of 185 · 2024 | 2.05 t a year#101 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyGabon: 19.9 points higher | 71.4%#26 of 190 · 2021 | 91.3%#4 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityGabon: 42.1 points higher | 53.0%#175 of 192 · 2024 | 95.1%#131 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Congo: 1.17× the air pollution | 36.5 µg/m³#29 of 191 · 2023 | 31.3 µg/m³#44 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landCongo: 14.0 points higher | 36.6% of land#21 of 191 · 2025 | 22.6% of land#64 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landCongo: 0.3 points higher | 1.6% of land#167 of 190 · 2024 | 1.3% of land#169 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stress | 0.0%#176 of 176 · 2022 | 0.5%#165 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationGabon: 1.11× the rain and snow | 1,646 mm#49 of 180 · 2022 | 1,831 mm#39 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityGabon: 0.61 higher | −0.49#138 of 193 · 2025 | +0.12#93 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionGabon: 0.64 higher | −1.42#180 of 193 · 2025 | −0.78#140 of 193 · 2025 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Presidential republic |
| Member of | OPEC | OPEC |
| Capital | Brazzaville | Libreville |
| Currency | Central African CFA franc (XAF) | Central African CFA franc (XAF) |
| Official languages | French | French |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC+1 |
| Calling code | +242 | +241 |
| Region | Middle 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. Congo sits at about 1° S and is stretched to 1.0× 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 Congo bigger than Gabon?
- Yes. Congo is 28% larger than Gabon. Congo covers 342,000 km² and Gabon covers 267,667 km².
- How many times does Gabon fit into Congo?
- About 1.3 times: Congo has 1.28× the area of Gabon.
- Why do Congo and Gabon look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Congo is drawn about 1.0× 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, Congo or Gabon?
- Congo: 6,484,437 people against 2,593,130. Density: Congo 19 per km², Gabon 9.7 per km².
- Which is richer, Congo or Gabon?
- By gross national income per person, Gabon: $8,090 against $2,280 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 3.55× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Congo or Gabon?
- In Gabon: life expectancy at birth is 68.5 years, against 66.0 — 2.5 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Congo and Gabon have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: presidential republic (CIA World Factbook).