Gabon vs Western Sahara
Gabon and Western Sahara are almost exactly the same size.
GabonWestern SaharaGabon moved onto Western Sahara · Equal-area projection
1.01×
Gabon is 1.01× the area of Western Sahara.
 Gabon |  Western Sahara | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAbout the same area | 267,667 km²#75 of 194 | 266,000 km² |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 3 | 3 |
| People | ||
| PopulationGabon: 4.24× the population | 2,593,130#140 of 194 · 2025 | 612,0002021 |
| DensityGabon: 4.21× the density | 9.7 / km²#181 of 194 | 2.3 / km² |
| Urban population | 92%#16 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Fertility rate | 3.59 per woman#40 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Population growth | +2.11%#41 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Birth rate | 27.1 per 1,000#42 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Death rate | 6.2 per 1,000#129 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Children under 15 | 36.2%#46 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| People over 65 | 4.1%#139 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Net migration | +0.4 per 1,000#60 of 192 · 2025 | — |
| Refugees abroad | 0.38 per 1,000#82 of 190 · 2025 | — |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancy | 68.5 years#141 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Infant mortality | 25.9 per 1,000 births#55 of 191 · 2024 | — |
| Doctors | 0.52 per 1,000#127 of 178 · 2022 | — |
| Human Development Index | 0.733#107 of 190 · 2023 | — |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capita | $8,090#87 of 185 · 2025 | — |
| GDP | $21.43B2025 | — |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | — |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $22,218#88 of 184 · 2025 | — |
| GDP growth | +2.5%#118 of 187 · 2025 | — |
| Inflation | +1.8%#124 of 176 · 2025 | — |
| Unemployment | 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 agriculture | 28.9% of jobs#63 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Jobs in industry | 18.9% of jobs#90 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Jobs in services | 52.3% of jobs#108 of 178 · 2025 | — |
| Foreign investment | 1.8% of GDP#100 of 184 · 2025 | — |
| Exports | 55.5% of GDP#36 of 168 · 2025 | — |
| Military spending | 1.7% of GDP#79 of 155 · 2025 | — |
| Internet users | 69%#121 of 184 · 2024 | — |
| Mobile subscriptions | 125 per 100#69 of 191 · 2024 | — |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest area | 91% of land#3 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| CO₂ per person | 2.05 t a year#101 of 185 · 2024 | — |
| Renewable energy | 91.3%#4 of 190 · 2021 | — |
| Access to electricity | 95.1%#131 of 192 · 2024 | — |
| Air pollution (PM2.5) | 31.3 µg/m³#44 of 191 · 2023 | — |
| Protected land | 22.6% of land#64 of 191 · 2025 | — |
| Arable land | 1.3% of land#169 of 190 · 2024 | — |
| Water stress | 0.5%#165 of 176 · 2022 | — |
| Precipitation | 1,831 mm#39 of 180 · 2022 | — |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stability | +0.12#93 of 193 · 2025 | — |
| Control of corruption | −0.78#140 of 193 · 2025 | — |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Status disputed |
| Government | Presidential republic | —legal status of territory and issue of sovereignty unresolved; territory contested by Morocco and Polisario Front (Popular Front for the Liberation of the Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro), which in February 1976 formally proclaimed a government-in-exile of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), near Tindouf, Algeria, led by President Mohamed ABDELAZIZ until his death in May 2016; current President Brahim GHALI elected in July 2016; territory partitioned between Morocco and Mauritania in April 1976 when Spain withdrew, with Morocco acquiring northern two-thirds; Mauritania, under pressure from Polisario guerrillas, abandoned all claims to its portion in August 1979; Morocco moved to occupy that sector shortly thereafter and has since asserted administrative control; the Polisario's government-in-exile was seated as an Organization of African Unity (OAU) member in 1984; Morocco between 1980 and 1987 built a fortified sand berm delineating the roughly 75% of Western Sahara west of the barrier that currently is controlled by Morocco; guerrilla activities continued sporadically until a UN-monitored cease-fire was implemented on 6 September 1991 (Security Council Resolution 690) by the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) |
| Member of | OPEC | — |
| Capital | Libreville | — |
| Currency | Central African CFA franc (XAF) | Moroccan dirham (MAD) |
| Official languages | French | Arabic |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC+1 |
| Calling code | +241 | +212 |
| Region | Middle Africa, Africa | Northern 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. Gabon sits at about 1° S and is stretched to 1.0× its true area; Western Sahara at 24° N is stretched to 1.2×. 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 Gabon bigger than Western Sahara?
- Yes. Gabon and Western Sahara are almost exactly the same size. Gabon covers 267,667 km² and Western Sahara covers 266,000 km².
- How many times does Western Sahara fit into Gabon?
- About 1.0 times: Gabon has 1.01× the area of Western Sahara.
- Why do Gabon and Western Sahara look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Gabon is drawn about 1.0× its true area there and Western Sahara about 1.2×. 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, Gabon or Western Sahara?
- Gabon: 2,593,130 people against 612,000. Density: Gabon 9.7 per km², Western Sahara 2.3 per km².