GABON · NEIGHBOURHOOD
Key Facts
- The country Gabon: 2.6 million people in 2025 and a US$21.4 billion economy, on the Atlantic coast of Central Africa.
- Land neighbours Equatorial Guinea to the north-west, Cameroon to the north, the Republic of Congo to the east and south.
- Trade with them The three neighbours bought US$741 million, 5.8%, of Gabon’s 2023 exports; Congo took most.
- Regional clubs ECCAS, the Central African states’ regional club, seated in Libreville, and CEMAC, six states sharing the CFA franc.
- Court case The UN’s top court delivered its judgment on Gabon’s island and sea dispute with Equatorial Guinea on 19 May 2025.
Gabon neighbours Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon and the Republic of Congo on land, with the Atlantic Ocean along its whole western coast. This guide explains how trade, refugees, a border court case and two regional clubs tie Gabon to that neighbourhood.
Gabon and Its Neighbours in Plain English
Gabon is a small, forested country on the equator, with its capital in Libreville and about 2.6 million people. This guide builds on our Africa hub and looks at who lives next door and why it matters.
Gabon neighbours three countries on land, and the island nation of Sao Tome and Principe lies out at sea to the west. The groups and terms below appear again and again in this guide.
- ECCAS: the Economic Community of Central African States, a regional club created on 18 October 1983 in Libreville, where it still has its seat.
- CEMAC: the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa, a six-state club created in 1994 that shares one currency, the CFA franc.
- ICJ: the International Court of Justice in The Hague, the main court of the United Nations, where states settle disputes between themselves.
- UNHCR: the United Nations refugee agency, which counts refugees and asylum seekers country by country.
- World Bank: the global development lender, which publishes population, income and migration data for every country.
Three Land Neighbours and One Island Nation
Equatorial Guinea lies to the north-west, Cameroon to the north and the Republic of Congo to the east and south. The World Bank counts 1.9 million people in Equatorial Guinea, 29.9 million in Cameroon and 6.5 million in Congo for 2025.
Gabon has 2.6 million people, fewer than Congo and far fewer than Cameroon. Its 2025 economy of US$21.4 billion compares with US$58.9 billion for Cameroon, US$16.3 billion for Congo and US$12.8 billion for Equatorial Guinea.
Per person, Gabon is richest, at US$8,263 in 2025, against US$6,615 in Equatorial Guinea, US$2,515 in Congo and US$1,972 in Cameroon. Cameroon’s economy is about 2.8 times Gabon’s, yet its output per person is only about a quarter of Gabon’s.
The fifth neighbour is Sao Tome and Principe, an island country with 240,000 people and an economy of about US$1 billion. It sits in the Gulf of Guinea, so it meets Gabon at sea rather than on a road.
Trade and Money Across the Borders
Gabon sells oil and manganese to the world and very little to its neighbours. In 2023 it exported US$12.7 billion of goods, with petroleum oils at US$6.58 billion and manganese ore at US$2.95 billion.
China took 27.7% of those exports, at US$3.52 billion, and France 10.6%. Among the neighbours, Congo bought US$574 million (4.5%), Cameroon US$113 million and Equatorial Guinea US$53 million.
Together the three land neighbours bought US$741 million, or 5.8%, of what Gabon sold abroad. Sao Tome and Principe added US$19 million, and the database does not say which goods crossed those borders.
Imports from the neighbours are even smaller, under 1% of Gabon’s US$4.2 billion total. In 2023 Gabon bought US$22 million from Cameroon, US$10 million from Congo and US$2 million from Equatorial Guinea.
Gabon’s biggest suppliers are farther away, led by South Korea at US$560 million, France at US$549 million and China at US$490 million. Our report on Gabon’s economy beyond oil shows why the government wants more local processing.
Our report on Maurel and Prom’s Gabon sales looks at one of the oil producers behind those export figures. Our explainer on Gabon’s public debt shows the money pressure behind that push.
People on the Move and the Road to Cameroon
Gabon hosts far more migrants than refugees. The World Bank counts 449,746 international migrants living in Gabon in 2024, about 17.7% of its people.
UNHCR counted 166 refugees and 86 asylum seekers in Gabon at the end of 2025. The largest groups came from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with 57 refugees, and from the Republic of Congo, with 49.
Smaller groups came from Chad, the Central African Republic and Cameroon, with 5 refugees and 10 asylum seekers from Cameroon. These are small numbers for a country of 2.6 million people.
Roads matter more than camps in this neighbourhood. On 10 July 2026, the presidency says, President Oligui Nguema inspected the road linking Gabon to Cameroon in the northern Woleu-Ntem province.
The presidency called it a strategic road for regional integration, trade and the opening up of border areas. Our guide to Cameroon’s population shows how large the market on the other side of that road is.
On 18 September 2026 Gabon’s Council of Ministers approved attendance at an International Organization for Migration border meeting in Benin. The meeting, from 28 September to 3 October 2026, covers gender-sensitive border governance and the IOM’s MIDAS system for migration data.
The Court Case Over Islands and the Sea
Gabon and Equatorial Guinea took a long dispute over land and sea borders and some islands to the International Court of Justice. The special agreement that sent the case to The Hague is dated 15 November 2016.
The Court heard the case from 30 September to 4 October 2024. It delivered its judgment on the merits on 19 May 2025, the Court’s case page records.
Contacts between the two capitals continue. On 28 May 2026 Equatorial Guinea’s regional integration minister, Lucas Abaga Nchama, visited Libreville as President Obiang’s special envoy.
The two sides discussed the Gulf of Guinea Commission, a regional body for sea security and the fight against piracy. On 27 October 2026 Equatorial Guinea’s new ambassador, Bienvenido Esono Engonga Okomo, presented his credentials to Gabon’s president.
The presidency says their talks covered Gulf of Guinea security, energy cooperation, trade and the free movement of people, goods and services. Nigeria’s new ambassador presented credentials the same day.
The Regional Clubs Gabon Belongs To
Libreville is the seat of ECCAS, which was created there on 18 October 1983. On 19 October 2026 the club marked its 43rd anniversary in the Gabonese capital.
The ECCAS website says Equatorial Guinea’s President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo chairs the summit of heads of state. The Commission, the club’s executive arm, is led by Ezéchiel Nibigira, whom President Oligui Nguema received on 11 September 2026.
At the anniversary Nibigira named insecurity and low trade between members as brakes on integration, which fits the trade figures above. On 18 October 2026 he said he wanted to revive the plan to merge overlapping regional groups, led by Cameroon’s presidency.
CEMAC is the money club, with six members: Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and Chad. Its headquarters are in Bangui.
On 22 January 2026 CEMAC leaders met in an extraordinary summit on the CFA franc, chaired by Congo’s Denis Sassou Nguesso. Gabon’s president said the franc’s stability protects people’s buying power.
The leaders agreed that firms must bring export earnings home and that budgets must follow community rules. They also agreed that states should rely less on imports.
Gabon, Cameroon and Congo all joined the Organisation of African Unity, the African Union’s predecessor, on 25 May 1963. Equatorial Guinea joined on 12 October 1968, the African Union’s member list shows.
Where Gabon Leads and Where It Follows
Gabon is small, but it plays the host. On 11 September 2026 its president received the UN’s special envoy for Central Africa.
A UN House project in Gabon had its first stone laid on 3 May 2026. On forests, Gabon has led the neighbourhood.
From July 2023 to April 2026 it co-led the Congo Basin Forest Partnership with France, a first for a basin state.Its Council of Ministers recorded this on 8 October 2026.The partnership adopted the Belém Call, aiming to raise at least US$2.5 billion by 2030 for basin forests, and gained 17 members.Our report on Congo Basin living labs shows the same agenda in Brazzaville.Brazzaville sits on the Congo River, the basin’s main waterway.On size and money, Gabon follows, because Cameroon’s economy is 2.8 times larger and Cameroon’s presidency leads the merger effort.On the currency, Gabon speaks up with the other CEMAC leaders.Gabon is also looking beyond its neighbours.In October 2026 Vice President Alexandre Barro Chambrier and Foreign Minister Marie-Edith Tassyla Ye-Doumbeneny reported on a mission to Zimbabwe and Eswatini.Our report on Gabon’s defence budget covers a proposed 2027 cut of US$59 million.The cut sits in the draft 2027 finance bill, so it is still a proposal.
What It Means for US Readers
The United States was Gabon’s fourth-largest supplier in 2023, with US$318 million of goods, or 7.55% of Gabon’s imports. The United States is not among Gabon’s top five export buyers, which are China, France, Spain, the Netherlands and Israel.
US investors should note that the shared CFA franc covers Gabon and all three of its land neighbours. Currency decisions are therefore made jointly with them.
On 28 October 2026 the president received VAALCO Energy, an oil operator present in Gabon for more than 25 years. The presidency says the group will meet a government task force on royalties and other audit points, which investors should watch.
For travellers, a trip across Central Africa usually means several countries with separate entry rules. Check each country’s US State Department advisory and its visa rules before you go, because Gabon’s rules do not apply next door.
What Is Not Known
Several figures readers often ask for are not published in official data. These include the length of each land border, the number of people who cross each year and the value of informal trade.
The trade database does not break down the goods behind Gabon’s US$574 million of sales to Congo in 2023. That leaves open what Congo actually buys from Gabon.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which countries border Gabon?
Gabon shares land borders with Equatorial Guinea to the north-west, Cameroon to the north and the Republic of Congo to the east and south. The Atlantic Ocean forms its western coast.
Is Gabon in CEMAC?
Yes. CEMAC’s official site lists Gabon among its six member states, with Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Chad. The group shares the CFA franc.
What is ECCAS and why is it in Libreville?
ECCAS is the Economic Community of Central African States. It was created in Libreville on 18 October 1983, and the Gabonese capital remains its seat.
Did Gabon and Equatorial Guinea settle their dispute?
They took it to the International Court of Justice, which delivered its judgment on the merits on 19 May 2025. The Court’s case page lists the full judgment and the judges’ opinions.
Which neighbour buys most from Gabon?
The Republic of Congo. It bought US$574 million of Gabonese goods in 2023, about 4.5% of Gabon’s exports, according to the World Bank’s trade database.
Does Gabon host many refugees?
No. UNHCR counted 166 refugees and 86 asylum seekers in Gabon at the end of 2025. The World Bank counts far more migrants, 449,746 in 2024.
Sources: World Bank, World Development Indicators for Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Congo and Sao Tome and Principe (population, GDP, migrant stock), 2026-10-29; World Bank WITS, Gabon trade summary 2023 and partner data (exports and imports by partner), 2026-10-29; UNHCR Refugee Data Finder, Gabon as country of asylum, 2025, 2026-10-29; International Court of Justice, Land and Maritime Delimitation and Sovereignty over Islands (Gabon/Equatorial Guinea), case 179, 2026-10-29; ECCAS (CEEAC), official website, news of 11 September and 18 to 19 October 2026, 2026-10-29; CEMAC, official website, member states and community profile, 2026-10-29; African Union, member states list with dates of joining, 2026-10-29; Presidency of the Gabonese Republic, official notes of 27 and 28 October 2026 and 21 October 2026, 2026-10-29; Presidency of the Gabonese Republic, Council of Ministers communiqués of 18 September and 8 October 2026, 2026-10-29; Presidency of the Gabonese Republic, notes on the CEMAC summit (22 January 2026), the Woleu-Ntem visit (10 July 2026) and the Equatorial Guinea envoy (28 May 2026), 2026-10-29.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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