Factbook
History of Gabon — Timeline
Key dates in the history of Gabon, from the Magna Factbook and the Universal Encyclopedia.
1960French decolonization after World War II led to the country’s independence in 1960.
1960Independence: 17 August 1960 (from France).
1961Within a year of independence, the government changed from a parliamentary to a presidential system, and Leon M’BA won the first presidential election in 1961.
1967BONGO went on to dominate the country's political scene for four decades (1967-2009).
1967El Hadj Omar BONGO Ondimba was M’BA’s vice president and assumed the presidency after M’BA’s death in 1967.
1968In 1968, he declared Gabon a single-party state and created the still-dominant Parti Democratique Gabonais (PDG).
1995He was reelected by wide margins in 1995, 1998, 2002, and 2005 against a divided opposition and amidst allegations of fraud.
2009After BONGO's death in 2009, a new election brought his son, Ali BONGO Ondimba, to power, and he was reelected in 2016.
2019Languages: French (official), Fang, Myene, Nzebi, Bapounou/Eschira, Bandjabi Religions: Protestant 46.4% (Revival Church 37%, other Protestant 9.4%), Roman Catholic 29.8%, other Christian 4%, Muslim 10.8%, traditional/animist 1.1%, other 0.9%, none 7% (2019-21 est.) Urban population: 91% of total population (2023).
2023Generation mix — fossil fuels: 51.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 47.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.) Energy use: 22.101 million Btu/person (2023 est.).
2023He won a third term in the August 2023 election but was overthrown in a military coup a few days later.
2023In September 2023, OLIGUI was sworn in as transitional president of Gabon.
2023Industries: petroleum extraction and refining; manganese, gold; chemicals, ship repair, food and beverages, textiles, lumbering and plywood, cement Agriculture: oil palm fruit, plantains, cassava, sugarcane, yams, taro, vegetables, maize, groundnuts, game meat (2023) Electricity access: 93.5% (2022 est.).
2023Major urban areas: 870,000 LIBREVILLE (capital) (2023) natural-resource-rich, upper-middle-income, Central African economy; significant reliance on oil and mineral exports; highly urbanized population; high levels of poverty and unemployment; uncertainty on institutional and development reform progress following 2023 military coup Inflation: 1.2% (2024 est.).
2024Military spending: 1.5% of GDP (2024 est.).
