Urban population growth in Gabon
Gabon: Urban population growth was 2.4% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Urban population growth in Gabon, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
In 2025, urban population growth in Gabon stood at 2.4%. That is the lowest value across all 65 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.9% on the previous year and down 35.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population growth in Gabon peaked at 13.2% in 1965 and was at its lowest, 2.4%, in 2025.
Gabon ranks 61st of 218 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Urban population growth in Gabon, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 5.3% | — |
| 1962 | 9.3% | +73.6% |
| 1963 | 11.7% | +26.7% |
| 1964 | 12.9% | +10.2% |
| 1965 | 13.2% | +2.1% |
| 1966 | 12.9% | -2.6% |
| 1967 | 12.1% | -5.6% |
| 1968 | 11.2% | -7.9% |
| 1969 | 10.3% | -7.7% |
| 1970 | 9.3% | -9.8% |
| 1971 | 8.7% | -7.1% |
| 1972 | 8.6% | -0.5% |
| 1973 | 8.5% | -1.4% |
| 1974 | 8.3% | -2.1% |
| 1975 | 8.1% | -2.8% |
| 1976 | 7.8% | -3.5% |
| 1977 | 7.5% | -4.2% |
| 1978 | 7.1% | -5.0% |
| 1979 | 6.7% | -5.8% |
| 1980 | 6.2% | -6.6% |
| 1981 | 5.8% | -7.3% |
| 1982 | 5.4% | -7.3% |
| 1983 | 5.1% | -5.5% |
| 1984 | 4.9% | -3.9% |
| 1985 | 4.8% | -2.3% |
| 1986 | 4.7% | -0.6% |
| 1987 | 4.8% | +1.2% |
| 1988 | 4.9% | +2.3% |
| 1989 | 4.9% | +0.6% |
| 1990 | 4.9% | -1.4% |
| 1991 | 4.7% | -3.1% |
| 1992 | 4.5% | -4.8% |
| 1993 | 4.2% | -6.7% |
| 1994 | 4.0% | -5.5% |
| 1995 | 3.9% | -2.2% |
| 1996 | 3.8% | -1.8% |
| 1997 | 3.7% | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 3.7% | -0.8% |
| 1999 | 3.7% | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 3.7% | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 3.7% | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 3.7% | -0.1% |
| 2003 | 3.7% | -0.0% |
| 2004 | 3.7% | +0.4% |
| 2005 | 3.7% | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 3.8% | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 3.8% | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 3.9% | +0.8% |
| 2009 | 3.9% | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 4.0% | +1.3% |
| 2011 | 4.0% | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 3.9% | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 3.8% | -3.0% |
| 2014 | 3.9% | +2.1% |
| 2015 | 3.6% | -6.7% |
| 2016 | 3.4% | -7.0% |
| 2017 | 3.2% | -6.3% |
| 2018 | 3.0% | -4.0% |
| 2019 | 3.0% | -2.3% |
| 2020 | 2.9% | -3.1% |
| 2021 | 2.8% | -3.1% |
| 2022 | 2.7% | -2.3% |
| 2023 | 2.7% | -2.8% |
| 2024 | 2.4% | -9.4% |
| 2025 | 2.4% | -1.9% |
Gabon compared with similar countries
- Gabon's 2.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.0%, 2.5× the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Gabon's 2.4% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.4%, 70% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Urban population growth in Gabon changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | +73.6% | 5.3% | 9.3% |
| 1963 | +26.7% | 9.3% | 11.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 11.0% | 5.3% | 13.2% | 9 |
| 1970s | 8.0% | 6.7% | 9.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.1% | 4.7% | 6.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.1% | 3.7% | 4.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.8% | 3.7% | 3.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.6% | 3.0% | 4.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.6% | 2.4% | 2.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Gabon
More climate change data for Gabon
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 1.51 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 241.41 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 126.48 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 114.93 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 0.4773 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 4.1 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 17.66 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 13.49 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 4.17 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.0509 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population growth in Gabon?
- Urban population growth in Gabon was 2.4% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population growth recorded in Gabon?
- The highest recorded value was 13.2% in 1965.
- What is the lowest urban population growth recorded in Gabon?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.4% in 2025.
- How does Gabon rank for urban population growth?
- Gabon ranks 61st out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population growth rising or falling in Gabon?
- Over the last ten years it is down 35.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Gabon data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual urban population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear urban population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank total population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects.