Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Congo is 28% bigger than Gabon
Congo: 342,000 km² (2024) · Gabon: 267,670 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Gabon’s coastline is 5.2 times as long as the Congo’s
Congo: 169 km (2026 edition) · Gabon: 885 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Gabon’s highest peak towers 30 m above the Congo’s
Congo: 1,020 m (2026 edition) · Gabon: 1,050 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 31% of the Congo, versus 6.9% of Gabon
Congo: 31.2% (2024) · Gabon: 6.9% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The Congo has 2.5 times as many people as Gabon
Congo: 6.48 million (2025) · Gabon: 2.59 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Congo is 89% more densely populated than Gabon
Congo: 19 per km² (2025) · Gabon: 10 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
The Congo and Gabon are practically level
Congo: 171.2 cm (2019) · Gabon: 170.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Gabon are 1.3 cm taller than in the Congo
Congo: 158.8 cm (2019) · Gabon: 160.1 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Gabon is 3.2 years older than in the Congo
Congo: 18.3 years (2023) · Gabon: 21.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the Congo have 0.5 more children on average than in Gabon
Congo: 4.11 children per woman (2024) · Gabon: 3.59 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
4.1% of people in Gabon are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in the Congo
Congo: 3.1% (2025) · Gabon: 4.1% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
The Congo hosts 151 times as many refugees per resident as Gabon
Congo: 9.6 per 1,000 (2025) · Gabon: 0.1 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The Congo and Gabon are practically level
Congo: 0 (2026) · Gabon: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
The Congo has 3 official languages, Gabon 1
Congo: 3 (2026) · Gabon: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Gabon’s economy is 31% larger than the Congo’s
Congo: $16.3 billion (2025) · Gabon: $21.4 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Gabon produces 3.1 times as much per person as the Congo
Congo: Int$7,248 (2025) · Gabon: Int$22,218 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Congo: no data · Gabon: 38 (2017)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Congo: no data · Gabon: 3.8% (2017)
How many people are looking for work?
Gabon and the Congo are practically level
Congo: 19.9% (2025) · Gabon: 20.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Gabon and the Congo are practically level
Congo: 1.3% (2025) · Gabon: 1.7% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Gabon’s central government collects 9.5% of GDP in tax, the Congo’s 6.5%
Congo: 6.5% (2021) · Gabon: 9.5% (2021)
How expensive is it?
Gabon’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× the Congo’s
Congo: 35% (2025) · Gabon: 37% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Gabon spends 3.3 times as much on health per person as the Congo
Congo: $76 (2023) · Gabon: $253 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Gabon live 2.5 years longer than in the Congo
Congo: 66 years (2024) · Gabon: 68.5 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the Congo is 4% more likely to die before turning one than in Gabon
Congo: 27 per 1,000 (2024) · Gabon: 25.9 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Gabon has 3 times as many doctors per person as the Congo
Congo: 0.2 per 1,000 (2022) · Gabon: 0.5 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Gabon is 52% higher than in the Congo
Congo: 17.3 per 100k (2023) · Gabon: 26.3 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
22% of adults in Gabon are obese, versus 12% in the Congo
Congo: 11.5% (2024) · Gabon: 21.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
16% of adults in the Congo smoke, versus 13% in Gabon
Congo: 16.2% (2024) · Gabon: 13.3% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Gabon rate their lives 0.71 points higher than in the Congo
Congo: 4.46 (2025) · Gabon: 5.17 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Gabon drink 2.1 times as much alcohol as in the Congo
Congo: 3.9 litres (2023) · Gabon: 8 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Gabon has 13% more meat per person than the Congo
Congo: 55.8 kg (2023) · Gabon: 63.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Gabon has 499 kcal more food per person per day than the Congo
Congo: 2,187 kcal (2023) · Gabon: 2,686 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the Congo put in 360 more hours a year than in Gabon
Congo: 2,534 hours (2023) · Gabon: 2,174 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Gabon went to school 1.4 years longer than in the Congo
Congo: 8.3 years (2023) · Gabon: 9.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Congo: 0.03 (2018) · Gabon: no data
How many World Heritage sites?
The Congo and Gabon are practically level
Congo: 2 (2026) · Gabon: 2 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Gabon has won 1 Olympic medal, the Congo none
Congo: 0 (2026 edition) · Gabon: 1 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
69% of people in Gabon are online, versus 47% in the Congo
Congo: 47% (2024) · Gabon: 69% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Gabon is 2.1 times as fast as in the Congo
Congo: 25 Mbps (2026) · Gabon: 53 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
95% of people in Gabon have electricity, versus 53% in the Congo
Congo: 53% (2024) · Gabon: 95.1% (2024)
How many live in cities?
92% of people in Gabon live in cities, versus 64% in the Congo
Congo: 64% (2025) · Gabon: 92% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Gabon has 125 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the Congo 96
Congo: 96 (2024) · Gabon: 125 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The Congo’s railway network is 38% longer than Gabon’s
Congo: 893 km (2012) · Gabon: 648 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Gabon fly 31% more passengers per resident than those from the Congo
Congo: 0.02 (2023) · Gabon: 0.03 (2016)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 91% of Gabon, but only 64% of the Congo
Congo: 64% (2024) · Gabon: 91.4% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Gabon emits 52% more CO₂ than someone in the Congo
Congo: 1.4 t (2024) · Gabon: 2.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
35% of Gabon’s electricity is renewable, versus 21% in the Congo
Congo: 20.9% (2024) · Gabon: 35.4% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the Congo carries 25% more fine dust than in Gabon
Congo: 40.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Gabon: 32.2 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Gabon are 2 times as deadly as in the Congo
Congo: 8.3 per 100k (2023) · Gabon: 16.2 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The Congo is on average 0.2 °C warmer than Gabon
Congo: 25.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · Gabon: 25.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Gabon gets 40% more rain than the Congo
Congo: 1,486 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Gabon: 2,080 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is the Congo bigger than Gabon?
The Congo is larger. The Congo is 28% bigger than Gabon.
Which has more people, the Congo or Gabon?
The Congo has 2.5 times as many people as Gabon (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the Congo or Gabon?
People in Gabon live 2.5 years longer than in the Congo. Life expectancy at birth is 66.0 years in the Congo and 68.5 in Gabon.
Are people taller in the Congo or Gabon?
The Congo and Gabon are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
