Foreign trade figures of Gabon

Foreign Trade in Figures

Foreign trade accounts for 91% of the country's GDP (World Bank, latest data available). Customs duties are relatively high, and some other non-tariff barriers also exist, aiming to protect the local industries. Gabonese exports remain heavily focused on traditional sectors such as oil, manganese, and timber. In 2023, the main exports were crude petroleum (55.1%), manganese ore (14.3%), special purpose ships (12.4%), refined petroleum (3.6%), sawn wood (3.1%); whereas imports were led by special purpose ships (21.3%), refined petroleum (5%), cars (2.5%), packaged medicaments (2.2%), and poultry meat (2.2% - data OEC).

In terms of imports, France remained the top supplier with a market share of 14.5% in 2023. It was followed by China (12.5%), South Korea (12.5%), the United States (6.6%), and India (3.7%). In the same year, Gabonese exports were mostly directed towards China (26.1%), Indonesia (8.3%), Spain (7%), Israel (6.4%), and the Republic of the Congo (5.4% - data OEC). Gabon is a member of the WTO, as well as of CEMAC and its free trade area. It has bilateral investment treaties with Belgium, Luxembourg, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Lebanon, Mali, Morocco, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe, South Africa, Spain, and Turkey.

Gabon’s trade balance is structurally in surplus, thanks to the revenues generated by oil exports. In 2023, total exports of goods amounted to USD 7.7 billion while total imports reached USD 6.1 billion, resulting in a comfortable trade surplus (WTO). On the side of services, Gabon’s exports are almost non-existent. The overall trade balance for goods and services was estimated to be positive by 36% of GDP in 2023 by the World Bank, from 43.1% one year earlier.